The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-07-08
OLD TIMES AT THE CAPITOL.

M,DOUGALL'S ADVOCACY OF WINE.
OPEN SALE OF LIQUOR IN THE CAPITOL IN FOR
MER DAYs-wusoN's CRUSADE AGAINST THE
HOLE IN THE wALL-sALIsBURY's EXPLOIT
-M'DoUGALL's GREAT SPEECH.
correspondent of the Chicago Times
writes chapter OF Washington reminiscent
ces, from which the following extract is
taken: For years whisky and all sorts of
liquors were openly sold in all of the re-
fresnment rooms of the capitol building.
Committee rooms were stocked like the
sample rooms of the present day, and 1t was
no uncommon thing during late night ses-
sion of congress TO see over one-half OF the
members drunk. The sale of liquor in the
capitol building was abolished in 1866, by
act of congress. This has had an effect with
| the surveillance of the newspapers, and
growing public sentiment, TO restrain the
members outwardly, but 1t Is
still not uncommon to see members
| in attendance upon congress under the
influence of liquor. There was quite scene
made in the house last winter by Gen. Pierce
M. b. Young, of Georgia, coming into the
house, laboring under very heavy stress
of weather. He staggered toward sofa.
and fell upon 1t, and in a moment was In a
dead, drunken sleep. AS he fell a pocket
flask OF whisky slid out of his pocket upon
the floor beside him, as if in explanation of
the sudden prostration of the gentleman
from Georgia. During the war there were
some very exciting scenes during the right
sessions. Members swore and threatened
one another in their speeches without any
of this appearing in the so-called verbatim
reports of congress. The earring OF weapons
then was also quite common. Henry Will
son was the man to whom Is due the
credit of securing the adjustment of
han 10 Of in ho hr1il
ing. He became indignant finally at the
continued disgraceful scenes occasioned by
drunken men, and he moved so vigorously
in his crusade, that "The Hole in the WalP
and its twin saloon under the house was
abolished. In its place are now two restaur-
ants. Their bad food does more TO depress
humanity and ravage the average congress
sional stomach than ever did the "devil's
dives" of the past. There were several
incidents that led Henry Wilson to insist
upon resolution prohibiting the sale OF
liquor in the capitol building. One of these
peculiar incidents nearly cost the life of the
presiding officer of the Senate. The CORE
spondent of
SOME ARKANSAS NEWSPAPER
was one day leaning carelesslY over the front
railing of the reporters gallery, eagerly list
ening to some favcrite speaker upon the
floor, when he leaned over further than he
|
between hisshoulders slipped out, and, turn
ing over. descended with the rapidity of a
| flash, landing with a loud noise it stuck
into the desk in front of the presiding off,
Ger. One can we'll imagine that there was
! some excitement at this. The correspondent
was at once brought before the bar of the Sem
ate but be was released at once, when he ex-
| planned that the whole business was an acci-
dent. AS one genial senator said, slapping one
OF his pockets to indicate concealed wea-
pom, that was an accident that "might have
| happened to any gentleman" Another time
Senator Salisbury, of Delaware, brother OF
the present senator from that state, came in
| to an evening session of the Senate very
drunk, and interrupted debate in the most
scandalous manner. He told one senator
| right out in debate that he was ga id liar, !"
| a possible fact, but not exactly parliament
| tary statement. SALISBURY was removed,
after a while, by his friends. This scandal
was a subject of great indignation in the cir
| Gle made up by Henry Wilson and his
friends. They prepared resolution of ex-
pulsion, and resolved then and there to
grappIe with this growing evil OF drunken
ness among men in the high positions
of legislators. The next morning Salisbury
had recovered from his spree; he had dim
IDEA that he had been doing something not
entirely redounding TO his credit as a states
man. He was at a loss to get at.the exact
truth of what he had done. He met one OF
the official reporters of the Senate on his
way up to the capital, and accosted him.
"See here" said Salisbury, SCI want you to
tell noe frankly whether / made id fool
of myself last night or not. l can't go to my
friends about it, for they will lie to me for
the sake of tisttering me-" The reporter
looked at Salisbury with due humility as
he replied: "Mr. Salisbury, you are q SEN
ator, am an employe of the Senate. 1t
would not do for me To tell you that you
made add fool Of yourself, and
CAN NOT SAY THAT YOU DID NOT
without lying. So you must excuse me"
"Well, that is plain enough" muttered
Salisbury, and upon the strength of it he
went off and prepared an humble apology to
the Senate for his misdemeanors This &C.
ton on his part saved him expulsion. Henry
Wilson, however, was resolved that congress
should no longer encourage the repetition of
such scenes. He then moved upon the enc
mics works, and proposed to drive out the
rum sellers from underneath the protecting
} portals of the capitol. Senator McDougall,
of California, was at that time one of the
greatest characters In the Senate. He was
one of the most finished of classical
} scholars and possessed ready fund of
eloquence excelled by few. His intellect was
much impaired in later life by the excessive
use of liquor. No better appreciation of the
} times then existing in the capitol can be bad
than by contemplation of the fact that Nc
DougaIl took the floor and openly advocated
| dram-drinking, and opposed the abolish
J ment of "Tne Hole in the WALL" as an in
fringement upon the personal rights of CO n
) gresham. That speech was so remarkable
in its open advocacy of debsnchery that it
D never reached The Congressional Globe In
] any fullness of detail. Tine speech was care
fully edited before it ever appeared. One Of
Q the old reporters retained his notes of it.
o however, and from these notes have re-
D covered this choice extract for the bene-
: fit of the dram drinkers of the coun.
' try. The speech is recital O
: an encounter between McDougall and
o doctor of divinity, wherin McDougal
D claims that he convinced the doctor thai
( dram-drinking was a necessity OF lofty
3 minds. He opened with the following sen
( tence; sit was once said there are as many
. minds as men, and there is no end of wrang