The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-01-27
Whiskey in Congress.

A washington telegram to the Phlla.
delphia Times, describing disgraceful
scene in House of Representatives on the
11th instant, says:
The simple war of words is nothing in
the lower house of Congress. Billings.
gate is the common dialect of bullies and
excited, ill-tempered men in Congress as
we'll aa in the corner groggeries. Men
call each other liars and scoundrels with
more impunity on the floor of the House
because they cannot be held personally
accountable there or elsewhere. There
WAS nothing of the character of the
Weaver.Sparks affair to-day. Mr.. Scales
simply said that Mr.. Blount aaid so and
so. Mr.. Blount said he did not. Mr.
Scales vociferated that he did, whereat
Blount brought his fist down upon desk
with force that made things ring again
and substantially called Mr.. Scales
falsi6er. a witty remark from . mem.
Der brought buth men to their senses
and broke the impending quarrel in
ripple of laughter. This was nothing.
It was the appearance of Mr.. Hooker
upon the floor in an exhilarating
frame of mind that carried the day
for disgrace. Mr.. Hooker is flu.
ent and graceful speaker, drunk or
sober. To-day Mr.. Hooker was drunk.
The right to get drunk is an inalienable
right guaranteed by the Constitution
to every American citizens, and not for
feited because Of being elected to Con-
gress. When member gets intoxicated
and interfsres with the dispatch of public
business it is another thing. This was
the condition and attitude of MIR. Hooker,
of Mississippi, to-day, during the debate
on the Indian bill. He felt we'll enough
at o'clock to manage the bill himself.
AT he was tlowery and persistent. At
8 he occupied the floor most all the time
between drinks, SURPRISING himself in
rhetoric and confounding the house. At
4 he MAS maudlin. He offered amend
ments, made speeches, made points of
order, withdrew amendments, made
speeches, called for divisions aud was
wholly beyond expostulation and ridicule.
He moved down to the foot Of the main
aisle and divided the time between step
ping on Mr.. Chittenden's toes and giving
elaborate instructions to the Chair. In
vain the Chairgently evaded him. In vain
his humiliatsd friends went to him, Que
after another, and persuaded him to with
draw. Hooker was unconscious of the
disgusting spectacle be was making.
He insisted on being heard on every
point and was wholly unmanageabla.
For awhile members we're amused.
Then, they gathered around him, like
needless boys about a drunken man in the
streets, and laughed. Such q sight in
the streets is sickening to most people. On
the floor of Congress, as in this instance,
it WAS doubly disgusting. This was soon
evident on the faces of members and in
scarcely suppressed hiss from the galleries.
The hilarity on the floor soon gave way
to painful silence, and various russs
were adopted to choke Hooker off. 1t
was not until the committee rose, as it
did while the member from Mississippi
was in the midst of maudlin speech,
that he was finally squelcbed. The he
staggered back to his place ard from
thence entertained his audience with occa-
yional whoops and attempts to assist tho
Reading Clerk in calling the roll. The
stern frown of Speaker Randall had no
effect upon him. It was the more numil-
iating and disgraceful because the SUBJ
ject of all this is one of the most courte-
GUS and accomplished gentlemen on the
floor. Even while making this painful
exhibition Of himself his language was
chaste, his manner graceful and his bear
in. ludicrously courteous. The House
bore with him patiently, although he was
the cause Of extending the proceedings
over the entire day. Owing to this OBJ
struction they failed to reach the funding
bill, as was expected to be done.