Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1858-06-29
WHOLE NUMBER 537
Congress, Past lad Present.

WAS Speaker of the House, will read tie
following with no ordinary interest--'l Is
from the Washington correspondents of the
Boston Courier
Those who are not accustomed to vii
ness tie proceedings Of Congress, and
who have not the III ans, from personal
observation, OF comparing the presemt
| House with that body as leeNisted rwen'y
or thirty wears ago, would find IL tI,tffcult
to believe The truth in regard TO " ~
visitor TO The House for the first time, Is
Eastouildeds hb The want OF dignity aud De.
lcortn, ana the positive disorde. and simuI-
taneousncss which attracts his attention
The scene which ordinarily PRESENTS Hstit
is orc OF confusion. One hall ol me mem
bers are GU. of their seaIs-walklng I"
and fro; standing in the alleys or III the
area in front OF tho Speaker desk; gathered
lin knots here and there, and engaged nj
conversation, not unflequentiy 80 loud rs
to vie with speaker who may be formally
addressing the House; AID members prob
ably y ing and sleeping upon the Mxu
riuus sofas and couches winch Surrouud
the members seats. Some Are sitting
lstlessy, and with apparent indifference
to the proceedings, III their easy chars,
with both their tcet, it may be, upon their
: elegant carved oak desk. Others aWon2
the few comparatively who seem to tie
aware of the business before the House,
are constantly ,intewupllng the speaker
who is entitled to the floor; and not uIi'
,. frequently two or three members VIII
y be addressing the Chair at the same time.
!; With this and the conversation going
u ON about the hall, in every direction, !
} pretty good idea of Babel may be forirfed.
> Every few minutes the Speakers hammer
q is vigorously but vainly piled, for the
IL purpose of restoring order; and ten times
J. an hour the clear voice of tho Speaker Is
l. heard above the tumult of tongues, request
ing members to resume their seats, ana
} admonishin9 them that conversation Is
D. too loud in the hail. and that he cam i en-
ter,ain any motion or proceed to business
until order is restored. Ten times an hour,
= however, there is renewed occasion for
this Interference Of the Speaker. 1t must
be 81 firm and durable material whlct
withs,ands the constant and severe applI
10 cation of tho Speakers hammer.
IN During the long term of years in which
to Henry Clay was Speaker OF the House.
" he seldom or never used his hamtrer.--'
nj Either through his influence as Il presiding
in officer, or better sense OF dec"rum am"hS
is tho members, dignity and order marked
Id the proceedings of the House ut all tlncs'
But if ever there were occasion to call t."
III order-aud y slight departure from the
It. rules OF the House WAS deemed an ocrd-
I'd son-it WAS done, and et'rctually done, 10y
p. t;,p up,n tho Speakers desk with his
in folder or pen-knite. If, while a melsbrt
o. was addressing the House, two otiitIs
.e were out Of thuir seats, and whispering
il even in front of the Speaker s desk, Mr..
he CLAW would request the member to sus-
a pend his remarks Till order was restored
ed An anecdole related recently by venera
on bic gentleman, and a model legislator,
-. who was a member of Congress thirl!
YER years aro, will illustrate the sentiments
II which pervaded the House at that time IL
on regard to the department OF nreInJcis
nJ while in their seats. Now, rs hug beer
to remarked, members are constantly sec'
an with their feet, both feet, upon the top'
he of their desks, in the most vulgar ant
the ungainy position imaginable The deskS
Md as is known, are elegant and expensive
m. being made Of oak, richly and elaborately
he carved 1t is notifying to the spectator
and it would be no doubt grating to th'
FEELINGS of Messrs. Doe IL Hazleton, th'
manufacturers of these desks. to- sec Tn
Tvs heels of members Of Congress, which
ais like their heads, are not always OF tn
it. most delicate structure, in such rough an
i'd destructive contact with their beautltI
les. handiwork. The anecdote alluded to
yed this: Mr.. Vance, member o. me fio"s'
,ith was lame; and to relieve himself from pain
for he one day raised his foot to the edge ,
,es- his desk. Mr.. Clay, observing his pos
,ry. ton, sent one of the pages to him to r.
,nSt mind him that he vas out of order. II
by looked up, and catching the Speakers ey'
urh sraciously bowed an acknowledgements
ear the Justice of the rebuke, and resume
rich his customary dignitied and decorous pos
Dns. ton.
uip- ht the time referred to, nointerrup.iof
,ew. of members while speaking were II
Ii lowed. Now, such interruptions a.
wds constant, and are now SO generally MI
ana- indiscriminalely induIged in, as s"nletlm'
8 to TO create the EXTREMIST confusion. FhHl
ndi- speaking to the question, even III C"m mi
life, tee of the whole, was strictly insisted up"
,xs- and the Speaker WAS accustomed to remit
the members whenever they rambled or dev
in ated from the question in debate. The
oths was, of course. no OCCASION for members
tops call one another to order rs they now {
yer. ncssanlly. That Office was then proper
but discharged by the Speaker. Now, t
ches latitude aud longitude of debate IN cor
It. mittee Of the whole is unbounded and u
measured 5y any rules of the House
e Of any laws of propriety. Then, ~h"n t
nade House resolved itself into committee OF I
their whole, it was customary for the Speaker
leat- 20 down ard take part in the debate.
y at Now, the Speaker retires TO his PRIV
lder loom, which is fitted upwith paa'nIl mn
nifcence for the reception Of his frrnt
and is seen ~, more until the rising
orm- ,ho o,,,,r,;,tco yshi,,,. during his absen,
th 10 A.. l:i..;,,, ,f a. -,