New-York tribune., 1883-03-18
SMOKING IN CONGRESS.

III, R,r Dr. L. Stanton ~ The Neir York ErdngcIisf.
But what about manncrsl TO into pitner Dtahcn
Of Congress and watch things Tor an hour. Enter
the chamber ot the Houses Tho htst thing ihat
pteets Won Is tho " smoking nuisance. ~ you take
Il vote OF your senses, maJ0iiiy VIII! nec'ae @ tlo
question. You see IT, you smell IT, you taste H. you
fouch IT, and you even hear It IN the explosion 0i
the match which lights tho cigar. See the NJ u.
from Kansas, IA clergyman md The son OF Il clergy
man sitting at his dcsk walking the aisle. sn"A'
ing and pulling. And why should not he. young
member smoke, when old members ANA scores Oh
thoml indulge the habit whlle cng1geu III tho Dasl
ness of the housei
effects were confined To tue Honse llOOr but as tho
smoke curls up 10 the gallery II meets The senses OF
l.dins and uentcmen many OF whom ale offended
AZ IT some through disgust that VI Us WHO ale
supposed to be Rentlelnen-or ought 10 Oo-cah 10
guilty OF such disgusting habit III the presence oi
lanies. others because it 30 affects their nerves
that they Obliged to beat sudden retreat. dis
appointed in their hope oi istening 70 tno inoh no
that great men" cannot transact the public busl-
ness of a great people without their wits are
stimulated by tho nauseous fumes %! tobaccD.
when the fumes OF other stimulants are equally at
tested the compound becomes doubly disgusting. Z
My daily this morning has an item which points
moral" IL runs thus; r" mUUo hpoG hspoH'ng 1a as rs
American lady, lighting his pipe Oh the deck or an
Atlantic steamer = really cannot tell, she an
swercd, lndferently. No gentleman has ever
smOks cd before me. y"
The lady must have been long absent from home.
or she has not ately looked upon Congress or, N
iDle alternative, bne VOtes BoOuly huulDoE Vi
NJ. C.'s not gentlemen.
It was not always so. OF this am quito sure.
NV habit of close observation of meu aud things
and nv knowledge of Washington life for mOro
than quarter Of a century enable Inc 10 assert
posityely that smoking by members OF Congress in
either branch while III session Is an innovation
which has crept in OF late years. For few years
past have been very little In Washington and
therefore cannot tell when the new code OF nian-
ners was established; but l never saw smoking In
either Senate or House during their business hours
till the last session. 1t probably came as one OF tho
fruits of the war; 1t has become fashionable 10
relieve our national cepravty by loading all such
evIls upon tue war. . - . A.,
The Senate is much behind the House in tais
breach OF good DrceuIng. The grave Senators do
most Of their smoking III the Hobbies and cloak
rooms; bat occasionally bold one putis from bis
chair, while the less bold "chdreu OF p Omse
stand in the cloak door smoke, looking into
the chamber and longing for liberty. =,
The smoking nuisance has not reached the
Supreme Court yet but let this deterioration 20 on
q little longer and We may expect to sec the
gracefully y-robed nine who tell us whether the
law which emanates from the two wings OF the
Capitol and the White House is really law. or mere
waste paper and wind-puiing their long nlncs "
while reading their deoIsionsj and rs the Chief
Justice is dgniied by little higher scat than the
Associate Justices 1t will become him TO display
the most elaborstely wrought meerschaum whioh
Germany can send over.