The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-04-06

arguments and testimony which must be
gone through with before their merits can
be decided. Less than one sixth of them
become laws, and during the last Congress
out OF the II 900 bills only 1,S00 were passed
and signed by the President. The division
of them among the committees is the only
means by which they could be considered
at all, and some curious instances of the
| ignorance OF Congressman as to their work
occurs In regard to them. When Senator
Henderson first attended the committee of
winch he was member at his opening
session he was given a bill to report upon
| and he told the clerks to send the papers in
TINS bill to his rooms at the Portland Flats
as he intended to do his work at home The
next day he received a full barrel of manu-
script consisting o. musty papers and
enough closely written sheets if pasted to-
| gether to have carpeted the whole District
| of Columbia. 1t took two mail bags to
carry them, and they took up as much room
as dining table. This is the case with
| thousands of these bills, and such bills as
those gotten up by the appropriation and
the ways and means represent the work of
hundreds of men and of years of time, if
the hours consumed upon them could be
added together
There are in all
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN COMMITTEES
in both houses of Congress, and in addition
to these, every day or two select or spec
lal committee is appointed. Each com
mlttee has from three to sixteen members.
and its chairman represents it on the floor
OF the House or Senate. The more impor-
tant committees have committee rooms and
messengers to take care of them These
rooms are elegantly furnished. They are
carpeted with Brussels carpet, and their
ceilings are frescoed with appropriate
paintings. The agricultural committee has
picture of Cincinnatus leaving the pillow
to go to the war over its door, and the WAYS
and means has ceilings covered with paint
lngs. These committee rooms are fur
nlshed in mahogany furniture costly wood
nres blaze away in their open fireplaces.
and IN not few of them beautiful clocks.
bronzes and objects of virtu stand on their
mantels under the immense mirrors in gilt
frames. Not few of these rooms are
loafing places as well as workshops, and In
some of the committee rooms of the Senate
private lunches are served. Don Cameron
has one of the best senatorial committee
rooms, and he frequently gives a little
spread here to those he loves. Senator
PUMPS committee room is Headquarters
for Kansas politicians, and every one has
heard of the line old liquors which Ed
munds keeps in his cupboard at the capitol.
Senator Hawley, who is head of the mill
Ldry dlAd1IS VI bile oendUe, mas q room IN
which you will frequently see old soldiers
pleading their claims, and Senator ingalls,
has perhaps the finest room in the whole
capitol building. He is chairman of the
District of Columbia committee, and his
room is as big as church. 1t has an ele-
CANT Turkish rug on its floor, and the
guides bring in visitors and show them the
room. These visitors were so inquisitive
that ingalls, had to quarter himself in the
further corner of the room near the win
dow, and he has put up blue baize curtain
with brass railing around his desk to
keep the tourists from seeing the letters he
writes to his constituents. Senator Ouay's
committee room is always filled with his
friends who are waiting to see him. He
does not very often appear, and he has
watch dog in the shape of Dick Murphy.
his clerk, to keep them off.
THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
of the House, in which the tariff agitators
are being daily heard, is the finest on that
side Of the capitol. 1t ought to be, for it is
the most important committee of the
House. 1T is walled with tariff documents,
and the long table which fills it's centre is
surrounded at almost any hour in the day
with noted men. The bill which it has
just prepared embraces every business in