New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-11-30

l In
shadow. I'D at one end of the gallery Of =
vast and perfectly proportional squar
room. here at night yet more resplendant
than day, while not a light is visible. n,
comes from the roof, through ground glass
At guess for size, we should Judge II.
room TO be 100 feet long, 100 wide and q
hiph. But the light-such plentiful, strons
Hoods, vet so soft j! The galleries around
ma are full-the mems gallery jam. A.
we look all around and drink in the specta.
Gle we have satisfied sense OF colsr-gold
violet, drab and so on. over tie Speakers
seat are crossed two American flags spaa
new and rather garish. Couldn't they ind
some old battle flags to put there that bad
associations p On one side is full Length
picture of Washington, ard on the other Of
Lafayette.
| revenue provisions are under discussion N
short. limited speeches. Things are noisv
and colloouial. Amid the din we hear ths
acting chairman humble rapidly about an
| amendment to an amendment, etc A mid
dIe-aged acting clerk, doubtless one of The
hest fellows in the world, but with a voice
| like a horse, reads away what the member
send I'D to him by the MIN ble-tooted pages
| their amendments. additions. etc.
But. leaving amendments and clerk and
| chairman, we are drawn, fascinated 70 give
our first attention TO the room and it's it,
ments. Is it not most rich and spacousl
Look at the panels, the frames, the color
| there break in some tiMid yeas, and then a
| long, rolling storm of no-oy OFF up in the
galleries. especially the further corners,
deep, relieving shadows-(the gentleman
| from Vermont)-there, down below great
| chatter and confusion; the green doors with
| white knobs, as they continually and noise.
oy,i6ont1x InaI n all 81
richly furnished apartments for the uxu.
rious use of members. More thin yeas
| and another tempest OF nays.)
The ceiling overhead attracts Us, full Of
| FURNISHED and dead gilt, inside an ARA Of
panels of astral glass, the outside panels
OPAQUE. gilt, carved, and with drooping
! heavy knobs. (Bang bang bang from
the acting chairman's hammer -ook you
member is speaking there, his leit hand
holding the big printed tax IL. lie right
hand in his trousers pocket. Everybody
flies to reading or talking with some friend
The member is evidently bore. Item
We do hardly seem to see single specimen
Of first class personal presence.)
Tints and cOlors-yes, they are highly
successful here. Gilt, lilac, pale rose. white
more gilt, panels of silver gray, splendid
bronze door frames-( Mr.. Chairman move
etc. delicate blue in lines, especially over
the doors, occasionally some rare wood
work, and truly prodigal, perfect work man
ship, needing the study of months TO getat
it. Even yet much of the best work can't
be seen anyhow-it is quite in the dark
Material and workmanship, however, indif
ferent whether they are seen or not there
they are, and unexcelled.
Look up overhead-we count forty five
broad, wide panels, set in the roof in astral
glass as aforesaid. (Mr. Speaker, | oppose
the amendment, etc. On thirty-six Of
these panels are the coats of arms OF the
States. Anon our eyes fall quickly to the
floor. There is disputed point. Gentle
men will please rise and stand till they are
counted.) What is the amendment to be
voted on' 1t is very loudly and monote
nously read by the horse voiced acting
clerk. SHOULD be compelled to sit two
consecutive hours under that voice | should
become raving and irrepressible lunatic,D
Now the homo able member from some
where launches forth in a speech-the mat
ter good, the manner, the elOcution, stitfa as
cast iron, melodious as chalk. We turn
away-we look around again, and up again;
we should never tire of looking at this har.
monious-colored and perfect shaped room
We thought the round. the oval beautiful
but we see the square is just as beautiful.
Bang goes the hammer-Cast-iron sits
down
The iight-it too, we cannot cease return
ing to and observing, it falls so freely so
brightly-tThe gentleman from Illinois,
1t bathes the delicate cream and lilac panels
-lclap-clap of hands, calling a pa &c and
shows to advantage the gold coloring and
the occasional blue. A thunder-cry of Noes
louder than ever. Now great vehemenee
Speaker, and the members little refrae
tory.)
Come, we begin to enter into the spirit of
this business A new experience, and we
like it. Now the members are called upon
to pass between tellers, as between two
human gate-posts. dressed in black The
matter is more than we were thinking. We
are III tor the irst class modern, American,
really representative debate and Legislative
'cene--better than all those school book
operations after the classical models Here
tonight, no poetry, no sentiMent-but inter
nal taxes, very real and live.
See. for instance, what is going on below
here the members come up to the voting
oy teliers-swarm in the Speakers area like
he hlvlng OF bees. As an offset to the gay
'olors and lights, every soul here appears
70 be dressed in black. Even the heads are
out few OF them gray-not one in six Our
legislators are younger than we thought
les, tungs are animated; the gentleman
" A'AANi o"o LIS SEu the Clerk
''esumlng, reads more items. member
rom Missouri jumps up, consumes his ap-
pointed career OF five or ten minutes-bang!
lone goes Missouri. And 80 the changing
lance and tunes proceed. We find them
cry interesting. Are you not glad YOU
anne, for all the dark, wet night, Great is
he tax bill; great are revenues and the diff.
erences between high and low per cents.
Aye. aye; the bees are buzzing. Everybody
s nterested-everyb body screams for or
against something.
nor sharp ana sOrdld alone is all ,he
scene, but with certain grandeur after its
ana. The Gay OF what was once the fit
'loquence OF legislative halls has perhaps
.one. Here come the WAYS and Means,
win the gentleman from PENNSYLVANIA "a
pokesman. This is tho age of practical
Ill nave reference to them
And besides, we must not be 600 seye,e
WITH the legislative politicians We vsfe .
lStening 10 Congress often befors and
,'onght the members painfully deficient.
'uC we see now one must dive far deepee
ho stay longer here, as elsewhere When ne
wants to get at real judgment Even Cor
fesses are pretty capable, when it Gomez
. an emergency; in fact, abOts as goos az
hey can be.
the pages gape-late is the hour-s!s "a.
cries begin to thin some member asks. tive
hartman question; the answer is collie
uial and Tree, but appropriate; the licks
I'LL pours pours, without tagging; the low.
,ase undertone of hubbub also continues
ne ciap,clap OF hands calling pages l.l.e
DOR little fellows try hard to run with
I'm Die feet)-here and there member. iaeg o
eadlng-some put their legs Up, cross sbe,s
yer the desks, exhibiting muddy soots;
ne Ole, humble OF voices; the varies
tfean OF debate; tellets again. demanded.
gam the bees hive around the Speakers
rea-pienty OF eagerness wheh Che aae
mes plenty OF electricity.
i men, As to the personal appearance %
nt mem im oers; Why are so few of shcxl lat
az Juhy look Or &nXiousness and os
AMOR or hectic strikeS Won ON all aihas