Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-26
How 1t is Served Where the Big Lib
\ erty Girl Holds Down the
National Dome.
THE CONGRESSIONAL 0. P. HOUSES
a Big Bonanza, Where Members Get Whisky
in a Cup and Seltzer on
the Side.
HOW THE OLD WOMEN ARE MISSED
Since the Eviction Order Of Speaker Reed Went Into
Eject
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF THE p1srArcH.I

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPATcH.I
WASHINGTON, July 25.-In the record
of the present session of Congress the re-
movsl from the Capitol of the pie woman,
the curiosity woman, the apple and cigar
stands, the news stands and the huckstries
generally must take a prominent place.
Nothing in the way of shop-keeping busi-
ness now remains in the Capitol building
but the two restaurants, one in the House
and the other in the Senate wing of the
building. The apple and pie stand is no
more. Clara Morris collection of photo
graphs and curiosities no longer stands 10
the niche where for years and years the tour
list has been able to purchase for a few cents
some curious and instructive souvenir of
the Capitol. The whole brood of squatters
has been evicted by order of Speaker Reed.
The Speaker, under the rules of the House,
has absolute authority over temporal af-
fairs at the House end of the Capitol. He
can give recognition or refuse recognition to
a member on the floor, he could close the
galleries against the newspaper correspond
ents and the public if he took it into his
head to do so, and he has perfect right to
say whether there shall be one place or
dozen places or no place at all in the House
wing of the Capitol where one can buy
cigar or a piece of pie.
WHEREIN OPINIONS DIFFER.
The huekstries, which, after having
squatted some OF them from the time of
Henry Clay, in hooks and corners of the
corridors, have been wiped out of existence
by Speaker Reed, might have been con-
sidered from many standpoints They
might, for instance, have been considered
as useful or useless a. ornamental or not
ornamental. And on these points opinions
differed very widely. Some people looked
upon these stalls as so msay eyesores in
what ought to have been fair, open,
dignifed, and unencumbered perspective,
while others really thought that they i'm
parted pleasant Quaintness and variety to
the scene. Then while some regarded them
as useful and convenient others looked upon
them as common nuisances and had no
patience with them. But even those who
were hostile TO them in their days of pros
perity have no ill-feeling for them now that
the day of adversely has come. Indeed, l
think that If plebiscite of the Congress
men and the frequenters of the Capitol were
taken to-day the huckstries would be re-
stored by vote of four to one. With the
huckStries, as with many other more or less
troublesome but familiar acquaintances we
don't know how we love them till we lose |
them. The restoration of the squatters |
would be hailed at the House end of the |
Capitol to-day as the welcome return of old |
friends.
C0NGRESSMEN MISS THEM. |
IL. a i
woman who, tradition says, came over from |
Paris with Henry Clay in the early part of |
the century and started to 40 business in |
the Capitol building as vendor of curiosi- |
ties under his especial auspices, might in |
dulge her eccentricities by rushing out from |
behind her stall and hugging old-time Con-
gressmen as they passed along the corridors, |
The backwoods member might lounge about
the apple stand eating his apple with Jack
knlie and scattering the parings all over
the tiled floor for the unwary passer-by to
step on them and slip, but all would be for
given If the squatters would only return
and fill up the aching void which has been
made by their eviction, and there is no
doubt they would very soon return if
Speaker Reed would let them. Clara Nor
rls ana her colleagues are haunting the cor
rldors day after day as departed spirits are
said to haunt by night the places of their
former abode. They can hardly realize vet
that they have been removed. The disagree
able incident is like a dream to them. and
they certainly hope to wake up some morn
ing and find themselves doing business again
at the old stand
And such u return to the old condition is
not at all impossible. Many congressman
mourn the removal of the stalls and the de-
pariure Of the stallkeepers as personal
grievance, and they look upon Speaker
heeds work In manner as an act OF van
dallsm- vi all the squatters in former times
the telegraph offices alone remain. The mn.
merous stenographers aud typeWriters who
used to swarm in the hooks and corners Of
the corridors, where they were very conyen-
lent to the congressman, who gave them all
the work they could attend to, are seen no
more now, and they are greatly missed by
the members who had learned to dispose in
that way OF a correspondence which they
could not possibly conduct with their own
hands.
THE SMOKERS ARE SAD,
Another privilege that members of the |
House have been SummariIy deprived of is |
the dearly-cherished privilege of smoking |
on the floor. 1t is true that there has al |
ways been rule against smoking on the |
floor, but the rule was never enforced e1-
cept on the very rare occasion when an over |
faStidious or disgruntled member would rise |
in his place and formally call the Speakers |
attention to the impropriety. Now, how
ever, the rule is rigidly enforced all the time |
under an order which Speaker Reed has |
given to the Doorkeeper of the House. On |
the walls of the chamber are cOnspicously |
posted cards, which read as follows:
.''''''''''''....'.........s