Omaha daily bee., 1892-08-07
WASHINGTON IS WATCHING
shrinsls in the Capital City Have Their
Eyes on Omaha.
BRYAN is REAPlNG THE WHlRLWlND
He Proves the Faiiacy of Representing tho
Nation at the Expense of His Constitu-
ency-About Drinking In Congress
Billy McGarraghan's Claim.

4
| participate ia the great triennial conclave of
knights Templar which Will meet next week
| In Denver. Omaha has peculiar interest in
this gathering. Tho ebb of the tide will roll
back at the end of seven days upon the Gate
| City to attend the meeting of the Mobiles of
| the Mystic Shrine and to witness tho spec
| tacular procession which is one of the attend
ant features of the gatherings of
| this powerful Organization. Three years
| ago tue Mystic Shrine meeting was held in
| Washington and the generous hospitality ex-
tended by Almas temple is one of the tradi-
tions of the order. Omaha will bo looked to
to surpass the attentions showered upon
visiting shrinors by Washington at the last
conclave, and there is no doubt expressed
here that she will surpass the expectations
entertained of her generosity and her ability.
Most of the visiting templars are carrying
with them their oriental parapherlalia and
genuine Sahara thirst, and If thoy do not
find in omaha green and moist oasis in
which to spread their tents and prayer rugs
and Craze their camels will feel that they
have lived in vain Members of the local
temple here tell me that fully $500 shriners
may be expected IN Omaha and that
hundreds are going to Denver because OF the
Omaha meeting on their way home
-.
Mr.. Bryan has made bad failure in his
attempt to secure the passage of the senate
bill to reimburse Lincoln for the cost OF paw
ing around the federal building. The cheese
parers and demagogues with whom MIR.
Bryan has trained during the session jumped
on his little bill with both feet and ground 1T
into the floor. 1t was no use for Mr.. Bryan
to assure the house that the bill was a worthy
one. Mr. Holman who has found in Mr.
Bryan one of his willing catspaws expressed
horror at the enormous sum- of Sll 900 pro-
posed to he aDDrODriatPd. and the whole
gang of bogus economy blatherskites fol-
lowed in his train. MIR. Bryan has shouted
from the housetop his theory that local in
terests must always be subservient to the
dictates OF theoretical politics ana he only
got dose of his own medicine in this
instance. He has ridiculed Nebraskas
claims for protection to her sheep
growing industry, laughed at local in
terests the river aud harbor bill.
against which he cast his vote, although it
carried appropriations for several points in
his district and in general has sought to con-
vey the impression that the world was the
meat he was after and Nebraska interests
too small a speck to excite the cerebral con-
volutions in the lonely orbit OF his thought.
So when he rose to ask for the passage of
measury carrying small appropriation, ne
was promptly sat down upon. 1t DOESN'T
pay to be too fresh even In ''rhe Great Jay
Congress" Reciprocity is the soul of con
gressional trades and more votes are secured
by a reasonable consideration for others IN
u
advertised display of political self-righteous-
ness. When tho record comes to be made up
OF Mr.. Bryan's congressional service to his
constituents 1t Will be one pitifully barren
OF results, aud which, il l am not greatly
mistaken, will not commend him to the hard
headed voters Of the First district.
Congressional investigating committees
are not always interesting, but tho one
which has just concluded Its labor Of at
tempting to discover a congressmans idea of
what constitutes drunkenness attracted
more than usual attention. Mr.. Watsons
charge that drunEen congressman had
reeled through the aisles during the present
session stirred up the Indignation of the
house to a most unwonted degree aud par
tlcularly aroused the ire of the southern
members, who arc the most persistent
patrons OF the cold tea counter. IL was re-
freshing TO listen to Colonel Oates declare
that as long as man wasn't ''dog drunk''
he didn't consider him intoxicated; to hear
George Wise of Virginia express horror at
such charge being made by anyone about
any body: TO see the disgust in the face of
as false aud malicious, and in general to
witness the alacrity with which every wit
ness "crossed his heart' and expressed sur
prise that such intmation should have
been whis pered about a hightoned and hon
orable body like the house OF represen tatiyeS.
~
The ''jag committee" as 1t is called, of
course found the charges totally un founded
But even the committee could not quite de-
ceIve itself on the general proposition that
the spectacle of an intoxicated congressman
in the ordinary, everyday. unvarnished and
unembelished sense of the word is not such
a rare bird as some people would have US be-
lieve. Pension nights puts them on not in
frequent exhibition. The night OF the great
contest over tie silver bill produced several
Inh nItyyny Tn pf
plng and tipping men. "Reeling and maud
lin drunkards" are of course different affairs
but the man who attempts TO deny that he
has ever seen congressman affected by liquor
on the floor OF the house must either have
an elastic conscience or be as blind as Chap
lain Miburn.
And vet 1t would be most unfair not to
state what is the truth, that year by year the
number of drinking men in both branches of
congress is steadily decreasing, and that
each succeeding congress marks an improve
ment upon its predecessor. In "the good old
days." so often referred to by the venerable
barnacles around the capitol, q drunken con-
gresham scarcely excited attention unless
his condition led him into quarrel which
had to be settled under the CODE Now a
congressman under the influence of stimu-
lants becomes at once the object vi criticism
ana comment. The charge follows him home
and must be met on the stump and often
eral takes hand in his contest for re-
election That is, In some sections. l know,
however, congressman from u southern
state who occasionally fails from grace, and
who adopted a novel plea of demurrers TO
meet tue charge. He was charged during
the course OF his canvass with be-
ing hard drinker In Washington
and with having on several occasions dis
graced himself In public. my fellow cit-
zens," he said, ''twelve years ago you elected
me to the responsible position Of county at
torney of this county. drank then and you
knew 1t. Two years later you elevated me
to the bench OF this dis rlct. | had not then
joined any temperance society. Four years
ago, with my habits unchanged, you honored
me with your suffragos for Congressman.
You know me, you know my virtues, you are
perhaps not blind to my failings. My dear
fellow citizens, | dismiss this charge by Civ
ing you one little thought 10 take home with
you--W ashington is id poor place TO re-
form in." He was reelected.
-
l was sorry 10 read the presidents veto of
the McGarraghan claim bill. / know poor
Billy Mciarraghan we'll, and a more honest,
persistent and fair-minded old Irishman mover
lived. He has fought for justice for thirty
years, and just as the chalIce
seemed raised to his lips 1t was
dashed TO the floor. still MIR.
oh h,ll.