Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-07

was the last night of the session and there was
great crowd at the Capitol The crowd was
more numerous than tine seats. In the press
gallery, too, the attendance was more than or
dlnarily large and the accommodations were
barely equal to the emergency. Busy local
men and correspondents were hard at work
making popular history of the occasion and
the scenes when motion was made
by Kentucky member which opened
the press gallery to such persons as might be
lucky enough to get tickets from the Speaker.
The gallery was up on Its dignity at once and
Mr.. Barrett, now of the Boston Advertiser. was
deputed to call on the Speaker and request him
to hold sacred those precincts which were de-
voted to the scribes This the Speaker might
have DONE for, under the rules his con-
troll over the galleries was absolute, but history
has it that he did nothing of the kind On the
contrary, he greeted Mr.. Barrett with language
that was to the last degree unparliamentary
and in which was inserted an official invitation
to newspaper men generally to spend an in
definite period in a more warmly suIphurous
climate than Arizona. Mr.. Barrett reported to
his comrades and as the House took brief
recess just at that time they went uptown to
their offices to dispose of as much of their
work as possible. When they returned to the
House they found the gallery jammed full OF
visitors, principally ladies, who had been adj
mitted by order of the Speaker. Under ordi-
nary circumstances the newspaper BOYS would
have been delighted to meet the ladies, but
sentiment on this occasion was totally ecipsed
by business. Anything like a respectable or
connected report of the proceedings was
almost impossible, for every inch of even
standing room was preempted. Ordinary pro-
family was at a discount, and nothing but the
most elaborate modern arrangements of ex-
pressions not to be found in Webster (un-
aorldged) were given momentary attention.
SETTING GUARD.
Before midnight the House took a recess
until the next morning. There was q council
OF war in the gallery when the intruders had
departed and guard was set. Gen. Boynton
and half a dozen others sat all night long
within the doors which opened into the gallery.
and In order that the assurance against inva-
sion might be made doubly sure they con-
structed additional barriers by the combina-
ton OF telegraph wire and door knobs. Early
morning brought with it host of applicants
for seats in the gallery, all armed with passes
given them by the Speaker. They were re-
but there was the ono universal refusal
for all save only legitimate newspaper
men. In his room and in the
chair Speaker Keller stormed and fretted
about the insurrection-the defiance of his au-
thority-and he did all he could to enforce his
ruling, but IN vain. The press crowd knew that
their enemy would be helpless at the hour of
noon, so they bravely but unostentatiously
fought it out ON that line until the Forty
seventh Congress expired by limitation. The
Speaker was defeated and the rights of the
newspaper men of the country had been as
serted and maintained in the face of a power
full opposition. To have done otherwise would
have been to forfeit all the recognition that
years of continuous endeavor had secured for
members of the profession. That fragment of a
revolt led to the fight which resulted in the
political downfall of Mr.. Keifer and the trium-
phant vlndication of Gen. Boynton and his as
soclates.
HOW THE RULES WERE MADE.
As may be gathered from the foregoing. the
newspaper representatives are very tenacious
of their rights. And yet the memory of living
man goes back to the day when there was no
regulation or legislation which gave the
reporter or correspondent status. The re-
former IN this matter was the Hon. Samuel ].
Randall, who, when he was elected Speaker of
the torty-hfth Congress, requested the news
paper men to formulate rule which would
preserve their rights and be satisfactory all
around. The Speakers request was complied
with and committee of correspondents was
appointed to represent the brain workers
whose habitat was on the upper floor The
result was the present arrangement, by which
committee OF nVe attends to the gallery bust
ness and, when necessary, acts as mediator
The House press gallery is much more popu-
lar than the one at the other end of the
Capitol. The audience to be seen from il is so
much larger and SO much more lively than finds
place IN the Senate that 1t is not surprising to
see the majority of the correspondents STAY
with the crowd and the noise. Exciting scenes
on the floor are more common in the House
than In the Senate, and the men who are on
the lookout for sensations make their head
quarters in the domain which is ruled over by
Charley Mann, assisted by another Charley
whose surname is Holbrook Mr.. Mann is one
Of the component parts of the House gallery
and is in charge thereof. Mr.. Holbrook is also
invaluable.
RUSH TO THE FRONT.
Occasionally there will be thirty or forty of
the ''craft" in the lobby; in the lobby because
there is little or nothing going on in the House.
Suddenly some one will rush out of the gallery
and give warning of a fracas on the floor. In
an instant the lobby is deserted and the front
places IN the gallery filled. Nobody sits down,
although there are seats in plenty; the eager
watchers lean over the desks and eve the
orator or the two or more orators as the case
may be. The excitement subsidies in a little
while and the boys wander back into the lobby.
discuss the trouble, and write something about
it; then they either wait for something else to
happen or else go down stairs on scout for
other news than that afforded by the loud talk
ers ON the floor