Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-06
WHEN THE GAVEL FELL.
Scenes at the Wind-Up of the
FOrty-third Congress.
The Ovation to Speaker BlaIne-A
Poor Session for the Lobbyists
CrestfaIIen Stay-at-HOmes.


CrestfalIen Stay-st-ETOmes.
Special to the Cincinnati Commercial.
WASHINGTON, March The event o.
| the day was the manner in which Speaker
/ Blaine was complimented at the close oil
/ bis brief speech adjOurn.ng the House
| without day. The hail was packed with
/ humanity, the galleries and floor being
| crowded to sutfOcation. About an hour
before the adjournment, the ladies were
admitted 10 the floor, and they soon filled
| it completely. Mr.. BlaiDe's speech was
so happy, so modest, dignified and
| eloquent, and his manner was so fit
| ting to his utteTance that the perform
ance alone was worth the compliment.
| The courage with which he inspired the
| weaker men who wished to be honest, but
| feared the party whip, was remarkable, and
saved the country much that would have
| been not only disgracefUl, but dangerous
to the institutions of the country. His
worst enemy could not resist the tempta-
tisn to join in the applause to-day, and it
was so generous and so hearty, and so often
repeated, each time with increasing warmth
and meaning, that it II ade the cast-IrOn
Speaker melt like the sOft-hearted i'm
pulsive man that he is, aud he bent under
the weight of his honori, unable to speak.
He could only bow automatically his
thanks.
This has been a poor session for lobby
lists and jObbers, as was also the last one.
Very few steals have succeeded, and these
were small and will be found in the apprO-
priations for public buildings and rivers
and harbors. The great American patriot
will gladly overlook these little steals for
the benefit Of his own particular locality,
however, and these, therefore, may be said
not to count.
Special to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Senate this morning, after its night
session, presented the appearance of a bat
tle-feld. Scraps Of wlste-paper, tOrn-up
speeches, and mutilated elOquence, bills
and billet-deaux, dams, and what not, lay
scattered all over the floor in one white,
Undistinguishable litter. The night had
been eventful. Half dozen Senators were
cOnteSting the floor at once, and all going
on the nOw-OT-never style of doing bust
ness. Newly-elected mambers sat around
the chamber, wondering how they would
look after an all-night session, and eager to
try it on. Finally, y O'Clock was reached,
and an era ended in The United States
Senate which, for party bigotry, and cruel
ty, and subseTviency to Executive dictatiOn,
is without parallel in history.
THE CROWDS AT THE HOUSE.
The Capitol was crowded with visitors,
black and white, blue and gray, male and
female. The gentle SEX OyertOwed into
the reporters gallery, not a single one of
the intruders repaying by pretty face the
annoyance to the regular occupants, and
others were let in on the floor Of the
House, and found delight in filling for q
time the seats OF the sc0rnful and desper-
ately wicked body. There was the same
rush of business, but nothing of much i'm
port passed. The great thing to be seen
was the crowd itself, some five thousand
eager faces all waiting for the end and Mr..
Blaine's parting address.
Twelve O'Clock came, the gavel fell and
the Speakers voice rang out sharp and
clear as he uttered his goodbye to the
House. There were no sentences in it
destined to live in history, no telling Of the
strange, eyentful undercurent of the great
est parliamentary struggle of modern times,
Of which none knew sc much as he; but
the farewell was fifty, cordially, and mod
estly said, and rewarded by plaudits so
general, prolonged, and so hearty from all
quarters, that it might oe fairly called an
ovation.
The crowd fingered like the applause.
The ladies seemed 10th to 60. There were /
many gOOdbyes to be said all around, and
for an hour after the Congress had passed !
into history the hall was full of spectators.
There is a general feeling Of relief that |
the FOrty-third Congress has ended, al
though the members who have not been |
elected aDDear crestfallan