Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-01-28

the back of the hall and opposite the
Speaker, facing him. 1t is very pref
ty clock, and is fine work of art. 1t
is the bette notr of long-winded speak
ers, and cuts off many blowhard be.
fore his time for ending has come.
AT the sides of the hall door over
which this clock stands there. are two
cloak rooms, and at the left hand cor
ner of the back there is barber shop.
where the members may be shaved
while stormy or dull debate is going
on. At times members are in this bar
bers chair when some legislation which
interests them comes up, and | have
seen a statesman rush from the bar
bers Office with half his beard off, the
lather over the rest of his face, and a
BARRIERS sheet around his neck, and OBJ
ject to certain ruling. Such speeches
are more food for laughter than fol-
good.
Half way up the walls of the House
hall the galleries begin, and rise by
graded seats almost to the roof. These
galleries viii seat twenty-five hundred
people. The most important is the
press gallery to both the speakers and
the people, for it is through this that
they hear of all the doings below. This
is directly back of the Speakers desk
and above it, 1t is gilded and better
arranged than the other galleries and
has desks with little ink stands set in
to them for the use of the press. Each
paper of note has right to one seat
here, and about one hundred and
twenty-five men constitute the occu-
pants. Just back of this gallery there
is a telegraph Office and writing
room. A speech is delivered in Con;
gress at two p. m. and the words arc
in the offices of the newspapers all
over the country almost as fast as they
fall from the speakers lips. The gal
lery opposite the press gallery is the
diplomatic gallery, the seats of which
are painted blue. 1t is often filled with
foreigners, and none but the diplomatic
representatives of foreign countries
have the right to enter it.
At the desk in front of the Speaker
the Clerk stands with his assistants be-
hind him. He reads generally in a
voice which is cross between the
rasping of buzz saw and the sharpen.
ing of slate pencil. He gets $4,000 8
year for doing it. Below him at 6
shorter desk are the shorthand report
ers of the House, who take down the
matter of debate for the Record. These
men each get $1,000 year.
Running about through the House a
all times are the pages, who are pait
about two and one-half dollars per day
These are lively little. boys, generally
of about twelve or fourteen years O.
age. When a member wants them hi
claps his hands and they run to hi
desk. In addition to these, there arr
scores of other employees about tn,
House of Representatives who do al
kinds of work, from the cleaning of tn,
spittoons and carrying in of cards, tt
the aiding the Speaker and Chairmel
Of committees in their work. Thes,
get from $500 to $1,000 year. Door
keepers are paid from 81 200 to $1,000
for merely opening and shutting doc
about six hours a day, and when tn,
numerous servants are considered it i
no wonder that the expenses of a Con
gressional session run up so high. Tn,
average cost of session is about S.,
100000, and the Congressman receiv,
mileage in addition to their salaries o
$4,000 each, amounting to a total o
$l43,624. The newspapers and station
cry consumed by Congress runs a
high as $4,000 yearly, and the salarie
of the Senators amount to $3.50, 900 ant
that of the Representatives to 1865,
600 every year. The Speaker of tn
House and the President pro tenn. o
the Senate each receives $4,000 year
and one of the poorest paid men in tn
Senate is the Chaplain, who gets bu
5000 year.-"Cdrp," in Cleuelen'
Leader. .a.,E .t..tr.,.