Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-02-06
IN THE HOUSE GALLERY.
Folks Who 60 There and what They
Go There For.

TO Inef0 For.
MEMBERS FROM wHoM coLoRKn PARbf MRrFA.
RAMS GET PoINTs-PERsoSs VITO srupY RAJ
DIRECTORY - REPRESENTATIVE WHO Aas
FAvoRrTEs OF THE LADIES.
The galleries of the House are pretty vel,
filled with visitors this session Of Congress,
Each day they assemble there by the time the
House meets and watch eagerly for something
interesting to happen. large percentage Of
the visitors are ladies'. They manifest the most
interest, finding some excitement In the
merest incident and devotins themselves, when
the session is unusually duh. to learning the
names and faces Of the members. The mem.
bers all have their regular seats, which are
numbered and can be easily placed by refer
enee to the diagram in the Congressional nj
rectory, but the method OF making their 40.
qnaintance adopted by many oil the ladies is to
Try and catch them when they answer To the
toll call. This is very uncertain way and will
furnish q woman with occupation for a whole
session. Some of the scenes In the galleries are
less amusing The large gallery directly cts II" in
almost exclusively by colored men. Il is
proyerbiai that many OF them go there to keep
warm and sleep away the day. But others are
intensely interested In the proceedings. There
most profound interest In questions of ' paria.
mentary usage.
STUDYING PARLIAMENTARY UsAGEs.
When question OF order is raised and par
liamentary question is being argued look Of
comical inquisitiveness will pass over their
faces and they will bend forward eagerly to
eaten every word, repeating to themselves all
the striking and Understanding expressions. In
TINS way they pick up scraps of parliamentary
and astonish their not so we'll Informed as
socrates. The old colored men with white hair
profound bearing and spectacles, are the most
earnest OF these parliamentary students, and
they become very important in their bearing
ana speech after listening to long argument.
Their greatest admiration and reverence is
called forth when Mr.. Springer talks for half
an hour at question of order To them the
greatest men on the floor, are Springer, Ham
Three OF these are sure TO speak to every point
OF order, and their technical expressions and
capture these SageS of the gallery.
"Dey is right up on points OBJ ordah,' said one
OF the admirers OF these pariamentarlans.
s'iety. Dahs de gemman from Arkansas, he
always gets up fust. Den when he gets through
de gemman from Georgah he gets Hp an den
up, an dey both say .Mistah Speakerp at de
same time. Den de Speaker says. DE geInman
sits down an waits till his turn comes next.
OATS de way dey always does it; JUS as regular
as clockwork Den the gemman from Ten
neSSee, he gets up an win up ebry thing.
FAyoRITES WITH THE LADIES.
The ladies in their gallery generally pick out
some member they know, or whose appearance
they admire and pit him against the whole
House. William Walter Phelps is great ia
vorite with the ladies, particularly those who
sit in the diplomatic gallery and the members
gallery on the republican side. His cultivated
accent and proper pronunciation makes his
speeches very musical TO their refneu
ears. Mr.. Long, of Mass, is another fa-
vorite with the ladies, for the same reason.
Mr.. King, of La, comes in for large share of
admiration, and is compared to an Apollo and
to the great BOnaparte. Since he has become
chairman OF the foreign affairs committee, Perry
Belmont has become an object OF interest, but
heard on the floor. \ large number of people who
are particularly interested in social science ask
to have j. j. O'Neil, the chairman OF the labor
committee, pointed out to them. Frank Law
Ter. OF ILL.,, is conspicuous for his modesty, and
Timothy Campbell for his white neckte.
All the funny-truly funny-men are gone.
Reed is more OF u satirist than humOrist. One
of the most original characters on the floor is
Gen. w ooiford, OF KY, and his speeches afford
the most amusement. He is generally likened
to the gOod-natured Mr. Punch.
SCENES ON THE FLOOR.
In looking upon the floor from the gallery, the
visitor sees many character pictures. The sofas
back of the semi-crcle of seats are generally oc-
cuped by members who failed to get sleep
to see a member tilted back in his chair with
his legs stretched out before him. sound asleep.
Nearly every one is occupied in his own peci.-
liar way, sitting or standing in some careless
and not always graceful position, apparently
indifferent to what is going on about him, No
one pays attention, unless something unu-
sually interesting is before the House.