Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-18
WHAT VISITORS EXPECTED TO SEE.


mittance to the galleries of the house, and
every one who could obtain O seat or bit
IT standing room remained throughout the
session. which fortunately was short one.
In thesenate galleries there was crowd.
too, but it was overflow from the house
People who could not get their noses inside
the doors at the house end OF the Capitol
went over to the other end and found seats
as 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 a great number of famous men of
course-men whom every one who visits
Washington wants to have a look at. II
therefore happens that all strangers in the
capital city run in on the senate long
enough to take a peep at the we'll known
senators; but it is the bustling, noisy.
devil-may-care house, characteristic
American assemblage, 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
spectators. The galleries Of the house
will hold only l,6OO people, which is
pretty small number considering the pic
turesqueness of the show and the throngs
of people who would like to see it on it's
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, leavingsnot more than 800 or
900 seats available for the general public.
The house is always interesting on the
first day after recess, particularly after
recess in which SO much political happens
as has occurred during the last month. 1t
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 arc proud and
happy in having secured a new lease of
life from their constituents. Such day
as this is sort of vanity fair in politics.
1t is a day on which the successful man
struts and poses just little, no matter
how well balanced and how thoroughly
self contained he may be at other times.
The most digailied statesman is so proud
of a 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 plumage Of bis pride. 1t
seems to him that he must be the center of
all observation; that every one on the floor
and in the galleries is saying, "See the
Hon. Mr.. Blank; has been triumphantly
reelected by his people; rising man; great
future" Whenever one of his associates
approaches him he feels instinctively that
it is for the purpose of offering congratula-
tions, and his smile is ready.
In fact, he wears a 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 as to the members on the
floor, there are SO many of these rising men
who have been triumphantly reelected
(why is it that man is always ''trium-
phantly" chosen to succeed himself in Of
ficeg that it is impossible to make ones
stock of congratulatory exclamations and
adjectives go round