The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-08-07
DRUNKARDS IN CONGRESS.


rHERF ARE NOT so NAVY, or z1xw
A. THERE WE'RE TWENTr YEARS eco.
nut san There Are Few or Thsn HsA
In 1eth Iouses-MeH Have nee, Seen
- Reel About the House IN . state 81
I.texiessies In ths Present Congress, but
This Il the Rsrs Exception.
WASHINGTON. Aug. GENERALIZATION oom-
mittees Of Congress seldom II ever get to The
bottom Of tho subjects which they are inyesti-
eating. and this 10 particularly true Of the
committee that has been endeavoring during
the past week to ascertain whether Congress-.
man Tom Watson told the truth when no said
that drunkenness was common among his
colleagues. and that the vice OF intoxicatlon
has been particularly noticeable in the Fifty.
second Congress.
or course 1t Ia impossible for any committee
to ascertain the truth with regard to any such
wild charges as this. Congressman will not
testify. either under oath or otherwise. that
their colleagues have been drunk at any par.
ticular time. and tho report Of the committee
OF which Mr.. Boatner OF Louisiana was CHAIR
man condemns Mr.. Watson. accuses him Of
making charges without evidence and. in .
general way. whltewashes all Congressman OF
the charge OF taking o drop too much.
Mr.. Watson was unfortunate because he
was not at liberty to give the names Of the
particular Congressman whom he had ac-
cused Of being drunk at various times. Had
he done this he would have found IL easy to
discover witnesses who could give valuable
testimony II they chose to. As 1t was. tho
only name dragged into tho investigation
was that Of Judge Cobb OF Alabama,
and the entire investigation seemed to
hinge on the point whether tho judge
was or was not drunk on the day he do.
livered his speech In the Noyes- Rockwell cleo
ton case Judge Cobb himself testified that
he was not drunk. He admitted that he acted
queerly. and that he occasionally drank some
whiskey to relieve his throat. and that subse.
Quently he became rather incoherent in his
utterances and gymnastic in his actions. and
tho scores OF members who said that tho
Judge was drunk at the time he delivered his
speech testified that they could not say
whether he was in that condition or not,
The result OF the Investigation simply shows
that 1t Is very easy to make charges. but very
difficult to prove them. Anybody who has
knowledge OF the personnel OF this and previous
Congresses knows very we'll that 1t is not q
drunken Congress. and that the habit OF ex-
cessive drinking. so general In the olden time.
| has become much less common IN recent
IN. E,,tr.so,ord Cor.ross ~ 18th uo,,..
| oni =, 10 w;thin th. ho,nd. =, .,our.,r -. =.
thnt tbora ,ra not oro dozar -, th.r, ,rho a..
| In +b. hohit ~, uoir, Iiouor "a 600. NJ,
battor rocord thnn mi. oon ho r,ado ~ ~
| body OF mon acting either in public or private
capacity. All Congresses have had their
| quota OF men who. on occasion. take moro
| liquor than they are able to carry with COM
| posure. and this Congress Is certainly no
"11'o man ,hoso iu ",o pns'' :,
1t would lie display OF Ignorance on tho
pars o ahs one 20 say e,a. anete are . no. Nom.
| o1t' VI wv Pi9'oi' IoNs,e's Al wv" iious'S
who have not occasionally been seen going
son,s charge That man hnro u.hnt.d ruhli,
son enarse ,, ,n"t men nnve ueoa'ea pao,'o
House in a state OF intoxicntion ia absolutely
t-ua hrt tha t,o. a,nnl't -" .a,.od nr
vestigation committee. Moreover. the por-
ceutase OF Congressman who thus conduct
themselves Is so very smal that it is not worth
considering 1t Is perfectly true that members
have reeled about the House in state Of In
toNicatioh' ou. such eonauc' as tnis IL inc rare
exception and not the rule. and Mr. Watson
scareerow book that has boon so extensively
In the old days Of the republic drunken.
noss in Washington. as elsewhere was much
''''~
more common than 1t is to-day. perusal Of
the newspapers Of forty and tlity years ago
lii IT,. A.. -. :. A., - Il, -
VIII SNOW 'hat nhhy OF mo men VINO were
then and are now regarded rs the foremost
statesmen of their dny md TO whom the youth
~ tha on,,n,.r aro ,,a;,taa ~ w. n W. ~,
VI ."e co"h'.S arc Ioih'eo 10 us eAahpies Oh
Industry and virtue were men who INDUCED
| in tn, flowing howl much u,tener than wns
Good fnr THAR nbwsica, mora, or mental wa,.
soou ioi '"eit pn'sica'' hiorai' OF then'oi "et-
fare. Drunkenness. gambling. Righteousness.
| and general immortality were mucn more
noton thn IN thev uuyS a 'nT Wat r n
no licensed gambling houses In Washington.
ana ind Inc pMp,,c mnh VINO drinks TO excess or
| ception to the general rule, Gambling has
| been entirely n hnndoned eycent ms n n mnuse-
ntent in private houses, T6ere are no pmhlic
| gaming places in Washington TO. day, aud ON
| might scour the public bnrroons night after
| night for n month without ever mnetinv n
public mnn of sufiicieut i'm portance to call at
tention 70 him:
book twenty. or even fifteen years ago. he