The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-03-19

8 Is allowed annually. Behind each row
OF desks is a row of white cane-seateC
oillcc chairs, each on 4 swivel anC
each so liked on springs that the sitter
can lean back and put his feet on his
desk II he will. This is a favoritc pos
ttlfe with some congressman, and
nave seen certain sleepy ones snorc
away so for hours at a time. Halt oi
lhe chairS are on the average empty,
and some OF them have been known to
continue SO for an entire congressional
session. The owners are paid 5000 a
year to fill them. They draw the mon
ey and leave tho chairs empty. The
seventh and last half moon of chairs
backs up against curtains or fire-screens
OF blue baize on frames of bright brass
rods. Back of these screens there is
room to walk about the house, and in
the two corners at either end, where
the CRATE fires are, are half a dozen
sofas which are generally filed by
lounging. sleeping, and smoking con-
gressmen.
DO congressman smoke during ses-
sionP Why, bless you, yesl l have
seen ladies' grow sick in the galleries
from the vile odors of the tobacco
which rose from the twO-for-5 cent ci-
Sars glowing in the mouths of the So
called gentlemanly congressman be-
meath. L have seen members smoking
In their very seats, and have. watched
through the wreaths of smoke to catch
the eye of the members behind them.
They chew, too. These godlike con-
gressmen do chew! They spiti and
every desk has Il spitoon of pink and
gold china beside it to catch the filth
| from tho CtatnSnhanfc a l.
at least 800 4 year to care for the
spittings of the house, and your aver
age congressman viii disregard the
| spittOon and spit upon the floor.
They are IL neat set! The house at
this moment is Uttered with scraps of
| paper like q garrct. In front of the
| speakers desk are scraps OF letters,
torn newspapers, and other ltters. and
and under the desks of most of the
members are heaps of the same nature.
There is Il spittoon beside the chair of
the speaker, for MIR. Carlisle is an in
veterate chewer of tobacco, and his
heavy jaws caress the cud as ioyfully
as they do free-trade statistics
As lar rs order in the house is con-
cerned, there is none. If an ordinary
member has the floor bedlam straight
way rises. His fellow-members talk
out loud to each other, and each goes
on with his business as if he was alone.
Dozens OF members are writing letters;
others are mailing documents to their
constituents; others are reading news
papers; some will be sleeping. and
many will be talking and laughing. If
member wants to cross the hall he
does not hesitate to rush between
the congressman speaking and the |
speaker, and if another wants a page.
no matter if his brother congressman
speaking beside him is in the midst of |
his finest period, he will clap his hands |
like the shot of pistol.
have seen members sleeping when |
their neXt-scat member was speaking, |
aud it is no uncommon thing for a
member to be talking with not sinple
feiiow-member listening to him. The
speaker generally pays attention, but
not always. He favors whom he
pleases to certain extent, and has the
opportunity to display considerable
power.
The ceiling of the house chamber is
a wonderful structure, made of glass
and cast-iron. Through this the house
is llghted-in the daytime by the light
of day, and during the evening by tif-
teen hundred gas-jetS, which are light
ed by electricity. This ceiling is made
In panels, and these are painted and
gllded, and each bears the coat OF arms
OF one of the states of the union.
just over the entrance door of the
house is large, round-faced clock,
which regulates the time of opening
the session and which limits the time
allowed to each speaker. 1t is n sober,
InHi nj al IL Il Il -. I
is terror to the average long-winded
congressman.
just over the speakers desk and op-
Poslte this clock under the press gal
lery is Il gold eagle looking out over
the speakers head. and apparently
ready to fly. On each side of it hangs
a dingy American flag, covered with
dust and discolored with age
The two doors in the walls at the
side of the speaker lead to the MEM
bers retiring-rooms, in which are hung
crayon portraits of all the speakers
since the. organization of congress.
They cost the government $50 apiece,
ard some of them are fairly good like
ne's,s, This room is well furnished.
1t has number of sofas and easy
chairs, with two doorkeepers at all ex-
pense of a couple of thousand a
year to keep the barbarous public
ont of them.
Such is brief description of our ma
tional house of representatives. 1t is
4 fine structure, and ! sometimes think
far too good for the men who have the
right to seats in it.
The old house was in the hall of the
as it is now called, which lies
between this house chamber and the
dome. 1t was i'll this that all of our
greatest efforts ut oratory Were made,
where Clay, Calhoun, and Webster
fought their forensic battles, and where
Tor thirty-two years history was made.
1t accommodated seats for 232 men,
Ders, and its galleries seated about 700
spectators. The members desks were
Of mahogany. and each had an arm
chair. The reporters TO the extent of
twenty were accommodated with sofas
md desks, and the speaker had drap-
ery OF rich crimson at his back. 1t
was in 1857 that the house was moved
nto its present quarters, and in 1864
he old house was dedicated to its pres
ent use as statuary hall.
The average congressman considers !
great man, but he is only l
clerk after all. He is paid by the /
country to come here and apportion
)ut the public funds to the running of
.he government Other men decide '
now much the government needs, and
hey furnish the congressman the fig I
lres. The average member knows I
nothing about it, and the best member
or the country perhaps is he who
Knows the least. We merely pay them
o divide our money for us. The gov
is already organized. We
lave all the laws we need, and the
United States, if it were not for the V
necessity of the formality OF passing 5
he appropriations, could do better
without congress than with it. Still b
We have it. and we have to pay for it.
We pay well, too. The estimate for
he Legislative expenses for the current Ii
ear is put at more than three million
md Il half of dollars, and the house of Ii
representatives alone will cost nearly
wo and one-half millions. 1t takes C
'4l3,OOO year to pay the salaries of