The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-08

mittance to the galleries of the house. and
every one who could obtain n seat or IL bit
OF standing room remained throughout the
session, which fortunately was Il short one
In the senate galleries there was crowd,
too, but it was overflow from the house.
People who could not get their noses inside
the doors ut the house end of the Capitol
went over to the other end and found seats
us the next best thing. 1t is always like
this. One of the most peculiar features of
Washington life is the immense popularity
OF the house of representatives as COM
pared with the senate. The latter body is
probably too dignified and slow, too drowsy
and stupid, to attract the multitude 1t
contains great number of famous men of
course-mcn whom every one who visits
Washington wants to have Il look at 1t
therefore happens that all strangers in the
capital city run in on the senate long
enough to take n peep ut the well known
senators; but it is the bustling, noisy,
devll-may-carc house, n characteristic
American aSsemblaEc, that fascinateS the
visitor and holds him in his seat till his
dinner is cold.
a great pity it has always seemed to me
that the builders of the new wings of the
Capitol did not provide more room for
spectators. The galleries of the house
will hold only 1,G0O people, which is n
piS'ts iuillDcT COllSNlcrlIS the DC
turesqucness of the show and the throngs
of people who would like to see it on its
best days. About one-half of the seats are
taken up by members wives and families,
the diplomatic corps, the friends of the
president and his family, and the members
OF the press, leaving not more than 500 or
800 seats available for the general public.
The house is always interesting on the
first day after a recess, particularly after a
recess in which so much political happens
rs has occurred during the last month It
IS interesting not for what it does, but for
the men it shows-the victors and the van
quished, the men whose careers have come
to timely or untimely end, as the case
may be, and those who are proud and
happy in having secured II new lease of
life from their constituents. Such day
ms this is sort of vanity fair in politics
1t is day on which the successful man
struts and poses just Il little, no matter
how we'll balanced and how thoroughly
self contained he may be ut other times
The most dignificd statesman is so proud
of reelection, especially if he has been
hard pressed, that when he first gets an
opportunity to show himself before his as
sociates human nature asserts itself, and
he displays the pumage of his pride. 1t
seems to him that he must be the center of
all observation; that every one on the floor
and i'll the galleries is saying, 'See The
Hon. Mr.. Blank; has been trumphantly
reelected by his people, rising man; great
future" Whenever one of his associates
approaches him he feels instinctively that
! 1T is for the purpose of Offering congratulate
tions, and his smile is ready.
In fact, he wears n continuous smile,
which after half hour or so becomes a
little weary and even sickly. OF course all
the people in the galleries are not noticing
or thinking of the Hon. Mr. Blank Very
few of them are aware of his identity or
existence. And rs to the members on the
floor, there are so many of these rising men
who have been Eriumphantly reelected
(why is 1T that man is always ''trium-
phantly" chose; to succeed himself in of
ficcD that it is impossible to make ones
stock of congratulatory EXPLANATIONS and
adjectives go round.