Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-21
IN THE CALLER
The Throngs That Listen to the
Senate Speeches.
A Novel Scene During Yesterdays
Executive Session.
CROWDS OF SPECTATORS.

CROWDS OF SPECTATORS.
The galleries form an interesting feature
Of the Senate during this protracted debate
on repeal or no repeal.
During all this time the galleries have
been crowded with spectators for as many
hours of the twenty-four that the Senate
has been In session. Except for an accession
al outburst of applause or laughter. which.
Of course, Is grave offense against the
hard-shelled dignity Of the Senate there has
been no disturbance in the galleries until
the impatient Pennsylvania man announced
his disgust and hounced out while Butler
was talking on Thursday.
This Is somewhat remarkable when 1t Ii
realized that hardly In the term of the pres
ent generation Of statesmen has there be-
fore been half the interest and excitement
among the spectators of the proceedings Of
the Senate that is now apparent. 1t appears
to be something more than idle curiosity
that draws most Of the people there. As
early as the Senate may meet and as late
as they may sit, even all night and all the
next day as they have done, the spectators
are there, and there is seldom a vacant
seat except In the diplomatic gallery. Much
Of the time all the standing room around
the walls back of the seats Is occupied.
Besides the audience in the galleries there
have been times each day when the floor of
the Senate has been pretty well crowded
with members of the House, who manage
to get wind of 1t when there IL any espec-
tally Interesting feature Of the proceedings.
Thousands Of Listeners.
Several thousand people listen every day
to the debate and watch the struggle. Prob
ably one-third Of the spectators are women.
the women's galleries being always crowd
ed. and during the period Of the night ses-
sions there was very considerable sprink-
ling Of women in there until after / o'clock.
Each morning before the circus begins
the most profound and heated discussions
take place in the heavily-loaded street cars
tending their way toward the Capitol: in the
corridors Of the building and around the
doors to the galleries where the men and
women are assembled early to get first
chance at the seats. The women, not less
than the men. are excited in their discus
sions and frequently they are almost as
personal as are the distinguished Senators
on the floor.
For an hour before the session opens the
popular tide seems to be all one way 1t Is
like the opening of fair or some celebra-
ton. The cars going toward the Capitol
from all directions are loaded. and nine
tenths OF the people on the street are walk
Ing that way. Through the corridors Of the
great marble building il heard the shuttle
of hundreds of feet on the hard floors.
Throughout the day there Is a constant COM
Ing and going without there appearing any
change IN the number in the galleries. All
day long there Is a receding wall Of faces
on the four sides of the chamber gazing
eagerly down into the arena, like a picture
from ancient Rome. There is constant
IN ftnf radr IN tHvHu n
the relative merits of the Champions. and APP
prevail or disapproval occasionally breaks
out into applause or grumbling. Smith Ii
trying to explain the situation to his neigh
Dor Jones. who thinks he knows more about
1t himself, and bets are made on various
moves in the proceedings and on the final
result. OF course. money Is not held In the
air as at q race track, but 1t quietly changes
hands right In the galleries.
All sorts and Conditions.
The character OF the male portion Of the
audience Is unusual. Those who take only
a curious interest in the thing are a very
insignificant number and almost as insig-
nifcant Is the number Of those who are
residents Of the city. They are mostly
strangers attracted by this contest. and
they are Of two as markedly distinct class
es as are to be found in contact Hundreds
Of them belong to the upper class Of bust
ness men whose interest in the outcome IL
so great that they are drawn here to watch
the fight and are held by that fatal fasci-
nation of interest which has proved disas-
trous to so many claimants who have once
put their faith in Congress and have been
chained to the chariot wheels Of the con-
Queror Demagogue. They are men who
have seldom before sat in the galleries OF
Congress, and now it pals on their business
sense. The subtleties Of legislative methods
they do not understand, and their patience
Is sorely tried. but their very impat ience
and anger holds them here to watch the
game out. Sitting shoulder to shoulder and
knee to knee with them are men of anoth-
err class, in contrast to the well-dressed,
white-skinned and soft-handed banker
and merchant. They are, perhaps. not as
numerous as the others, but they are equal
ly strangers to legislative halls and are
quite as apt to attract the eye. They are q
plainly and often shabbily dressed lot Some
have bronzed faces and rough hands, with
heavy lines in their cheeks and across their
brows, like men who work in the factory or
at the forge by day, and often at night as
sernble together to talk over their condition
and grope about through the mysteries OF
political economy. Along in the class with
them are men with whiskers and sunburnt
hair, homespun clothes and heavy boots.
who put their hands up to their ears for
trumpets when PETER or Kyle or Irby
talks Further down the scale come the
pale-f faced, thin-lipped, wild-eyed men. who
listen eagerly to all that is said and run
their fingers nervously through their long
mentioned or when the oft-repeated phrase
about the masses and the classes occurs.
Hour after hour this strangely assorted
audience sit and watch the fight, and the
rise and fall Of the tide of excitement can
be seen passing back and forth over the
eager faces. Interest. approval, anger and
impatience alternately lights and darkens
the countenances, and the undercurrent Of
antagonism is observed in the dark looks
exchanged and the impatient jerk Of the
shoulder or wag of the head.
During the Executive Session.
During yesterdays executive session there
was a scene in the corridors surrounding the
Senate chamber such as no one about the
place recollects to have witnessed before
during an executive session. Usually there
is nothing more empty and silent than the
corridors Of the Senate while the Senators
are comforting behind closed doors. but
during the executive session yesterday, last
ing from 1890 until o'clock, the corridors
were crowded. The galleries had been clear
ed, and every one compelled to leave the up
per floor, but most of the crowd went no
further than they were driven, and they
chung stubbornly on, standing in the lower
corridor, at the foot of the staircases. and
about the closed entrances to the Senate.