Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-20
TRAMpLED ON TRADITION,
But he Did It in an Absent Minded Way
and the Senate Still Exista
Representative Lester of Georgia
He and the Doorkeeper Forget.

There was an Incident that occurred during
the progress of the executive session Of the
Senate yesterday afternoon that was not
on the program by any means. 1t is one
OF the traditions Of this grave and reverend
body that its secret sessions are inviolate
In thems elves, however much their secrets
may become known afterwards. Such q
thing as intrusion upon their absolute Sc
clusion is not a matter of record-at least
II was not until yesterday. Then the course
of the long years Of secrecy was inter-
rupted by an accident that did no other
damage than to create a precedent.
The Senate had been in this hermetical
state for about an hour. when one of the
Senator's who had grown weary of the
empty galleries and the monotonous process
OF combinations and had gone down to the
restaurant to console his anatomical soul
wandered casually up to one of the doors
of the chamber, which was instantly OPEN
ed for his entrance. They do not open these
doors very widely when the seal of silence
slight crack, wide or narrow, according TO
the avoirdupois OF the statesman who is
entering.
Yesterday, however. two sad things &C.
CURED. One of these was that the Senator
who had just dined is of very portly build,
some such, figure, for example, as Senator
Smith or Senator Lindsay or Senator Pal
mer or ex-senator Sawyer. OF course IL
was not the latter who entered the cham
her and 1t may not have been one Of the
former. However. is was a goodly sized
Senator who strolled through the door.
He Was Thinking Hard.
The other sad thing was the absent
minded approach of Representative Lester
of Georgia. Mr. Lester is a dignified man
OF middle age who might easily percolate
through the doorway made for the entrance
of a portly Senator. He had II in his mind
TO go upon the floor just then to talk with
Gen. Gordon and was thinking deeply about
the appointment of a postmaster. He real
lied only that the Senate was before him
as 1t is always before many another Repre-
sentative-and he made a natural bee-line
for the crack in the doorway without know
ing anything about the executive session.
Then two people suffered two very dis
tinct shocks. One of these was the door
keeper, who had created the aperture in the
solid walls that had been reared around
the Senate. He saw the disappearing coat
tails OF the Georgia Congressman and this
vision was succeeded by another, that Of
his disgrace and dismissal. He was in a
quandary. II was his duty to get the MEM
Der out and he was not allowed bv the
rules to enter the sacred precincts. II was
dilemma, truly, and both horns were
sharp.
But the intruding Congressman got the
worst shock of the two. He was surprised
in way that did not comport at ali with
his congressional dignity. He had made
perhaps dozen steps around the west
side Of the chamber in the rear. towards
the seat of his colleague. when one of the
attendants whose dirty kept him in the
chs amber chanced tn see him. There was p
oaf r streak through me afr. a sputter OF
whispering and then the vision came of n
Congressman doing the disannearing act
in way that would do credit to Herr
mann.
He Breathed Hard.
Once outside the CONGRESSMAN wiped his
brow and drew a long breath. He sat down
in the doorkeepers chair and famed him
self with a letter from the applicant for
the post office. The doorkeeper had not re-
covered his equilibrium sufficiently to talk
Finally both of the shockees became calm
They shook hands warmly and the Con-
gresham bent over and whispered some
thing in the ear of the doorkeeper. The
latter shook his head and whispered back.
Then the Congressman looked at his watch
ana whispered again Later the Congress-
man and the doorkeeper-both houses hay-
ing adjourned-met on the ground floor Of
the Capitol. They then proceeded to forget
the epiSOdR