St. Landry democrat., 1879-06-14
PUBLIC STORY-TELLERS.
How tine Nations Senators and Repre-.
sentatsves ANA use Themselves.

How the Nations Senators and Repre-.
aentatives Amuae Themselves.
Washington Cor. st. Paul Pioneer Press.
When some senator or member of mod
crate ability is making speech, the
cloak rooms are generally crowded. The
scene represents a club'room more thar
anything else, but were there not sc
many hats and coats along the walls, and
were there q little more of an air OF
cheerfulness, the resemblance would sbe
more complete. As it is, however, the
cloak-rooms are the most interesting
places at the capitol. Around the walls
are cleats, on which are large brass hooks
with the names Of the owners on little
cards under them, on which the congress.
sional hats and coats are hung. There
are sofas and settees of old%fashioned
patterns and well worn; chairs in various
stages of decay and offering various de.
grees of attraction are scattered about
There are tankard of ice water, three
or four marble wash basins, with soap
nd towels, and at the house end of the
capitol a couple OF barber's chairs in
each cloak room. Cheerful fires are burn.
ing in the CRATES, and generally one OF
the chandeliers is lighted, for the only
light that can be otherwise obtained is
filtered through the stained glass win.
dows from the public corridors. A box
of matches sets on the mantel, and in
the house cloak-room one of the pendant
gas jets, seen in cigar stores, gives the
smoker his fire.
At any time during the session groups
of lounging statesmen may be passed, in
every variety of posture, all smoking
and discussing the events of the day or
telling stories; and some of the best
story>tellers in the world were in the
last congress.
Abraham Lincoln's stories are quite
as much part of his administration as
the emancipation proclamation. Presi'
dent Grant told story eloquentIy when
he was unbent," but he was not in
the habit OF telling them promiscuously.
President Hayes does not originate
stories as Lincoln did, but often quotes
them, and seems to have been studying
Lincoln, for he repeats his sayings very
frequently. Secretary Evarts is an
habitual wsg, and is the life of cabinet
meetings, very often illustrating his
views on a pending question on the
point of an anecdote. Many of his
stories are in circulation now. Attorney
General Devens doesn't tel many stories,
but is given to punning. Secretary
Thompson loves joke as well as ever a
man did, and can entertain company
with " "Hoosier" anecdotes for a whole
evening at time. Postmaster General
Key often attempts to be funny, and
sometimes succeeds, but generally tells a
story you have heard before. Schurz is
fond of good story, but doesn't tell
one. Sherman and McCrary are the
sober men of the cabinet. Sherman
sometimes smiles, but was never heard
to give a good hearty laugh. McCrary
laughs sometimes, and is always in good
humor, but you seldom get an anecdote
from him.
Charles Sumner never knew what a
joke was. Humor was entirely absent
from bis nature. Morton enjoyed stories,
and told them sometimes. but he was
always a very busy man, and when he
! wasn't in bed, suffering torture inde~
scribable, he was generally at work.
General Sherman is an inveterate storys
teller. And you can catch him at army
headquarters, surrounded by his staff,
relating his experience, of which he
seems to have had an unusual amount of
an amusing character, or describing some
funny sight he has seen, or some funny
thing he has heard. He has very keen
sense of the ridiculous, and is graphic in
description, and very successful in
mimicry. Vice~President Wheeler enjoys
"a joke as well as any man in congress,
but seldom perpetrates one.
Conkling is inimitable when he chooses
to be. There is no man in public life
who has conversational powers equal to
his. He can be interesting on any topic
that may enter conversation, and when
he fairly let's himself out, as he did in
England year ago last summer, people
stare at him until they are overcome by
fascination. Blaine is equally accomA
pljshed, but does not display himself as
Conkling does on stated occasions.
Blaine is more genial as common thing,
but not 50 pyrotechnic in his displays.
General Butler can make himself az ins
teresting as any man when he chooses.
but his humor generally is of a grim
kind, and he tries to make people un>
comfortable. # Butler should sit down
at dinner table with twelve strangers,
before the coffee was reached he would
find the tender spot of each mans armor.
lie has disagreeable way of finding out
the weakness of those with whom he
comes in contact and g conceited ass or
braggart never wants to meet Butler q
second time. He puts his faculty Of
making people uncomfortable to very
good use sometimes but he isn't always
disapreeable. for he can be az charming