The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1889-12-12
CAPITAL LETTER.
Especial Washington Lstser.l

Especial Washington Letter.1
The constitution provides that "Con-
gress shall assemble at least once In
every year, and such meeting shall be
on the first Monday In December, unless
they shall by law appoint different
day" Unfortunately, the Congress has
never, by law, appointed different day
for the annual meeting, but IL should be
done; and they should also change the
day for the Inauguration Of our Presi-
dents, in Difference to the climate Of the
National capital.
/. The first Monday In December was
this year the second day Of the month;
and, on the preceding Saturday night,
November 80, the Republican members
of the House assembled in caucus in tho
Hall Of Representatives for the purpose
OF agreeing upon some one Of their num-
Der for the Speakership. This is the
custom Of the party which obtains ma
jority at any one Of the biennial cleo
tions, and every two years the Capitol
lis heated and lighted to receive the ad-
vance guard Of the Legislators. This
year 1t happens that the Republican
party holds majority Of the House for
the first time since December, 1881. At
that time Mr.. Keifer, Of Ohio, Mr..
Kasson, Of Iowa, and several other gen.
tlemen contended for the Speakership,
and the caucus victory was won by Mr..
Keifer. The Democratic party has since
that time held possession of the House
and has continuously honored Mr.. Car
Isle, Of Kentucky, with the Speaker
ship. No matter whom the Republicans
may elect to succeed him, their best
man can not be the peer Of John g.
Carlisle as q presiding officer. This
generation will not produce his peer.
He is, tdci7s r'snceps, the prince Of par
liamentarians,. and his judgments in the
chair have been as unprejudiced as they
have boen concise, clear and just. Mr..
Carlisle will actively participate in the
debates which are certain to enliven the
coming session, for he is natural foren-
sic leader.
The Hall Of Representatives on the
light OF the caucus is guarded by the
and messengers who remain
in office from their appointments under
the last Congress. The doors of the
House are closed, the galleries sealed so
tight that not sound can escape, and
If the caucus is o long one the air in
the Hall becomes almost unbearably
Ivitiated, for there will be absolutely no
ventilation. The reason for all this Sc
crecy is that the Representatives make
speeches, giving party reasons why this,
that or the other candidate shall be
chosen as the party leader. A great
deal Is said which would not look well
in print, and very much of the speech
making is personal, with the bandying
OF epithets, when the' debate grows
warm. Two years ago in the Democratic
when the candidates for Door
keeper were being discussed, one Of the
homo rable gentlemen call another hon
orable gentleman "a liar" whereupon
the aforementioned honorable gentleman
raised his honorable clenched fist and
smote the velvety cheek of the other
honorable gentleman, and there was
galore.
BY the way, it is funny to see the
statesmen making efforts to keep public
matters secret from the correspondents.
In body Of three hundred men there
is always from one to twenty men who
will confidentially tell some newspaper
friend, or friends, all about it. Last
winter, when caucus was being held
and all points carefully guarded, re-
membered that there was broken door
in the gallery; and 1t took but a
minute to have the watchman at the foot
OF the stairs decoyed to the restaurant
for minute, while ! skipped upstairs,
tip-toed to the broken door, and quietly
sat there taking notes Of all that was
said and done by the entire caucus. Ike
Hill discovered me, when 1t was nearly
over; but the report was all written out
in shorthand before he came upstairs,
and his interruption did not prevent the
publication Of full report next morn
ing.
The Senate does not have to 90
through this parliamentary tangle every
two years. Indeed, the officers Of the
Senate are seldom changed. Hon.
George G. Gorham was Secretary of the
Senate for abe ut twelve years, and Gem
eral McCook, who succeeded him, has
been in the same position for six years.
There is some talk Of proposed change
in the Office Of Sergeant-at-Arms Of the
Senate this year; but it will probably
all end in talk. The Senate is small
body, comparatively, and always digni-
fed and conservative. The Senate
Chamber is not more than half as large
as the Hall Of Representatives, and is
much handsomer. The floor is going to
be somewhat crowded by the admission
of eight new Senators from the States