The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1890-04-19

EnQ often wound up III d 1C"9N' 'NN
ustoma in those days for the ser
geant at arms to have an open spread
to which everybody who could get adj
mission to the chamber was welcome.
On those occasions employees freely
CJinked glasses with senators, II II
was with great reluctance that consent
was given for adjournment. Times
have changed, however, and might SEES
sion of the senate is now but a tame
affair.
There have been numerous night SEES
sions full Of funny situations. Senate
Xeb Vance, of North Carolina, who was
q statesman, humorist, wit and orator,
once was made the victim of a practical
Joke; but the people in the galleries
suffered with him. 1t was one night in
1890 when the senate held its first night
session in the Fifty-frst congress. The
big light in the dome of the capitol, be-
meath the feet of the goddess of liberty,
bIazed out brilliantly that night. The
meeting was rendered necessary BY Il
desire Of senators to be heard on the
question of reciprocity, which came out
for the first time, the debate being
opened by the Dr1eT Dur teII1ng speech
Of Senator Hale. A night session of the
senate always attracts a crowd OF spec
tatOrs.
The galleries were full long before
eight o'clock, the hour set for owen
ing, and the visitors remained lat3 al
though the entertainment presented
was not strictly first-cIass. The curl
osity seekers were rather imposed upon
by a trick of Senator Dolph, who also
made a victim of Senator Vance. The
latter had been for many days fixing up
q great speech, intending to set himself
right with his tar-heel constituents, and
With southern democrats generally. The
, Farmers Alliance had been very active
in North Carolina, and the good-natured
Mr.. Vance felt called upon to tickle
them with a speech. The night session
was ordered specially for Mr.. Vance's
benefit, and hosts of his admirers who
always enjoyed his characteristic story
telling and mirth-provoking speeches,
were on hand. When President Ingalls,
gavel fell MI. Vance was ready to go on
with the programme. His manuscript
was piled high on his desk, a glass of
water was at his side, and his lips were
puckered to say: Mr.. President"
when the solemn and slender Dolph, of
Oregon, arose, and, being recognized,
began a dry and long-winded speech
in opposition to reciprocity with Can
ada. The surprise and disappointment
of the audience, the senators and every
body else was painful. Mr.. Vance, in
deed was indignant and disguised. He
settled back in his chair and waited. He
waited a good long time, too, for both
the evening and the audience were half
gone when Dolph talked himself to a
standstill; and then he sat down..
Audience or 10 audience, Senator
Vance determined to deliver that speech,
and he arose and began it. He glared at
Senator Dolph who had spoiled his pro-
gramme, adjusted his s~pectacles, and
lifted up his voice.
In each of the cloakrooms there was
a large bowl of lemonade and several
baskets of Apollinaris on ice. Down
in certain committee rooms, occupied
by senators who never INDUCED, sena-
torial cold tea was On tap for the IA
vored few. Very little attention was
paid to the speech Of Senator Vance,
although his democratic colleagues did
listen occasionally, and the galleries ap-
plauded as loudly as they dared when
he reached n of his many humorous
points.
The scene in the chamber at ter
o'clock, when Mr.. Vance was talking,
was interesting, If not inspiring. There
were just 20 senator's i'll the chamber.
a dozen more in the cloakrooms, where
they could easily be seen through the
open door, and a score more were out
of sight in the various committee
rooms, samplipg the Struggled cold tea.
Senators Hiscock and Evarts sat on the
back row, talking earnestly, the younger
with his gray hair arranged in the usual
disorder and his aged colleague curled
up almost out of sight in the big chair
of Senator Sawyer. Senator Hawlev was
n%ervously lingering the manuscript of
a reciprocity speech and Senator Mitch
ell was reading an Oregon newspaper
Down in the front row Edmunds, Gull
lom and Spooner were drawn up in a
bunch, telling stories and laughing 10
loudly that the presiding officer was