Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-03-22

Ls1ckily the house had no liking Tor such
distinction between the dignity Of the two
bodies. and held its ground IN favor oe
ssnding comuiunications In both instan-
ces by ths hand q employees till the sen-
aibxaa&aTef t6ls sie|SGa i.e3|SGa.or,al dignity ws
hear % much on Il is . hollow sham.
The ssuaas q bsst y acongiomesats mass
a inslncseity, and u b e insincers and
affected n - dignity - In ~ patriotism.
Thess Old chaps, who are - eager TO pun.
ish other psopae for violation of rules
which they asv NOT s~orn to respect,
themselves disregard the rules. which
they ars under oath to obey, whenever u
suits their convenience to do %. A week
OF two ego the chairman Of the very
ccmmittes which b trying 10 run down
the manner IN which executive session
secrets are given 10 the public, gave
salmon lunch In the senate rsstaurant.
The senate was soon depopulatsd. There
b . iule ol the senate which declares
that no senator shall leave ths service q
The senate without having bssn excused.
On this occaslon The ssrgsant-at-arms re-
ported hat there were twenty-five sena-
tors In tRS rsstaurant, and that when he
informed them they were wanted up
stairs to attend to the public business,
said senators coolly told him they were
too busy to move. One Of the rules Of
the senate u that the restaurant must
not cell intoxicating liquors, yet seven
cases of champagne were opened at this
lunch and several bottles OF brandy and
whisky. Every day grave and dignified
senator's may be seen drinking whisky In
the senate restaurant. the rule to the
contrary notwithstanding; and when
they want whisky nowadays they say
whisky. and do not call for cold tea.
This II the only regular ceremonial In
the senate which. 20 far as have OBJ
served, does not SAVIOR OF sham and prud-
Exclusiveness Is one Of the first els-
ments Ct dignity - defined BY the sena-
tors. They are exclusive even In the
violation Of their own rules. When they
60 down stairs to drink whisky they like
to do 20 In private, and 20 they provide
In their rules that "the large private
room OF the restaurant shall be reserved
exclusively for senators and their guests. =
while 1.-THE small private room shall be
reserved exclusively for the use Of sena.
tors and members Of the house OF repre-.
sentatives, and such use Of the private
rooms shall not be interfered with" In
other words, the vulgar public must stay
out altogether, while the members OF the
house may sit down and drink whisky
only In the outer sanctum.
The new senator VINO presnmes to take
advantage Of the superficial politenesl
and "we-apples-swim" tendency Of the
august body, will make o serious mis-
take. There was IN instance Of this q
few weeks ago. A new senator from the
west, who had been but few weeks In
his seat. wanted the senate to 60 into
executive session, and made . motion
to that effect. This seemed harmless
enough, but the older senator's were hor.
rified. They coughed and hemmed and
stared at the new man till the poor fel-
low imagined he had committed the
crime Of sedition or arson. The presid
ing officer, who CHANGED to be one OF the
older senator's, preserved his presence oi
mind. and was for the nonce convenient
ly deaf. He didn't hear the motion, and
the senate went on with some other bust
ness. Then two or three Of the old fel
lows gathered around the new man and
whispered In his ear:
"Didn't you know that Il is one of the
traditions of the senate that q senatoi
must have been here two years before
he can move to 60 into executive ses
sionf"
Ten minutes later . senator who had
served the required two years made the
executive session motion, and the gong
sounded three times, the doors were
closed, the vulgar public retired, and the
senate went solemnly into secret session,
the old chaps gossiping in the cloak
rooms about the young senator's blum.
der like parcel Of old maids at quilt
ing. But the dignity Of the senate must
be preserved. WALTER WELLMAN.