Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-07

Clammy Of North Carolina. The former wears
a low collar and a shoestring tie and the latter
a shoestring tie and a high collar.
THE sHoEsTRING TIE.
The so-called shoestring tie is by far the
most prevalent form of adornment for the
neck In the House. 1t is made, of course.
in the simple shape of a narrow dress tie. but
OF black silk or other black material. The
tielng OF 1t is readily performed which measure
ably accounts for its popularity and after many
wears IL assumes q stringy aspect that accounts
Tor the name applied to it. Among the Repre-
sentatives who habitually affect this style of
throat garniture are Holman of Indiana. Houk
OF tennessee. Kerr of Pennsylvania. Mont
gGmery OF Kentucky, Tracey of New York,
ILLINOIS, Allen of Michigan, Parrett
OF Indiana, Henderson of Illinois and
Wheeler of Alabama. But these
are only q very few of them. Quite a number
OF members wear the shoestring pattern of tie.
but in white awn-the same thing precisely
that is correct for evening dress. Among the
latter are Amos Cummings of New York, sill
ver-halred Breckenridge of Kentucky, Coggs-
well OF Massachusetts,. Niedringhaus of Mis-
souri, and Biggs of California. None of the
collar and necktie, but 10. a few of them fire.
quently appear without cuffs. 1t is not prob
able that grim old Martin Of Texas ever wore
a pair OF the latter appendages of dudity in
his life.
NOT A SCHOOL OF GOOD MANNERS.
The House of Representatives in the national
legislature is hardly to be regarded as a school
OF good manners in any sense. For an evidence
OF this fact look at the carpet that covers the
floor. 1t is of the old fashioned velvet kind,
but nearly new, very costly and of a beautiful
green with an lnconspicuous pattern. And yet
1t is spotted all over with tobacco Juice. Ap-
parently 1t Is the exceptional Congressman who
takes the trouble to use the spittoons. As a rule
members expectorate on the floor. Mr.. Mckinley
IN the Intervals of tariff debate relieves him
self IN this way, and so it is with nearly all of
his colleagues. Periodically the carpet is sent
to be cleaned, though tobacco juice is not a
stain that comes out very well. Nevertheless,
there has been a fierce contest lately among the
Washington cleaners for the job of cleansing
the government carpets and the winner is said
TO have taken the contract at d price per yard
below actual cost for the sake of glory and the
satisfaction of beating his rivals.
OFF ON VACATIONS.
Now that warm weather has arrived Con-
gressmen are beginning to disappear from
their seats. Within the next fortnight the
House will have yisibly thinned out. Legis-
lative business has few charms for the average
Representative at this season, when the water
ing and other holiday places are becoming so
delightful II. as bids fair tc be the case. the
session lasts through the summer, there will
not be enough members left in the
House to constitute a quorum by
the middle of July. To secure a vacation a
representative has merely to tOddle away any
time he likes for as long d period as he desires,
simply leaving a line On the Speakers desk
asking to be excused for so many DAYS or
weeks. As u matter Of form the Speaker sub
nIits these requests by the lot together to the
House, and they are approved by vote off-hand.
Many members, however, do not take the
trouble to leave any such memoranda for the
Speaker, but merely go without saying any
thing. 1t makes no difference really;
liberties of the sort. There is moth
ing, in fact, to prevent a man from being alb
sent for a whole session from his duties in
Congress. On the contrary, it has happened
repeatedly. Joseph Pulitzer, editor of the New
York World, while a Representative here, was
only presen1 III the House about six days i'll u
session and q half, at the end of which he re-
signed. When the House is reduced below q
quorum business goes on Just as usual, so long
as no point of quorum is raised. 1t was in this
way that, in the last Congress, about a dozen
members passed the bill which incident
ally compels free citizens of the United
States to inform the census enumerators
this year as to what diseases they are afflicted
with and the reasons why they chose or were
Obliged to mortgage their property. In case a
quorum Is not present at any time snd is de-
manded the sergeant-at-arms sends kilograms
for members ana arrests them for duty if nee
essary. Some of the Representatives render
this difficult by hiding themselves away some
where, so that they cannot be found. The man
who Is never absent from the House a single
day and who Is always the first to come and the
last to leave is Ezra B. TAYLOR of Ohio.