Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1892-08-19

rover Ue94~ the
49, solo representative
OF the Cabinet ksre.
lE&44M49 At tho White House
@ :. thlngs wear, : de.
Icidedly abandoned
H&NHUe~ appearance, owing
@1to the absenoe Of
@1-@ the President and
his family and the
- - usual summer over
=. alt hauling Of the build.
Ing. which Ii now
being done. The carpets have been
taken up and sired. the furniture com
pletely hiddcL with white linen, and
over the huge ci sndeliers folds Of netting
hang to protect thcm during the hot
weather. At the War Department.. As
sistant Secretary Grant presided Of tbs
head Of the department. 6ecretary
Elkins having gone to Deer Park to visit
his family. The affairs OF the navy are
likewise locked sitter by the Assistant
Secretary In the absence OF Secretary
Tracy, who Ii north, while Attorney
General Miller, Postmaster General
Wanamaker. Secretary Noble, and See
retary Rusk are oil away. The warm
weather has had the effect OF causing
the different departments to be closed IN
hour earlier than usual, and altogether
the withdrawal OF Congress-, h Presi-
dent and his Cabinet has caused the city
to assume an air of dizziness 60 far ~
concerns Official business.
Ht.tesme en- IN Their Caps.
Washington was all stirred up over the
charges made by Mr.. Watson shortly
before the nd .ournment OF Congress,
and, although the report Of the investi-
eating committee brought out nothing.
the allegations made continue to furnish
subject matter for gossip.
A hundred years ago a man would
have got merrily laughed at for stag
gering into Congress and making .
maudlin effort Mt oratory, and . few
would have considered 1t really disrep-
utable, but no newspaper would have
thought it worth mentioning and no
committee would have investigated 1t.
When half Of the men In the land oc-
casionally or frequently got drunk .
sporadic caso OF tipsiness caused no
comment.
The fuss. that is made over q transient
and doubtful lapse from temperance on.
the part OF three or four members 10 .
very high tribute to the general sobrletv
OF this Congress. 8 nee the close OF tho
WUk IOI tAO SHLOl III uIlhCu1C6o uOS W.
come, for the first time In the history OF
the human race. thoroughly disreputa-
BILE, not only in Congress but In all pub
lie bodies and In sOCicty everywhere.
Has there been a s~candalous exhibition
of drunkenness in Washington in . year
by any well-known man7
Az late as when Kossuth was In this
city inebriety was common. The ban
quet In his honor was held ct the Ma
tional Hotel; speeches were made by
Cass, Webster, Shields, Seward and
others. and several prominent guests
got into such q condition that they had
TO be helped away from the table. TIE
great Magyar and his suite werc carried
back TO the Metropolitan toniy Sin doors
distantl In carriages. but M was . %
helpless that he tumbled into the bridal
bed" with his boots on. and refused to
be disturbed till morning.
There was more intemperanco In the
Senate In 1904 than there is to-day, but
it brought TO the bar and tried for
"habitual drunkenness and profanity on
the bench n Of the United States
judges, and the man was convicted.
The city was . dreary mudhole 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 bad rum in those days, but
there was plenty OF rough-and-tumblo
prize fighting, In which men lost their
eyes and noses. A tall gallows appro-
priately stood at the foot OF Capitol Hill.
1t was Different Then.
We have fallen on different times, In.
deed, when a man cannot get drunk In
public or be seen emerging from .
gambling saloon without injury to his
reputation, and credit. Different, in
deed, was it in the good old heyday Of
"Blifl and Black George when PEN
dlet4n kept open his palace Of fortune
on the avenue and presided at q sump-
tuous dinner every day at 5 In full dress
members OF the House and Senate,
cabinet ministers, generals, diplomats
and judges, attracted by the pleasures
Of the duplex table, the faro table i'm
mediateiy succee ling tn dinner table.
The cuisine was presided over by an
artist. The wines were bought Of uc-
ton when bankrupt German dukes sac
riflced their cellars. Everyth, ng was
luxurious and scores of distinguished
gamesters chased the ivory chips around
the green baiz8 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
tnme,s and he lost sll the money he pos
scssed, his entire outfit. and SIX months
ray in advance and then Pendleton
lent him money enough 10 carry him 10
the Aowery kingdom. where he doubt
less taught the funny game to the al
mond-eyed celest' ais. And when the
good Pendleton died the Mayor OF
Was ington and Senators and members
bore his pail, and President Buchanan
wept at his funeral. And there was no
zeal .al about 1t, and no reporters
watched, as they now would, to see who
went in and out at Pendieton's. All
Times have changed!
Some ~Incideats In re'at
Many will remember . remarkable
seene in the Senate within . few years.
A member Of that body persisted In
speaking when he could not maintain
either his bodily poise or linguallcquilib-
rum. The President quietly ignored
him and went on Tor some minutes with
other bustnc. . in spite Of his clamor.
MI. Prt silent, as I was saying-
reports from the Committee on Ter
ritor.es." said Mr.. Ingalls,. In the chair.
Hero, stop" exclaimed the unbal-
aacsd Senator to the reading clerk. Il
will not re Interrupted"
is the gentleman from -- endeav-
orinR to address the Senator" asked the
presiding officer. coolly.
NO, - it," was the response, 1the
gentleman from -- is addressing the
Senate!"
He ramb.ed on, not to say maudled,
but finally cons ented TO be led away.
Indeed, among the stories OF the House
when 1t met In what Is now Statuary
hall is one Of q member who was per-
mittei to Ieap his valet in the cloak