The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-25
Negro MinstreIsy In Congress.

the bones. "Dixev ia my ideal I" To what pitch
her admiration would have been raised we can
| only inter, had she witnessed the scenes IN the
/ House of Representatives on Tuesday. without
the aid of burnt-cork, our congressman sue
oeeded in putting to shame the bulooneries of
the hitherto unrivalled Cool White or the
amusing Billy Birch. At Al O'Clock Tuesday
afternoon, on motion of the Democratic mem.
bers, the House resolved itself into a company
of very low comedians, and treated the country
TO a burlesque OF legislation, which continued
most of the night. 1t would have been very
funny, indeed, ii 1t had not been very dis
graceful.
minority to postpone the passage of Mr. Bout
wells Test Oath bill, by offering tilbusterng
motions, and ordering the yeas and nays. The
unpleasant prospect OF an alinight session
caused many members to desert their seats, and
the Sergeantat-Arms was directed to arrest the
delinQuents. These unfortunate men were
brought from the hotels aud restaurants in
which they had taken refuge, and forced to
join or witness the melancholy performance.
In l.tle while. the floor OF the House would
have been converted into a dining hall and
smoking room, but for the decision of Mr.. Col.
fax that dinners and cigars were out of order
Deprived OF these amusements. the members
sought others even less in keeping with their
dignity, and 1t Is hard to say whether Repub-
hCans or Democrats did the more to make Con-
gress GiSreputable. Mr.. Rogers, the Democratic
leader inquired whether ham sandwiches could
not be supplied; but then MIR. Pike, Republican,
from Maine, suggested that the fines imposed
should go for drinks. Mr.. Eldridge, Democrat
requested Mr.. Grinnell to entertain the com
pany with the song OF John Brown" and Mr..
Grinnell, in return, wanted MIR. Eldridge to
sing
'And are we Rebels yet alive,
And do we yet rebel;
And rs 1t not amazing grace,
That we are not in helW
Mr. Buckland wanted to he excused for run.
nil thn nd ho had hao, 60
dinner, and Mr.. Schenck was in favor of remit
ting the tne thinking that to dune in the res.
taurant of the House was penalty enough. This
was joke which we assure Mr.. Schenck no
comic paper would publish, an0 the reporter
should be censured for telegraphing it. We
object to paying for improDlieties which are not
even funny. If want of dignity is wit, why did
not tie members play leap trog all night, for
then they would have been still wlttier? We
are sorry that Mr.. CO!faX, who enforced some of
the rules sternly, did not assert the dignity of
the Speakership, and read the House severe
lesson instead OF joining In it's silly fun. But he
seems to have made little effort to spare the
country this shame.
Amid such scenes the jovial members passed
the night, varying the entertainment by motions
to adjourn till Thursday, to amend by substl-
tuting Friday, to amend the amendment by
making it Friday at II o'clock, to amend the
amendment to the amendment by making it five
, minutes after IL, and so on till this shallow
fountain of bad wit was exhausted, till the
wlde-mouthed spectators in the gallery were
| tired of laughing at the butfoons, and the buff
! foOns themselves were too sleepy to laugh at
! each other. Then the House adjourned to meet
III a few hours, pass Mr.. Boutwell's bin and the
| Post Office appropriation, and then, still sleepy,
| adjourned again, to 20 so bed and give them
| selves the repose they so badly needed. The
| Republican majority showed itself foolishly
weak in yielding TO this Democratic demand
| tor debate on question upon which the
| previous question had been called. 1t should
have granted it at the first, or not at all. A
1QiO hni pr oh IN N m. nat
finally, II it has pluck, tire out a minority, and
the Republicans should have stood out for
week, if necessary. For the sake of discipline,
and to prevent future fltbusteriug, it would
have been polite and right to have done so.
1t is rather mean that Congress should at
tempt to deprive our negro MINISTRIES of their
occupation. Why should Mr.. Rogers try to
take the bread and butter from the comic Birch,
or Mr.. Pike seek TO wrest the banjo from the
reluctant Davy WambOld? Congress offers the
public, tor nothing, a walk around, for which
the regular minstrels must charge high price,
with the additional attraction OF ndecenCy.
which the latter would sCorn. The minstrel
business will be ruined unless Congress reforms
its manners: for who would paw to see George
ChrstyS bufooneries when Messrs. Edridge
and Grinnell perform orgies twice as outrageous
without any fee? If these gentlemen are ambi-
tious of distinction in this line, let them black
their faces, and with bones ana banjo legl-
timately amuse the public. AS Congressman
they simply disgust it. The late William Z.
Burton was a great comedian, but even Mr..
johnson, who in his recent tour protessed to
have left his dignity at home,n would not
voluntarily have chosen "Toodies" as model
for the delivery OF his Inauguration address.
Therefore, If Congress Intends to 60 into the
negro minstrelsy business, let it do so with
energy, and Immediately make an appropriation
to purchase burnt cork, bones banjos, and
tamborines. The regular minstrels may then
undertake the settlement OF the great questions
of finance, the Tariff impeachment, and the re
| construC tion of the South.
The Power of Legislative MajOritiss-