The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-09-17
In ALL-NIGHT SESSION.
HOW CONGRESSIONAL BUSINESS IS
RUSHED AT THE CLOSE.


In Continuous Session for Twenty-Five
Hours-Turning Back the cIock-Ge-
henna Broken Loose-An Indescribable
scens-The Speakers valedictory.
Once during every congress there is an
allnight session, which is double ripper
q roarer, SO to speak. This is ON the last
night of the last session, between the morn
ing Of the Sd Of March and noon ON the 4th
Of March, when that congress expires- by
law. The house sits continuously for about
twenty five hours. It is usually called at
II o'clock on the morning of March 3 and
lasts all day and all night until noon of the
next day. About fifteen minutes before
noon, when the house is wild with excite
ment, haste, and anxiety, and business is
being rushed like lightning express On
down grade, one of the doorkeepers comes
in and walks up to the big clock directly
over the main entrance, that faces the
speakers chair. The speaker deliberately
turns away his head for five minutes while
the doorkeeper turns the clock back as far
as he dare. Then Gehenna breaks loose
Meanwhile, the senate, at the other end
Of the capitol, has even laid aside its dig
nifty and quickened its solemn march to
lively trot; the president of the United
States, who, according to custom, has ar
rived at the capital about midnight, has
worked continuously all through the long
night hours at the big table in the presi-
dents room signing bills brought to him by
painting messengers The speaker of the
house has probably not let the chair for
more thar fifteen minutes at time during
the twenty four hours. AT those times he
has gone into the nearest cloak room to
snatch something to eat; he most likely has
not thought of sleep, and during all the
pandemonium has bsen saving himself for
that last terrible hour or so when the fate
Of measures involving millions of money,
involving lives and characters got
to ba decided
AN INDEsCRIBABLE SCENE.
An Englishman once, seeing q pension
bill appropriating l00,0O0,d0 lushei
through in this way, exclaimed: Great
God! What a country" As tae hands ef
the clock approach II o'c.. ck the scene be-
comes indescribablc. The ga. cries are tul
and obstreperous sometimes The order is
given to clear them Immediately. Early in
the evening there was much chaff and
hilarity on the floor; now there is nothing
but anxiety, and always some bad blood.
The speaker If he be speaker like Mr..
Carlisle or Mr. Randall, sits unmoved amid
the uproar, huld1ng the gavel In one hand
and his watch in the other. Cries resound,
interrupted every moment by stentorian
voice shouting: "A message from the senate
of the United States..n instead os the formal
bow customary ON entering the presence of
the house the messenger merely ducks his /
head to the speaker and comes lunging down
the aisle on dead run Men are ON their
feet, gesticulating, shouting: Mr.. Speaker,
4
sake let ine introduce this bill" members
will understand that am not to be driven
from the l.oor of this house" "Eote. Vote"
Suddenly in the midst OF this wildness
come two sharp raps of the speakers gavel
Every sound is instantly hushed-those two
raps are like the crack of doom-no use
shouting or appealing now. The speakers
voice is heard delivering his valedictory-
usually short In ten minutes ell is over
That congress is dead to live no more The
speaker is no longer speaker. The represen-
tatiyes and senator's, haggard and worn,
throw themselves on the sofas to sleep or
else into carriages TO be driven home The
president and the ex-speaker come out of
the capitol into the broad light of MONDAY,
looking as il they had been on weeks
carouse There is nothing more like it un-
til that day two years. s.-Washington Cor.
Chicago News