The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-08-18

being done. The carpets have been
! taken up and aired, the furniture com
| plctely hidden with white linen, and
over he huge chandelier Rs folds of nett ny
hang to protect them during th" hot
weather. At The War Department, AS
sistant Secretary rant prcsl led at the
head of the department, Secretary
| Elkin- having gone 10 Deer Park to visit
his family The affairs OF the navy arc
| likewise looked after by the Assistant
| Secretary in the absence of Secretary
| Tracy, who is north, while Attorney
General Miller, POSTMASTER General
| Wanamaker. Secretary Noble. and Sec
rctary Rusk are all away. The warm
weather has had the effect of causing
| the different depart ments to BE- closed an
hour earlier than usual, and altogether
the withdrawal of Congress, the Presi-
dent and his Cabinet has eau ed the city
to assume an air of iullness SO far as
concerns official business.
Statesmen In Their Cups.
| Washington was all stirred Up over the
charges made bv Mr.. Watson shortly
before the al ournmcnt of Congress,
and, although the report of tn" invcsti
eating committee brought out nothing,
the allegations made continue to furnish
subject matter for gossip.
4 hundred years ago man would
have got merrly laughed at for stag
| gering into Congress and making q
maudlin effort at oratory, and few
would have considered it really disrep-
utable, Iut no newspaper would have
! Thought 1t worth mentioning and no
committee would have Investigated it.
When half of the mcn in the land oc-
casionally or frequently got drunk q
| sporadic case of tipsincss caused no
comment.
The fuss that is made over a transient
| and doubtful lapse from temperate on
the Il art of thre, or four members is
very high tribute 10 the general sobrietv
| of this Congress. $ nee the close of the
war for :he Union drunkenness has be-
come. for the first time in the history Of
the human race. thoroughly disreputa-
| ble, not on y in Cong eSS but in all pub
| lie bodies and in society everywhere.
! Has there been Il scanda.ous exhibition
of drunkenness in Washington il a year
| 10y any wcli-known man?
As late as when kossuth was in this
city inebriety was common. The BAN
Cuet in his honor was held at the Ma
tional Hotel; speeches wcre made by
! Cnss. Webster, Shi, Ids, Seward and
others, and several prominent guests
got into such a condition that they had
to be helped away from the table. TIE
great Magyar and his suite were carried
ba'k 10 the Metropolitan only six doors
Distant in carriages. but one was SO
helpless that he tumbl' d into the bridal
bed" wi h his boots On. and refused to
be disturbed till morning.
There was more intemperance in the
Senate in 1904 than there is to-day, but
- nd fvi< f<>p
that abitual drunkenness and profanity on
the bench" one of the Cni,el States
judges, and the man was convicted.
! The city was Il dreary nludhole then,
full OF ague and monotunous misery,
and there is no reason to marvel that
congressman, when they left their un-
finished quarters. drank deeply, bet
heavily, and amused themselves with
dog fights aid cock fights. There was
not only lad rum in those days, but
there was plenty of rough-andtumble
prize fighting, in which IN. n lost their
eyes and noses. 4 tall gallows appro-
priatciy stood at the foot of Capitol Hill.
L. WAS Different t. en-.
We have fallen on different times, in
deed. when man cannot get drunk in
public or be seen emerging from n
gambling saloon without injury to his
reputation and credit. Different, in
deed. was it in the good cd heyday Of
"Bii1il ana Black George when PEN
dleton kept open his palace of fortune"
Oh the avenue and presided at a sump-
tuous dinner every day ut ) in full dress
and surrounded by twenty or thirty
members of the House and Senate,
cabinet ministers, generals, diplomats
and Judges, attracted by the pleasures
of the duplex table. the faro table inn
mediately succcc ling tn dinner table.
The cuisine was presided over by an
artist. The wines were bought at auc
ton whcn bankrupt German dukes sac
rificed their cellars. Everyth ng was
luxurious and scores of distinguished
gamcstcrs chased the ivory chips around
the green baizc till the morning came
in with its glow. Humphrey Marshall,
being appointed Minister to China in
1852, dropped into Pendleton' s the night
before he started to play "one farewell
game and he lost all the money he pos
sessed, his entire outfit, and six months
ray in advance and then pendleton
lent him money enough TO carry him 10
the fiowCry kingdom. where he doubt
less taught the funny game TO the al
mond-cycd cclcst' ais. And when the
good Pcndleton died the Mavor of
Washington and Senators and members
bore his pail, and President buchanan
wrpt at his funeral. And there was no
scan !al about it, and no reporters
watched, as they now would, to see who
went in and out at Pendleton's. Ali
| Times have changed!
| Some Incidents la IO mt.
Many will remember a remarkable
! scene in the Senate within n few yCarS
A member of that body persisted in
speaking when he could not maintain
either his bodily roise or iingual equilib-
rum. The President quietly ignored
him and went on for some minutes with
other business in spite of his clamor.
MIR. President. as 1 was saying"
Reports from the Committee on Ter
ritories," said Mr.. ingalls,. in the chair.
Here, stop!" exclaimed the unbal-
aaced Senator to the reading clerk. Il
will not tie interrupted"
%lo