Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-16
CONGRESS AND CALORIC.
HOW Cool Correspondents Look Down
on Swcitering Members

II is not often that there is quorum In the
House and Senate during these hot deys. The
press gallery is about the only part Of the
building that is usually cool and the average
member cannot afford to spend much time
there II he has any secrets he does not
want TO disclose. Springer, Grain, Charley
oNeill, Tarsney and perhaps half dozen
others visit the gallery occasionally and are al
ways well received, but the average member of
the House would rs soon think of entering a
lions cage as to spend haif an hour among the
newspaper men where they are all
assembled together. 1t is not an IN
common thing for member to send
bis card in to some correspondent in the
gallery for him TO come out just as the CORES
pendents send in OH the floor of the House for
members and as u rule the member who waits
for an answer to his card il more patient i'll his
waiting than the correspondent Is under silnilar
circumstances
THE COOL CORRESPONDENTS.
While cool south wind blows through the
hair on the back OF his neck tho industrious
correspondent leans over his desk and watches
the statesmen swelter. 1t is a hot place on the
floor of the House. though they put the air
on Ice before pumping it into the hall;
The House is much less dignified and
impressive body when the thermometer is
frisking up into the nineties A statesman
always looks better in his winter attitude and
winter attire. On cool day he sits in a more
upright position and looks brsker; his step is
alert and he is demonstratiye and vigorous in
his speech and gestures. During the past week
one III the galleries has looked down upon lot
OF vacant seats and few weary and washed
out looking men with wilted collars lolling
about in loose ionted fashion. some sitting
on the small of their backs with their
feet in q neighbours chair or resting
on convenient desk; some tilted back
in chairs in the cloak room near the water
cooler and between the doors and windows,
and others making vain effort to sit upright
and look digniied with pcrspiration running
from their intellectual brows and collars col
lapsing slowly. A large proportion of the
members have taken TO wearing coats of the
various thin light-cOlored material usually
worn for Office coats, number have
taken to full white flannel suits and
flannel shirts and more than half of them wear
white lawn tics. The gay-colored silk sash has
not yet got into Congress, but it is bound to
get there since half the correspondents who
set the styles in summer wear for the Con-
gressmen. have adopted that ornamental and
comfortable article of dress.
PUTTING THE AIR ON ZOE.
In order to make the Air of the House as
pleasing AS possible quantity of ice is placed
in frame work in chamber through which
the air passes on the way from the fans to the
House. Besides this Mr. Reed has had the
swinging doors between the House and the
Speakers lobby taken off their hinges. so
as to leave an open way from the hall
to the windows the south side Of
the building, and the sashes have been taken
out of the windows looking from the cloak
rooms into the corridors and wire screens
have been put in their places But with all
this the hall OF the House rs a hot place, and
there Is no hotter place in Washingto not
directly in the sun, than the Senate chamber.
LOOKING OVER THE WEATHER MAP
In the lobbies of the House and Senate, Just
back of the desk Of the officers of the body, are
hung weather bureau maps. which show the
temperature, wind, rain and general condition
of the weather in all parts of the cOun-
try. On very hot day half dozen
or more statesmen may often be seen standing
in front of these maps looking to see what the
temperature is at their homes. while they mop
their brows with n handkerchief in one hand
and languidiy wave fan with the other.
Each morning a man from the signal Office
comes to hang upon the maps the
disks and arrows which indicate the
wind at the latest observations. This man has
to answer questions from more than half of
Congress to what the weather is going 20 be
for the rest of the day, and he is called to
count the next day if his predictions
don't turn ont right Some of the states
for themselves. and they are apt to find that
there is no pressing demand for their presence
at the Capitol for the rest of the day il
they see in time to take river boat that the
indications are for hot day.
TANTALIZED BY TEMPTING CIRCULARS.
II gives man well-defined case of home
sickness to observe that it is, as the map shows,
about ten degrees cooler at the place where he
lives than it is in Washington, and at once
there is man who Is ready to predict an
early adjournment Another thing that adds
to the misery of the statesmen at Washington in
hot weather is the temptation and tantalization
of having agents for railroads and summer re-
sorts talk to them on u very hot day about the
cool brcczes that always blow somewhere else
or to read the circulars that are poured in
upon them at this time about temperature
at fifty and cigar and easy
chair or hammock i'll the shade. Every
mail brings them in numberless cards and
pamphlets descriptive of summer resorts
Aud with this temptation before them they
have the dread OF Il session which will last
til September. In desperation they start off in
great numbers every day or two for q few hours
at Virginia Beach or Old Point.
IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY.