New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-05
CONGRESS AGAIN AT WORK.
1T LISTENS TO THE MESSAGE.
4 DULL AND UNINTERESTING OPENING
SESSION

SESSION.
BOTH HOUSES MET PROMPTLY AT NOON, N.
FORMED THE PRESIDENT THAT THEY WERE
READY FOR WORK, LISTENED TO THE
READING OF HIS ANNUAL CoMMUNI-
CATION AND THEN ADJOURNED.
lBY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBuxE]
! Washington, Dec. 4.-The reassembng Of the
Lid Congress at noon to-day for Its regular
session offered a singularIy tame and common
place spectacle to the few sightseers who oc-
cupied the yawnng benches of the House and
Senate galleries All the excitement customary
at the December meeting had been anticipated
| by the calling Of the extraordinary session OF
last August. and the scenes which enliven the
| opening day of each new Congress were, OF
| course incapable of imitation reproduction.
The long and wearying contest over the passage
of the Wilson Repeal bill had left the members
Of both houses somewhat "off edge" for new
legislative efforts and the prevailing air at both
| ends Of the Capitol when the houses met at
| of assitude and ennui. strangely
in contrast with the hustle and gayety which
mark the appearance Of new body Of legtsla-
tors at the Capitol on the first Monday OF
December every other year.
In the Senate there fair quorum. nearly
two-thirds of the entire membership being re-
corded as present. In the House, however, only
a scant majority in sight, and unusual
apathy marked the greatly abbreviated routine
Of an opening day. To add to the sobriety Of
feeling in both branches, each member knew
that the flags at both ends of the Capitol were
flying at half mast mark Of respect to the
two Pennsylvania Representatives, Mr. O'Neill
| and General Lilly, who had died during tho
| brief recess since November l, and that the
| proceeding in both branches were soon to be
| brought to a termination after the receipt and
| reading Of the Presidents message by the ad-
journment customary upon the announcement
Of a members death.
CRANK CAUSES A FURRY.
There was little about the opening day cere-
monies in the Senate to repay the spectators
who struggled one by one, up to noon, into the
freshly upholstered galleries. Earlier In the
morning a little excitement had been occasioned
! by the boisterous conduct Of crank" who
| presented himself at the Senate main door and
| loudly demanded that he should be sworn in a.
| "second-rate Senator from Vermont. He de-
clared that he had been duly elected and had
come to Washington to claim his seat and his
rights He promptly arrested by an officer
Of the Capitol Police, who recognized the in
truder Samuel S. Ames. man whom he had
arrested two years ago under similar circum-
stances.
This little furry over, nothing served to
bsorb the attention of the early corners but the
repeated entry of the Senate employees from the
side lobbies. bearing all sorts OF floral designs
for Senator's desks The absurd opening day
| oral emblem habit had apparently suffered no
batement because Of the brevity Of the recent
recess and startling vagaries OF the florists
fancy lowered toward the galleries from many
Senatorial desks. Senator Voorhees,. the John
Paul Jones' of the silver repeal fight. was
among the first to be honored, horseshoe OF
roses, however. instead Of floral frigate, deco
rating his desk lid, bearing a card From Your
Hoosier Friends" Mr.. Turpie. his colleague.
who is far from somnolent in either his orator-
cal or his everyday manner, was no doubt
startled 10 find his desk encumbered with q
floral pillow. Messrs Vance, Berry. Lodge.
Pasco. Dubois. Dolph, Hansbrough, Harris.
Proctor and Cullom smiled from behind less
original and startling constructions. while Mr..
Stewart was completely hidden by a monument
Of red and white roses. from one side OF which
Haunted three yellow and from the other three
white chrysanthemums- conjunction which
quickly led Mr. Stewards neighbors to dub his
curious floral column "bimetallc bouquet"
THE SESSION PROMPTLY IN ORDER.
Ntce-PreSdent stevenson arrived early, anu
sharply at noon struck on the table with his
gavel for order. The only business TO be done
by the Senate was to send its committee to in
form the President that Congress was In ses-
sion and ready to receive any communication
he might wish to make. Mr.. Mcpherson and
Mr. Sherman were selected to perform this
duty After a rollcall had shown quorum pres
ent and while waiting TO hear the result Of
their visit to the White House. the Senate killed
time by taking temporary recess.
In the House Speaker Crisp raped for order
at noon and tedious rollcall was promptly
begun to show "A quorum present; 240 MEM
bers answered to their names and from nifty to
100 Of them then promptly disappeared Two new
Ohio. who succeeds General Enochs. and Mr
Griffin. of Michigan who takes the place OF
Mr. Chapman. Messrs. Wilson, Outhwaite ana
Burrows appointed as a committee on
the part of the House TO announce the reaoi-
ness of Congress to receive the annual mes
sage and they quickly joined Senators Nc
Pherson and Sherman and started on tneir
errand. Meanwhile, as in the Senate, recess
was ordered The galleries, which had been
thinly filled at the outset, were now almost de-
serted. on the floor the desks formeriy occupied
bv Messrs O'Ne and Lilly were conspicuous
for their drapngs of Grape. On each desk were
flowers while on that OF Mr. O'Neill, the
Father of the House." was an additional ran
shaped sheaf of wheat In the full ear rev
other floral pieces were scattered mere ana
there. but the results or the empiem haplt wers
far less noticeable than in the other branch.
The ioint committee returned about l:3o p m
and announced that the President would AZ
once transmit his message. few minutes later
the secretary from the White House appeared
opd tho message was sent to the reading desk In
each house to be read, which dreary Iuncuon
finished both branches adjourned.
NE Drssid see