Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-25
WHAT CoNGREssMEN DRINK.

A House Restaurant Man Gives the
Thing Away-No Two Dollar Cham
payne. but Plenty of Good whisky and
Cheaper Wines-The Speaker Gets His
Lunches Free.
''Our wine trade" remarked a subOrdi-
nate of the House restaurant to a Wash
ingtOn correspondent, 'sbas fallen of very
much since the warm weather bean.
Members who drink a great deal n vine
in winter won't touch it in summer.
Whisky and beer and some cooling mixed
drinks are about the only articles il taie
line sold in the capitol now Yea" be
said, IN an answer 20 q suestioz. Eve sell
in cool weather great deal Of vine here:
a great deal. To whom' Wei, 70 every
body; come to the lobby and a gsod deal
to members and court clerks.
They do not indulge in 81
champagne, though they do in K and
20 cent cigars. Our cigar trade is very
peculiar. We sell more high priced cigars
TO committee clerks and TO House en-
ployes than TO members of. Congress. 1t
is a curious thing that members of Con-
gress who sit and smoke on the floor Of
the House will buy cheap cigars, when
they know that the galleries are fun Ct
ladies and that the smoke of their cigars
rises perpetuaily to the galleries. Yet il
is fact. Why l have seen members buy
a class OF cigars that would make the
average committee clerk ashamed to be
seen smoking. And they 20 straight from
the cigar stand into the House. and sit
and puff that smoke UP into the faces of
people in the galleries. As to wines:
Well, the Western members do not drink
much wine; it is the fellows from the
East, mostly New York and New Eng
land, and some from the South. sam.
Cox is, in the wine season. before the
weather gets too warm, one Of our best
customers. He usually drinks two or
three bottles of wine a day in winter and
early spring, and always the best, TOO, for
it costs him s. 80 bottle. Otherss Well.
let's see. There is Gov. Dorsheimer: he
takes a bottle occasionally, though not
often. Joe Blackburn used to drink a
good deal of wine, but this year l have
not seen him with a bottle before him.
Quit drinking? Oh, no; he takes whisky
now or beer: don't know WHY IL is that
he has changed his tactics, but there is
marked change in his habits in this re-
gard, though l have never known him to
drink to excess of anything. Others?
Well, yes-now there is Speaker Carlisle.
for instance, he takes a glass of wine. or
sometimes bottle with his dinner. The
Speakers lunches are free. you know. /
and are always sent to his room. Good I
eater: Yes, he takes such things as ter /
rapiH stew and canvas back ducks and 4
the very best that the market or the sea- /
son affords. Adams. Of New York. is a 4
generous fellow to himself and to the bows f
in the restaurant as well. His lunch oils +
are generally large and paid without /
grumbling. There is a big difference in I
the way people pay their bills. Some paw I
Ia -NEs
a word. see that New Hampshire man 1
sitting over there? 1 remember when be +
first came here. He made a big kick one I
day over paying ID cents for bread, butter
and coffee. / read him a lecture. for il 4
seemed to me ridiculous for a Congress I
man to be complaining Of SO small a mat 4
ter. he staid away for several days. but /.
came back, directly. and We have never 4
had growl from him since. To-day you 4
see he is taking channg dish stew, about 4
the most expensive article on the bill. +
Belmont: " ell ne is rather funny. he 4
makes a heap Of trouble, and while Of .
course he has plenty Of money and orders 4
only the best, vet Ia Is not a very salts 4
factory customer. Converse does not
often come in here, and when he does 1
only takes light lunch. StOckslager. who f
is Chairman Of the Committee on Public i
Buildings and Grounds. is another one who /
gets his lunches free. They are sent to /
his committee room. and are good ones too. /
Davis, Of Illinois, Is a pretty good custO- {
mer. 50 is Deuster, Of Wisconsin. Deus
ter and Guenther. who are the most 4
pronounced Germans il the. House. make /
it very lively for the bar here. You can
see them almost any day about lunch time 4
with bottle of Milwaukee before them. /
FineFty: No. he does not drink much. &C.
casi0nally a little whisky with some I
friend, or a bottle of beer. Holmans 4
Never knew him to drink anything but
tea ond not cold tea either. HIS regular
lunch is bread and butter and tea. he /
comes IN at regular hour, sits down at .
regular table or as near TO il as he can.
and always IN the same corner Of the room 1
and always takes the same thing. The
waiter, who never gets anything from
him. always knows what TO order as soon +
as be sees the Judge coming in the door.
King. of louisiana, Is a generous fellow.
both 10 himself and others. He gives dol I
lar where other people give dimes. lie E
Fevre: Well. he drinks little beer Oe-
casi0nally. sometimes something strong
or, and enjoys a good lunch as much as
any fellow in the House. Ochiltree IS a /
good customer, OF course, though he hard. f
~ bears out the reputation that some (
folks give him in that line. He takes a bot {
tie Of wine quite frequently and often .
whisky. He does not trouble the beer
much. Too weak. Washburn Is another .
generous fellow. He does not drink
much. but usually gives the waiter 80 4
cents every time he comes in. Hit. Of 4
Illinois, is also quite generous. He al I
ways seems to have plenty Of money, and .
orders the very best. His lunches are a .
regular dinner, and he generally mas a .
bottle Of wine or a glass Of claret with .
it. Do we ever lose anything: Well. / (
should say so. have known members Of 4
Congress TO come IN here and run bills
day after day until they get so large that 4
they are ashamed to come any more.
Then they 90 of and buy their lunches +
from the old woman down in the corridor.
and never come here again. OF course.
they are exceptions. As a rule we do not I
lose anything from Congressman, though +
We have had a pretty tough time with /
House employees this session. | am a I
Democrat myself. but ] shall have to ad- /
nit that employees of a Democratic House /