The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-06-27
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER,
WAsH1sGroS, D. G., June Goth, lS7

EDITOR CHIEF:
SINGLE DAY AT THE CAPITOL.
1t was Saturday-clear and COM
Portable and bright. We took a
street car at Wizards, and Wizards
was as quiet as country church on
a week day. The car had three other
passengers, eolored, two of whom got |
out at seventh street, and took trans
fers. a gentleman got in at four-and |
-a-half street. Arrived at the Capt.
tol, and all was still in the passage
ways. There were six colored gen.
tlenen in the geatlemenfs gallery,
three ladies in the mcmbers's gallery,
and here and there lady in the other
galleries, with a few gentlemen.
Those long benches capable of seat
ing two hundred, may have contained
thirty persons, besides the reporters,
| of whom there were five visible. Be-
low there was hubbub--in places.
Maynard was trying to speak. When
a member tries to speak, and can't,
there is some other reason for it than
paralysis. Why Maynard couldn't
speak was because there was noise,
and the noise was occasioned in this
way: Kellogg was trying to ask
question Clymer was endeavoring to
explain; Cox was attempting to tell
a story; Speer was calling for the
yeas and nays; Kasson was asserting
his rights; ten men were demanding
to know the effect of the vote about
to be taken /; twenty men were calling
to order; twenty-five were clapping
their hands to attract the attention of
the pages, who are trained to answer
the noise of hand elapping, as dog
answers his masters whistle, and on
the top of all this clamor, Blaine with
a mallet big enough to knock down
good sized bullock, was hammering
away ON the desk, with all the vigor
of a drumming partridge in Deem
Der, and vociferating "order" with
the energy of New York auctioneer,
in Chatham street. Plainly, Maynard
couldn't speak, and though this is
pre-eminently land of free speech,
and this very House is the special
guardian of the right, the utmost en-
deayor failed to disclose the least con-
Germ ON the part of any one at the
gravity of the situation. The stately
Buffinton who comes to Congress on
the platform of good looks, and never
loses sight of the fact, took leisure
ly stroll in the rear of the seats,
winked both eyes with well considered
4 deliberation, and returned to his chair
with seeming half inclination to re-
peat the operation, but perceiying the
emptiness of the galleries, concludes
it wont pay. A Florida gentleman
| with the extreme of an unfiorid COM
plexion rises, thrusts both hands deep
down into uncommonly deep pockets,
surveys the scene, makes a motion of
his body as though being relieved of
sneeze of extraordinary volume,
which is liable to endaHger the CO.
hesion of his physical system, but
| which proves to be suppressed plan
tation guffaw, and retires to. the lob
by as precautionary expedient a
little to late in its adoption. Most of
the members present are ON their
feet, and moving rapidly down to the
centre of the confusion, where the
scene resembles the crowd at coun-
try muster, who are engaged in hust-
ling green-horn to provoke his
temper. The scholarly men of the
House are writing or conveTsing, or
lounging in an unconeerned way, the
men distinguished for gallantry look
up with q reflective vision at the
empty seats above. Gen. Butler
reads the State notices overhead, or
appears to, and altogether, there
t seems to be no one doubling the en-
tire propriety of the whole perfor-
nance. What Maynard might have
said had he got hearing, win never
be known. The subject was currency
but he found it impossible to give
currency to his views and subsidized.
After going out for drink -of ice
water-we returned to find large
number of men standing up, with
their arms outstretehed, and the fore
fsnnapo nnintipar m fha va ~ r.. fad cly ~