The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-02-01

SIDE OF one OF tbo IODOy"uoorS, IN tuH view
Of the entire House, hung pair Of boots
the owner Of which ought certainly tc
have patronized bootblack--price, five
cents--before he exposed them to view
In the southwest corner, lazily reclining
on sofa. minus boots, but With hig h.tonec
red stockings, was member, evidently
rheumatic. who WINS grossly violating the
rules of the House. lie had called on the
floor one Of the gallery gods, hired him by
the hour, and while he recliued the impro
vjsed valet amused himself by rubbing his
masters rheumatic feet. From the gallery
he appeared 10 earn his salary in about
the same manner the laborers under
Bowen did when they were paid S1.5C
per day to pick grass out of the cutters
in this city. Here, there, and everywhere
moving like giant among the pigmics, was
the graceful form Of Mr.. Sencr, OF Virginia,
His intellectual face and expressive eyes
spoke volumes, and for this reason: be did
not deem it necess to utter a word, eX.
cept once in while TO say "no" when be
was asked to take q drink, or to vote when
his name was called. In bis seat in the front
row. watchful and wary, counting In his mind
the best thing to do under the circumstances,
sat Hon. Benjamin +. Butler, with cigar in
his mouth, which he seemed TO enjoy hugely.
Almost bis riS.d.uis III the seat accorded
by the House TO Mr.. Stephens, Of Georgia,
sat MIR. Samuel j. Randall, who has during
the contest been the sentinel on the outer
posts Of the Democratic camp; and good
sentinel he proved, for it is said that be did
not leave the building from the moment OF
Mr.. Buffers motion, on Wednesday morr.
ing, until the vote agreeing to the adjourn.
ment Yesterday was announced. Near him
were his aids, Messrs. Eldredge and Beck,
bat they had but little to do except
once in while to keep up the
good humor, which was feature Of the
entire contest. Mr.. Eldredge would tell a
little Joke. Another gentleman who created
considerable fun was Mr.. Shanks, of In
diana. who, whenever an opportunity pre-
scented itself, asked permission OF the House
10 have read the first and second planks in
the Democratic platform Of 1872. rs the
House refused to hear them read, and many OIL
the Democratic members seemed to have for
gotten them. they are, i'll justice to Mr'
Shauks, reproduced below as they were
adopted by the Baltimore Convention in
July. 1872:
First Werecognize the equality of all men
before the law, and hold that it is the duty Of
Government in its dealings with the people
to metc equal and exact Justice to all, OF
whatever nativity, race, color, or persuasion
religious or political.
Second. We lmcdge ourselves to maintain
the union of these States, emancipation and
acknowledgements, and to oppose any rt0pen
ing OF the questions settled by the thirteenth
fourteenth. aud fifteenth amendments to the
Constitution.
Mr.. Maynard. Of Tennessee. with his deli
cate feet cncased in heayly-beaded mecca
sins, and his hands encased Ia capacious
pockets, wandered about like al uneasy
spirit in the happy hunting grounds-.ti first
woGdc, ing whr bis lciIow-uem hers were no!
on hand, and finally making the effort 10 per.
suade them through the potent power Of the
ergeant-at-Arms to come with him and par.
take of the blessings of Gn all.night session
aud taste some Of the joys Of flibusteriDg,
which he did in the shape Of second motion
for call OF tho House, and which was order.
ed. While this proceeding was going on,
Mi. Ordway, from his position near the
Speakers desk, was satisfied aud admjring
spectator. He saw in the immediate future
not only fun, but fees. Fun in waking up
members, aud fees for bringing them before
the bar OF the House.
Mr.. Speaker Blaine, whose position as
Speaker hides him from the reporters cal.
lecy, and who came near being forgotten In
this sketch, looked from Ills perch with a
dissatisfied eye; at least, he must have done
50 from his subsequent action.
The report of the Clark bowed one hun.
dred and tiiy.tour members present-morc
than Quorun-hut the House insisted that
the absent members should be brought 10,
and the doors were ordered to be closed.
Then began list Of excuses for the alb.
sentcCs, some of which were granted and
Others not. but all creating amusement. Mr..
Maynard interrupted the proceedings by q
suggestion that the usual call for excuses be
made, but the Speaker ruled that nothing
was in order save the service of warrants on
the ab>entees. BY unanimous consent, how
ever, a NUMBER of gentlemen were excused.
This performance vas varied by the break
ing Of q glass in the barber-shop in the rush
! from the corridor into the ball by General
Barry, Of Mississippi, which for moment
caused excitement. Another laugh was Gre
aled by the request of Mr.. Butler that his
colleague, Mr.. Stephens, who had only ar
rived the night previous aud sworn in, and
| then compelled to remain all night, be cX-
cused. Unluckily for the new, travel worn
gentleman, he had told some of the old
sagcrs that he rather epjoyed the thing,
and they thought that he ought to enjoy it a
little more, and refused the excuse.
Mr.. ShankS asked that Mr.. Cox, of New
York, be excused, because in July, 1S72-.
/ That settled Cox, and cries Of :'no," "no,"
went up in q chorus from the Democratic
side. Another gentleman asked that one OF
| his friends be- excused, as his family was
sick. I: was soon proven that the man had
no family, and he was ordered TO be sought
out ut ouce. Motions were made, and lost
.'to excuse all the Democratic members,
"to call the roll to see if any of the sick hac
been missed" and TO reconsider the vote BY
| which any member had been excused" BY
| this time it was 4 O'Clock; the warrant haC
been prepared, and was duly signed by The
Speaker. attested by the Clerk, and handed
to the Sergeant-at-Arms for service, who de
parted with it at once. Suddenly a number
of ewes were turned toward the gallery, ane
there the object Of curiosity was White mar
with his hair parted in the middle. Opera
p!asses-there were no Wbiskcy-g 10 The
chamber-were at once leveled ut him, ant
TO the establishment of all it proved to be
Mr.. William Walter Phelps, Of New jersey
lie had been browning around somewhere,
and dropping In to see how things looked
"vou know" he found the doors buried
and the call progressing, but not wishing
TO appear among the abSentees he had
gone into the gallery and tried to attract the
attention of some one of bis friends and mo-
ton them to open one of the doors. He sue
cceded ia attracting the attention of several,
but they didn't open the doors worth a cent,
and as he hadn't rerve enough to climb down