The Helena independent., 1893-12-28
In o Senate Elevator.

100 In o Senate Elevator.
There are two senate elevators. This
one, which is now guarded by the watch
man, is the one which senators use in 60
ing up or down to or from the restaurant
or their committee rooms 1t is also the
elevator which leads to the reserved or
private galleries, which are used altogether
by the families of senators or by persons
having cards of admission to those gal
leries. Furthermore, it is the elevator
which the 200 newspaper men who have
right of access to the press gallery find it
convenient to use. None of these people
was shut out by the new rule. The fam
lilies of senators or persons holding cards
of admission to the reserved galleries and
newspaper men were freely admitted to
pass the alert watchman on their way
to the lift. Other persons could walk over
to the other elevator or 80 to the stairs.
There was no hardship in this upon any one
who has a right to complain, but still the
American citizen refuses to be comforted
and lifts up his voice in vigorous and pro-
fame condemnation of the "whole tarnal
concern"
The senate has been great deal abused
for its exclusiveness, and often these denun-
Citations have not been just or we'll founded.
ate is an exclusive sort of body, that it is
inclined to be 'uppish" and priggish, the
popular sense of the proprieties of things in
this quarter is the more easily offended.
For instance, visitors to the capitol regard
another little elevator custom of the senate
as downright selfish and contemplate.
Whenever Il senator gets into the elevator
car, he tells the man in charge of the rope
whether he wishes to go up Or down, and it
doesn't make any difference which way the
other people in the car want to go, or how
long they have been trying to get there, the
senator, under the rule, is to be first served.
In this way, about the luncheon hour, it
often happens thut if II newspaper man or
q number Of newspaper men start from the
basement for the gallery, with senator or
two among them, the car stops half the
way up, or at the senate floor, and the
statesmen alight. The journalists are
ready to continue their journey, but here
another senator steps in, with his appetite
prompting him to reach the basement as
soon rs possible, and eXclaims Down."
The elevator conductor has no choice. lie
knows the other passengers want to go up
in order to get at their work, but the sena-
tors wishes are law, and down he goes
Pcrchnnce more senators, having finished
their luncheon, will come aboard at the
basement step, and when they are put off
ut the senate floor another great states
man, with his appetite cooked and prime,
will stop on and say Down" again. Once
more the journalists are disappointed, ard
after three or four fruitless trips from the
basement half way to their destination they
are likely to utter II few words. which any
editor would blue pencil" il used in thei,
dispatches. and to get out and walk up to
their gallery.
While this sort of thing occurs now and
then and has its ridiculous rs well as its
serious side, Ii should be said that n large
number Of senators refuse to avail them
.elvn1 of this elevator privilege, but quiet