Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-10
Written for The Evening star.
TIPPING IN CONGRESS.
Courtesies Observed by Members and ssns-
tors I'm Days Gone By.

Courtssies Observed by Members snA Sens
tors I'm Days Gone By.
BLACK BOTTLE, GLASSES AND CRACKERS BE-
HIND TEE sPEAkERs DESK ALL THx rARlrHKa-
MALTA REQUIRED AT ONE rTxE-A RHxISrs-
cENcE OF CLAY AND CALHOUN.
pERSoNS WRITE AND TALK Curl
ously about '-tippling" in and out Of Con-
gress. and not always either from personal OBJ
servation or accurate knowledge OF any kind.
Occurrences just prior to the recent adjourn
ment gave an impetus TO the subject wi,hou.
throwing much light on it, There have always
been so-called 'upplers' and "tippling" in
Congress, as there have been men Of other
habits and vices. Probably there always will be
so long as men are human. nprobably would
be the proper thing to inquire into what really
constitutes Tipping" But that would be an
endless, perhaps N fr,Iitless discussion. One
thing is certain, there was no such provision
made by the two branches Of Congress for
'upphng" in the good old times as there now
Is. Perhaps the reason is the country was
never before so large. What was done in that
line then was without disguise.
CLAY AND CALI oUS rIPPLTSo.
Somewhere late in the forties OF early in the
fifiies, which is far enough to go back even il
one could go farther or there was utility in
more remote inquiry. remember to have
seen Mr.. Clay and Mr.. Calhoun .tippling," as
presume 1t would now be styled. in the old Sem
ate chamber, now the United States Supreme
tonrt room. II was behind the Vice Presi-
Gent chair-a small space. where a ia
ole only large enough for a tray on which were
placed pitcher of water. a single black bottle
containing good article of whisky. a bowl of
fuCn N 20 ola. III 80
crackers and another of cheese Tins 'lav
out would suffice for a day perhaps longer
There were days. il is probable when il would
need replenishing. but "tippling" by Senators
IN those days IN comparison with the ''cold
tea and other appointments at the present
time can be inferred.
MIR. CLAY POURED FIRsr
On the occasion OF winch | speak the two
distinguished Senators met after a debate
which well remember. their manners and bear
ing being of the highest type of gentlemen Of
those times. The meeting WAS doubtless bv a
common impulse. though little after the fashion
of EdmundS and Thurman in more recent DAVIS
MIR. Calhoun. who always drank sparingly. babe
Mr.. Clay to pour first; and well remember
the decorousuess and natural poiiteuess with
which IL was done. Mr.. Clay's way OF acknowl-
edglng the courtesy. the manner OF his
waiting for the great South Carolinian
to charge" his Glass, "a il was
sometimes described then. How that before
drinking the great kentuckian said with the
greatert good humor. referring TO ID debate
from which the two had but just before en-
gagged:
We'll. Mr.. Senator | will admit that You
have had the better of me TODAY; but Ill be
yocr match tomorrow" But then they emptied
their glasses and walked away together in famil-
lar conversation. That was a fair sample OF
"hppling at the Capitol in those days.
No BAR AT THAT TIME
There was no bar: no attendants to serve a
waiting multitude of persons. single servant
or messenger" did it all; and so quietly. with
such gen;ilIty tia: could not at the time helr
being interested. and bave ever sluce wished
that the custom might have been kept up. But
times have changed. Men have changed and
customs with them
One need rot go so very far back 20 relate that
Senator. and what Senators, made thea almost
daily calls at "Hancock's" on the ayenue-;he
very same place as it now is, except it has de-
generated with changes. the third generation Of
the family having succeeded TO what is left in
that quarter and the requirements OF customers.
which are as different now as possible from
what they then were Such cocktails" as were
brewed at ''Hancocks' in those days are not
more heard OF than were the renowned men
who with striking regularity called for them
there. At times might have been beheld there Mr..
Clay, Senators John ". Beraais. Willie p. Man.
gum. John NJ CLAYTON and aftervard sam Hous-
ton. his very able colleague, Senator Eusk. be-
sides such men as Humphrey. Marshal. Conrad
of Louisiana and at times hosts of Others like
them. all ''tipplers" in a sense, but not in the
offensive sense.
SOME HEAVY DRINKERS.
Among them there were those wno at times
were heavy drinkers" but not by any means
were they drurkards. Mr. Webster on occa-
sions drank heavily. 1t is related that jast be-
fore entering ;he Senate to pronounce his great
speech an reply 20 Hayne he reinforced himself
by taking nearly full glass of brandy,
which WAS his favorite ''tipple' whenever he
felt the need of something TO assis; his STAYING
powers. IL was no unusal thing for public men
then to take their drains with regularity.
There were those 80 irnbibed more frequently
than Was useful. and it was this that led to the
famous Congressional Temperance Society
with Senator Wilson. who, il was said, never
drank. as the active head.
just before. during and Immediately succeed
lng-a period OF ten years, sav-it is the recol-
lection of men now on the stage there was con-
siderable drinking in Congress, with noteworthy
eases OF habitual in.oxication. But it is proba-
BILE that fair review of history viii lead to the
conclusion that the American Congress. taking
the years together. has not been open 10 the
charge OF intoxicating habits. Men coming
here have brought with them the customs OF
the section thew came from. which. perhaps. at
lHctftNscu inc eAtfemeH-lOtllng moro.
Less could hardly be expected.
AN oLD-TIME INCIDENT RECALLED.
An incident that came out of the investiga-
ton during the last week of the recent session
recalls one of the times of John NJ Bolts He
was a good. steady drinker. but hardly ever to
excess-a fair type of a class of frst-rate man
OF his time. He was a speaker on a somewhat
momentous occasion in New York before the
war. a wing meeting. it is probable. for Gov
Washington Hunt was to follow him, who seldom
drank except when beer was the beverage. Bolts
made rafting speech, and carried every
thing before him. Hunt came forward to fol-
low him. Bolts had been-it may not have been
observed-taking frequent draughts from a sill
Yer goblet, which he replenished from silver
pitcher. Hunts habit before beginning TO
speak was to take n big swallow of water, in
pursuance of which he poured from the pitcher
into the goblet plentifullv the fluid il held. In
stead Of water. as he supposed, it was whisky.
aud before he was aware Of il had sent a guam
tity on its way to where he intended water
should 60. He was nearly strangled in spite of
himself. Not only did Hunt realize that Bolts
had been imbibing ''strong rotations" during
the hour he had been speaking. but the audi
ence caught the idea and understood the cause
OF the fine form in which the renowned vir-
gilman concluded his speech. Hunt had the
beverage changed before proceeding. Repre-
sentative Bolts was only pursuing favorite
method among speakers in early times. Per-
haps 1t is more largely in vogue now than some
persons suspectl CDR