Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-01-19

The practice Of seeing double in the English
House Of Commons after certain hours is an
old one. 1t was a practice quite common as
iar back as the days Of Pitt and Dundas. One
Of the parliamentary writers Of the day chron-
clcs the following colloquy after they had re.
turned to the house after midnight dinner:
PHf-I can't the Speaker, Hal can youl
DiH,iai Not the speaker. Billy zee two.
They do say-the wicked say that, on rare
occasions the experienced eye can detect IN
the private innermost pcnetralia of the senate
restaurant, where senators assemble, the genial
'crack Of champagne corks and the hzz Of
the gaseous fluids And they also say tina, at
the house end knowing demand for the
" stone-mng will bring carefully selected
samples of the principal internal revenue
staple. Perhaps, in one or two Of the leading
committee rooms, it might be found that an
astounding number Of representatives seem to
be members Of one committee, and to be ami
mated by singularly common purpose and a
mutual hope Twice in three years have |
seen members intoxicated on the floor of the
house, and do not know that it would be
fair to state that they were intoxicated, ior |
do not remember to have ever seen them sober
The beareyed class, who swear the garb,
but not the clothes" of social saints, who look
at the world through tipping glass, and
Judge OF society from its haunts OF vice, are
eager to dcnounce, with tongue and pen, the
social habits Of the national capital. do not
hat Il
or that there are no fellows Of the lcwd and
basef sort here, but | do say that much thai Is
said concerning the mmoralities of this city
is cheap cant. The good name of Washington
still suffers from the wickcdncss of former
generations. 1t suffers as much as the memory
of the Italian statesman has, out Of whose sir.
matte they have coined an epithet for knave,
and out OF whose Christian name synonym
Tor the devil Or, as Hudibras apty puts it /;
=" Nick Machiayel had nc'er trick,
Tho he gave his name our old Nick.
Time was when, perhaps, TO have been a
congressman was to have been a drunkard.
But those were days when forensic eloquencc
was introduced and supplemented 10y the
whisky glass upon the members desk, and
when the Puritan preachers braced themselves
to proclaim the elimination Of hell by the
substantial inspiration OF whisky toddy. The
only approach TO public use of stimulants in
congress is the silent use Of tea in the house
lobby and the two modest cups OF maccaboy
snuff which grace either end of the speakers
table. The change in public exhibition Of in
IN mr.. laal is not l..ec
marked than is the difference in the character
OF the recognition given to stimulants by con-
gress. 1t is not 50 many years since II would
require the fingers Of more hands than one To
count the drunkards in congress. At nearly
the same time We're three confirmed inebria,es
holding seats in the United States Senate.
And, although there are many public men who
look upon ''the wine when il is red;' and
white and golden yellow, do net know of a
man holding position of any consider
able prominence in the government service
who is addicted to Incorporate habits.
There are hundreds OF clerks here. some OF
whom have Al times something in their pockets,
and little in their heads. The hummer class is
made up OF these clerks But the drunkenness
among them is 10y no means rs considerable as
has been described. | do not know that there
are more young men of dissolute habits among
government clerks here than can be found
among smaller number of young men in
similar employments in commercial circles
And there are hundreds OF young men here,
who, with scanty salaries, uncertain terms OF