The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-06-30
In ALL-NIGHT SESSION.
HOW CONGRESSIONAL BUSINESS IS
RUSHED AT THE CLOSE.

In Continuous Session for Twenty-Five
Hours-Turning Back the Clock-Ge-
henna Broken Loose-An Indescribable
.scene-The Speakers valedictory.
Once during every congress there is an
all-nieht session, which is a double ripper
a 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 9TH
Of March, when that congress expires by
law. The house sits continuously for about
twenty-five hours 1t 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 tho house is wild with excite.
ment, haste, and anxiety, and business is
being rushed like a lightning express on a
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 tar
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 q
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 tho big table i'll the presi-
dent's room signing bills brought to him by
painting messengers. The speaker OF the
house has probably not lott the chair for
moro than 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 liHely has
not thought of sleep, and during all the
pandemonium has bon saving himself for
that last terrible hour or so when tho fate
of measures involving millions of money,
involving lives and characters-have got
to be decided.
AN lNDESCRIDABLE SCENE
An Englishman once, seeing u pension
bill appropriating SIOO,UOO,uoO rushed
through in this way, exclaimed: Great
God! What country" As sne hands OF
the clock approach u o'clock the scene be-
comes indescribable. The galleries are full
and obstreperous; sometimes the order Is
given to clear them Immediately. Early in
the evening there was much chaf and
hilarity ON the floor; now there is nothing
but anxiety, and always somo bad blooI
The speaker, if he be speaker like MIR.
Carlisle or Mr. Randall, sits unmoved amid
the uproar, holding the gavel in one hand
and his watch in the other Cries resound,
interrupted every moment by a stentorian
voice shouting: "a message from the senate
of the United States" Instead OF 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 Oh their
feet, gesticulating, shouting: "Nr. Speaker,
| ask but for one moment" "For Gods
sake let me introduce this bill" members
will understand that am not to he driven
from tho floor of this house" vote! 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 dcom-no use
shouting or appealing now. The speaker s
voice is heard delivering his valedictory-
usually short In ten minutes all is over.
That congress is dead to live no more The
speaker is no longer speaker. The represen-
tatives and senators, 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 or
the capitol into the broad light of monday,
looking as it they had been OH week s
carouse. There is nothing more like it un-
til that day two years-Washington Cor.
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