St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-19
FREAkS Ut GUNGRESS
Description Of Our Museum,
the House Of Represent
atiVes.
Ringmaster Reed, and How
He Presides Over the
Great Assembly.
Statesmen Who Weigh 400
Pounds and Others Who
Weigh Less Than 100.
Great Speakers, Pigmies, Gil
ants, Literary Wen and
Men With Hobbies.
srecinl corresnondenoe of the Globe.

Special Correspondence of the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Jan. l7.-'Fhe congress
sional museum is the most wonderful
show in the United States. The three
acre tent which covers it is our national
capitol, and the two rings at either end
of the building are opened precisely at
u O'Clock every day. In one the Seua-
torial acrobatS balance the cannon balls
of legislation on the tips Of their fingers
and go through their gymnastics on the
parallel bars under the eyes of Vice
President Morton, and in the other the
$50 political giants and pygmies, clowns
and freaks trOt cut and show them
selves to the buZ-zsaw directions of
the biggest giant of them all,
Thomas b. Reed, the speaker.
1t is a costly show. The people of the
United States pay nearly S4.OOO,O00 a
year to keep it going, and the house of
representatives ring costs fully S2,500,-
900 yearly. The actors of the lower
house are paid S1,SO0,OO0 a year in sal
aries, and the dOOTkeepers and under
StrapperS who run the messengers and
clean the Spittoons get 100000 more.
The actors of the senatorial circus cost
us about S50OOn0 a year. and we pay
Just as much to John J. ingalls,, who
SpitS fire from his mouth continually,
as we do to George, of Mississippi,
whose chief distinction lies in the fact
that he has sworn never to wear dress
suit or To ride in carriage.
A Costly show.
The most amusing part OF the show is
the house of Representatives. 1t is the
cOStlieSt dime museum of the nation:
and rs | sit in the press gallery the big
geSt legislative hail in the world lies be-
low me. II covers fully quarter OF an
acre of ground, and six men as tall as
Stewart of Texas. who is over six feet
in his stockings. might stand one on
the head of the other; and if the socks
of the first rested on the floor the gray
hair of the sixth would just Craze the
ceiling. The room is thirty-Six feet
high and Its floor is covered with 700
yards OF green velvet carpet
of q quality so good that
1t must have cost g a yard. The
light of the show room comes in
through the ceiHn and this is made of
iron and glass. This ceiling is made in
panels. which are pantrd and giided.
and each bears the coat Of arms of
state of the Union. Below this ceiling
ali round the room run banks of gal
IeTleS, which terminate at the edges of
a great central pit fifteen feet deep.
which forms the bear garden of CON
grcsS. In this pit the curioSities are
Gagged. 1t is ISL feet long and fifty
seven feet wide, and its walls are pan
eled in pink and huff pap T. and around
each panel Is gilt frame fine enough
IN a
walls are citVe-ille uOOrs. which
lead tp the coax rooms, the barber
shops and the Hobbies of the
house. and al each of the
outer doors stand two men to keep the
outside world away from the congress
SiOnai animals. But let Us take look
at the animals themselves. Tier are
$50 OF them, and they sit in haif-moOn
rows of chairs rising one above another
on the SiOping floor of the chamber.
Each has little white wood desk in
front of him, with lid covered with
blue baiZe. Behind each row of desks
there are cane-spaied office chairs. 50
fixed upon springs that the Stters can
lean back and put their feet upon their
desks when they will. D0ckery. of Mis-
souri,, is sitting so now. The middle of
this half-moon Of rows is bisected by an
aisle. and on one side of this aisle are
the Democrats. while the other side is
given over to the Republicans.
2 he cad hoaman.
Behind a marble desk aud under
the American flag, with the reporters
above. sits the head Snowman, Thomas
B. Reed, of Maine. He is the most Gu
rlous figure i'll the whole museum, and
is freak of nature in both brains and
body. Six feet two, his body is all mus
Gle; and his bald head, as big as peek
measure and as white as boys new
drum. is nothing but brains He lacks
the dignity of the ordinary ringmaster.
Sitting, he leans over his desk resting
his football of brains on his beefy-like
shoulders and playing with his gavel.
Standing, he throws his paunrh to the
front a. though he would lay it down
for the time on the Speakers desk. and
throwing his head back. he pOlleS the
gavel at the members as he hobs both it
and his head TO the front in counting
the roll. He is the higheSt-priced mem
Der in the whole congressional show.
He gets 5000 year, and ne is worth it,
The Fat and an Lean.
The congressional museum has its fat
men and its living skeletons. The fat
test has already gotten a national repu-
tatiOn from his superabundance of adj
pose tissue. His name is George Barnes,
of Georgia. He weighs 410 pounds. and
he says lie would not take $1.OO1 for a
single pound of his flesh. He is near'y
six feet tall, and from the center of his
spine to the button which rests over the
center of his front h., measures three
feet five and One-half inches. His flesh
is solid. and he carries it well. He is by
no mesnS an intellectual nnnentitv, and
he ranks as one of the leading men of
his state. He has been in congress for
several terms. and am told
by GeOrgianS that ne Will stay
here until he becomes the fat old
father of the house. Rife, of
eR 9qaEeS