Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1861-02-16
A risHT SESSION IN THE HOUSE.

A Washington correspondent gives the follow
ing sketch:
A night session is q queer phenomenon. ltis
a school for amateur orators and politicians to re-
hearse ;beir parts without the Encouragement OF
an audiohce. The session begins at I P. NJ. The
sofished gas;light dreams gently down through
the embossed and s~panglOd glass ceiling OF the
Hall, adorned with the coats Of arms of thirty
three States, which once formed this glorious
Union" The speaker assumes the chuir, and
looks round upon a Congregation of eapacious arm
chairs. lined with RED leather, aud empty. lie
has befotb him q list 10 order, OF the hohorable
gentletien who have had the felicity to obtain tho
floor. First comes the hthorsb BILE Mr.. Leather
luugs, of Illinois. The gentleman rises In On I'M
expected part of the Simply void, With d glass u
water and two quires Of manuscript befOte him,
and begins. Behind him; before him; and
around him, yawn the vacant Grm;chairs. In the
vast gallery are three dozen spectators Scat,et6d
wide, whom curiosity has drawn to the capitol to
see what lie going on. acknowledgement re-
porters 10 front Of the speakers desk are taking
down accurately the speech of the honorable
Leatherlungs. Four idle pages, in blue spencers
and brass buttons are playing together in a col
ner. A few fugitive members drop in one hitter
another, as the orator proceeds, and fall listlessly
into their sehts. The Honorable Mr.. Leather
ihnss, OF Illinois, goes on. lie warns with his
mighty theme. II g has q sublime vision Of the
American Eagle followed by Il glimpse of the
American flag. its sthrs all hndimmed. lie CLOVIS,
no perspires, he e4pectorates. He draws his
pocket handkerchief, and 6etcely atSOr5s a half
.umbler Of the water before him. His voice rises,
and rcsounds through the vast Hall, and rosfs
out into the silent passages and corridors, and
disturbs the still evening air. Ills enormous ex-
ertions fatigue even the Honorable Leatherlupgs.
lie catches his breath and grasps the back Of his
srH-chuir. lie fereely swallows the remainder Of
his glass Of water claps his hands sharply, and
one Of The little blue Pucks Of pages dances GU. to
Eli his tumbler. Now the Honorable gentleman
goes in" for perorsiion. lie witches at his
wuistband. He strikes dramatic aud perilouS
attitudes. lie cracks his voice and tears his pas
sion to %tatters, to very rags. He fancico that his
far-oA, beloved buncombe in Illinois is listening,
and he redoubles his efforts. He has Visions Of
"fatricidai strife" and "traternal blood" lie clos-
eS in a grand burs, and climax of oloquence, and
einkS exhausted into his seat.
Jun u AAOuOThUlo NT' OullOIdlhoI VI
Connecticut. The Hon. MIR. d. has another two
quires of paper, another glass Of water, and nu-
other hour to invest in their consumption. The
four pages, the three reporters, the twenty men,
berS, and The solitary Speaker, listen more or less
inattentively to the dry argument Of the Hon. Mr..
Dulibrains. At length he has done, and the Hon
orable Mr.. Blatherskite, of Arkansas, assumes
the floor. Tho Hon, Mr.. Blatherskite makes q
fierce secession speech-all about Northern ag-
gression, "and Southern wrong, "and "monaces,"
AMI coercion, DC The audience listen patient
ly-silent, but unconvinced. The Hon. Mr.. Bath
erskise ut length gets through-aud a~nother-and
perhaps another, Honorable member reads his
speech to his own special Buncombe. The even.
ing wans-The hour Of half past ten or eleven ar
rivcs-the small! audience melts away slowly-
one member after anost ell takes his ~overcoat and
hat and leaves the four pages are browsing in
the arm chairs-three reporters alone are attsn-
tive auditors-the martyred Speaker sits like pa.
thence on a moment, not smiling, but with deeply
injured expression Of countenance-and, at length,
the last speech to Buncombe is ended and the
night session closed,