The Bottineau pioneer., 1888-08-16
Mr.. Carlisle Chews Gum.
Speaker Carlyle chews gum.

speaker Carlyle cheWs gum.
He keeps little package Of tutti.
frutti on his desk when he is presid-.
Ing over the House. For number
of years he has been an inveterate
tobacco chewer. The chewing of this
weed to such an extent involves an
amount of expectoration that might
be inconvenient to the pages and
officers of the House who sit around
below him. For this reason Mr..
Carlisle refrains from the use of to-
bacco while occupying the chair.
He has got to be almost as invete-
rate a chewer of delicately favored
elastic paste. Gum-chewing and
chewing of caramels is becoming al
most as common among statesmen
as with school girls aud debutantes
in Washington society. 7
On one side of the main door of
the House in the corridor is a little
stand where newspapers, cigars, to-
bacco, gum and candy are sold in
small quantities. At any moment
during the session from one to half g.
dozen members may be seen about
this stand, stuffing little paper pack
ages in their coat-tail pockets. I
asked the vender boy what it was
members bought SO much OF. a He.
said~mostly gum and carfsdels.
Members neither smoke nor cli6W to-
bacco as much as formerly.
Mr.. Kelly and Mr.. Buchanan are
largely responsible for this tobacco
reform. BY constant and open pro-
test Mr.. Kelley has made it very en-
barrassing for q fellow-member to
undertake the task. of vitiating the
atmosphere of the House with tobac-
co smoke; and Mr.. Buchanan checked
by formal resolution, which was
afterward considered and reported
on bya committee, the habit, once
very common, of splitting in the air
ducts that open up through the
floor. -.
Comparatively few cigars are now
sold to members at the Capitol stands,
and many members have abandoned
the habit of chewing tobacco. The
vender told me that he used to sell
more tobacco than anything else.
Now it hardly pays to keep it on
hand. Instead of it he sells about
one hundred and fifty sticks of gum
and ten pounds of caramels to the
members of the House each day.
Tom Reed, the Republican leader,
chews gum-when he is not chewing
at the ear of the Democratic party.
He sits and works his jaw upon this
elastic cushion while listening to Mr..
Mills or Mr.. Breckenridge. When he
gets up to reply, he stuffs the gum in
in the back part of his jaw with his
tongue, and draws gall from it's sweet
ened flavor. s~~
Mr.. Springer has broken himself of
the habit of talking all the time by
keeping a piece of gum in his mouth.
An effort is being made, in a areforma-
tory way, to induce Mr.. Buchanan
and Mr.. Taulbee to chew gum. It
has worked well upon others besides
Mr.. Springer.
Mr.. Cox is said to chew little now
but his silence is always regretted.
Mr.. johnson of Indiana, soothes
his nerves by the use Of tutti-frutti.
He has had about three attacks of
nervous excitement over the bloody
shirt since he contracted the gum.
chewing habit.
Mr.. Bliss is said to have contracted
the habit from constant association
with the young ladies of Washington.
He chews about as much as any man :,
in the House. Senator Hoar chews
gum and occasionally reads a igh5S
romance. Next to Mr.. Reed and Mr..
Bliss, Tarsney of Michigan, is the
greatest gum chewer in the House.