The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-09-20
T. V. PowpERLY IN CONGRESS-.
His Experience in the National Legis-
lature.
RoCdyism and Riot RGmpant-Ihe
Conduct of So-cGlIed Legislators
a Disgrace to the Republic.

Conduct or SO-c0ELed LEGISLATORS
a Disgrace to the Republic.
Asa member of the third house l oc-
cupied q seat in Congress On the day
that Thomas e. Watson Ine
virtuous Indignation of the Democratic
majority by repeating, and emphaslz
inc a statement which occurs L his
hook. aNot a revolt; it is a revolu-
lion" NV seat was directly in front OF
the speaker, and / held a good position
had L desired to catch the eye Of the
speaker. I used to wonder why that
part of the House was labeled Gentle
mems Gallery" but shall never again
have occasion to rise to a point Of IN
formation. The sign "Gentlemen's
Gallery" is placed above that door so
that members of Congress will not
stray in there during business hours;
their place is right in front of the
'tgentlemen" and between them and
the speaker. I never could quite I'M
derstand why the presiding officer of
the House Of Representatives should
be called "The Speaker" and what
was but a question in my mind has re-
solved itself into a most profound mys-
terry since that brief experience on the
afternoon of July 90. Having had some
experience in presiding over legislative
bodies, / acquired the habit of count
ing a rising vote very quickly, and
during the time that Mr.. Watson &C
cupied his unenviable position on the
Congressional gridiron Icounted thirty
three members standing up and dis
turbing the meeting by speaking" to
one another; in fact, nearly all of
those who were on their feet were do
ing more speaking than the alleged
speaker. The thirty-three members
who stood up to be counted without
being asked to do SO occupied various
positions, all of them some what differ
ent from that which the verdant voter
pictures in his minds eye when he
invades the realm of fancy to scan the
outlines of his ideal Congressman.
Standing before a mass meeting, ad-
dressing the people IN the issues of the
day, while incidentally appealing for
the suffrages of the honest citizenship
of the Congressional district, the can
didate for Congress is neatly dressed
in a Prince Albert coat, patent leather
shoes, sty lishly made pantaloons and
with more or less eXpanse of shirt front
appearing beneath a nicely-ftting col
lar. He appears the embodiment of
u4d11Iy grace dAu O4Su1AGu SUdbO5Ildu-
ship. With one hand slipped inside of
the flap of his tightly buttoned coat,
and with a roll of petitions-fOr an
appropriation for a p~Ostoffice building
lin the other hand, our aspirant for
Congress stands the im~personation of
the noblest work of GOd-and the
tailor. On the day that I looked down
On Congress- do not mean to reflect
on that body by saying that 1 looked
down upon it, and I hope that no in
vestigating committee will be ap
pointed to inquire why / say this, for I
could not help looking down on them
they would not let me in on the
ground floor, and / had to take the
elevator and ascend to a point where 1
had to look down or not see them at
all. My experience of that day taught
me that it behooves one to be p~articu-
larry careful in speaking about Con-
gress, and purpose just here to remark
that the elevator of which I speak and
the one that Brother Watson alluded
to are two different kinds of elevators.
In justice to myself, being a temper
ance man, it is best that / make myself
clear on that point. But I digress, and
while depression may be pardoned in
Congress, I must stick to my text. To
anew member, as l was that day, it is
very embarrassing to have to turn to
your neighbor and ask: "What did
that man say about rats?" I was obliged
to ~interrogate the member next to me
on another occasion when the sounds,
she talking through his hat" came
floating up from the sanctuary of
natural pilotage. When I took my
seat Mr.. Watson, it appears, was on
his feet attempting to give an explana-
ton Of the following passage in his
book:
1.-THE Congress now sitting is one il
lustration. Pledged to reform, thev
have not reformed. Pledged to econ
omy, they have not economical.
Pledged to Legislature, they have not
legislated. Extravaganza has been the
order of the day. Absenteeism was
never so pronounced. Lack of purpose
was eve SO clear. Lack of common
business prudence never more glaring.
Drunken members have reeled about
the aisles-a disgrace to the Republic.
Drunken speakers have debated grave
issues on the floor, and in the midst of
maudlin ramblings have been heard to
ask: "Mr. speaker where was l at9"
While it is true that Mr.. Watson
was called on to explain, it struck me
that the evident intention was to pre-
vent him from explaining. At one
time, while he vas explaining, thirty
three members of Congress stood be-
tween the two speakers-Mr. Watson
and the other speaker. If I were
under oath now, I could not swear
that any of them were sober on that
occasion, they did not look like it, and
they certainly did not act like the
''grave and reverend signors" whose
duty it is to guard the veal and ward
the woe of the State. Mr.. Watson de-
serves censure for at least n passage
In his book. He should not, with his
experience, wonder why any man
should ask "where was / at9" On
the contrary, the man who would not