Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-05-25
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.


SATURDAY, the last day of the tariff debate,
the House met at i o'clock. At 1890 there
was no room left in the galleries. Not only
were all the seats occupied, but people sat on
all the available space on the steps and filled
the doorways Members were beseiged for
tickets" but tickets could not even secure
seats after that hour. II was the largest
assemblage there has been during this Con-
gress and the hustle and excitement of peo-
pie trying to lind places before the House
was restored to order was like that on a
holiday occasion. Members were running
through the corridors trying to lind seats for
their friends or even standing room. Many
ladies' were standing in the doorways. The
attendance of the members was unusually
large and they were in their seats early.
The Speaker of the House and Mr.. Reed,
the leader of the opposition, closed the de-
bate for their respective sides. The
interest in the occasion was intense.
The most appreciative habitutes of the
galleries of both Houses of Congress are the
women They look down from the galleries
while the statesman will talk tariff and won
der why spring bonnets are never mentioned
among the necessaries of life that must go on
the free list. Women make up the chief
audience of the House. Nearly every day a
greater number and variety of hats and bon
nets than would stock fashionable mlliner's
shop for spring opening are assembled in
the galleries, and a great variety of faces look
from these studies" in head dress. The
very pretty faces, if not a. many as the
pretty bonnets, are not few. Women are
the most constant visitors at the Capitol.
speaker who can clear the galleries of near
ly all of the male population is apt to find an
appreciative audience III the ladies' gallery.
If he is at all good looking his speech is GER
tain of attention in that quarter. However
bare the other galaries may be, the ladies'
galleries are never empty on any occasion
while the House is in session. When mem
Der in any way noted for his gallantry is to
speak, the seating capacity is apt to be taxed.
There are some ladies who are at the
Capitol nearly every day, no matter what
may be going on. They sit in the front row
and watch the proceedings with equal interest,
whether il is roll call or wrangle. They
are always there.
The Library of Congress has two or three
tables that are almost always surrounded by
literary cranks-the saddest type of this
genus homo Their clothes are musty and
threadbare. Their faces, ears and neck are
as innocent of the purifying influences of
fronts. Their long, gaunt fingers are stained
with dirt, and the ink beneticent govern
ment furnishes them free of cost. They are
all reading or writing or dreaming, The
reading is desultory, the writing useless, but
the dreaming is another thing. The poor,
dcluded lazy fellows, who find the cushioned
chairs and comfortable library temptation
that they cannot resist, succumb to their in
tense egotism and the dOice far Hieate that
wrecked their lives. and dream of the fame
that ought to be thers-but for this unappre-
ciative world. They picture the luxuries that
would surround them if the ignorant pub
fishers only had the brains and the discretion
to print the masterpiece they have produced
and pay for them, I'D rdi0rem Some of
these are historians and in their own conceit
have long since distaneed any chronicle of
modern or ancient times. Some are poets,
and only need a publisher to make the MUSES.
turn green with envy The majority are
metaphy sicians and they have successfully
picked flaws in Kant aud found out that Sir
William Hamilton is a novice in profundity
of thought compared with them: No phase
of human depravity and dissi patton, no de-
vclopment of the crank is sadder than this.
Members of Congress are like other
people in many respects. A Democratic
member from West Virginia, who is very
superstitous believes it is bad luck to go out
of house different way from which you
enter The other evening he was standing
on the stoop of his boarding house, and, it
being quite warm. the parlor windows were
open. 4 friend was sitting ut one of the
windows and he called the Cougre ssman. As
the windows run nearly to the ground, the
West Nirginiau stepped in that way. The
next morning he was going out very early
and to the surprise of the laudady insisted
on her having the parlor windows open, so
he could leave the house through one of
them. The good old lady thought he was
crazy. but opened the windows, being fearful
he would get dangerous, and the long-legged
Congressman stepped out. The landlady
thinks he is very eccentric"
Lemon.