The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-29
OUR PAMPLkLD SLAAiL
Peoples Representatives Who liz
Like Princes,


opinion-Private Apartments
for Eastern Potentates Paid for o.
of Public Funds Free Slaves, Fre
Baths and a Rlgh-Zoned Refractory
From the New York sun.
Washington, Oct. ga senator was
showing the Presidents room to littL,
group of backwoods' constituents to-day
lust as the reporter of the Sun was beiue
taken in to look at it. An old negro
turnkey stepped in the doorway ano
barred the reporters progress.
"You can't go in there said he,
'Jherc's a senator in there.
,'Weu. hang the senator said TIN
guide Of the New York man. 81 won't
bother him-I want to show the room to
my friend"
You can't DO IL sir" said the old
remnant. I'm very sorry, but lisa new
rule. and I cannot break it. After this
no one will be allowed to intrude where a
senator is"
That little incident serves APPLY to lead
an account of what sensational dignity
and traditions have developed into This
is not an era of distress with the United
States Senate, whatever it may be to the
country at large. Elsewhere business
may be paralyzed, industry may be
crippled, money may be tied up and out of
circulation, but these conditions do not
prevail in the north wing Of the capitol at
Washington. In view of what is public
and patent with regard to the Senate, the
weakness of that body is amazing. 1t is
foo &c in an
bly to defy public opinion or to obstruct
the popular will, for it would never dare
to invite scrutiny of its methods or sur
roundings.
The Senate chamber itself is peculiar
and difficult to describe. 1t is really
building in a building. It's own walls
support the galleries, which rise back
ward to other walls of a much larger
chamber None of its doors or entrances
reach the outer air, for the whole great
chamber and it's galleries are surrounded
by corridors and cloak rooms. The floor
of the chamber is usually heavily car
peted 1t has green carpet year and
red carpet the next, but for this
extra session mating was
put down The floor is made
in steps. so that each semi-circle of sena-
tors sits higher than the other as the dis
lance from the chair increases. The
desks are the only plain and simple things
in the room, for the walls are orname1ted
with succession of gold panels and of
gold pillars. The only exit aneous orna-
ment upon them is the famous gold and
blue clock, whose hands the Senate sets
backward or forward when it pleases. At
the top of the walls the galleries begin,
and they reach the other walls equally
lavishly strewn with gold. The ceiling
represents a roof of massive gilt timbers,
lad r.-ifh CT u
Patrick Henry and John Adams and
Daniel Webster are often mentioned as
spirits that hover in the sacred presence
Of the senators. But none of the great
patriots of ante-hellum times ever saw
this splendid chamber 1t was not fin
ishcd and used until 1859. The truly
great senators of our history knew no
such macnihcence They sat either in
the simple chamber where the supreme
court now holds its sessions, or over. i'll
the ancient district prison building, now
turned into the residence of Mr.. Justice
Field. The revcred fathers of the repub-
lie did not know this palatial temple of
the flibusters and the human windmills,
who for near three months have failed to
DO q stroke of legislation while legislation
was most needed. Neither did they know
the atiiuence, the lordly repose, the pala-
tial elegance, the lavish use of the PEG
pies money, or the mock royalist notions
of caste and place which now obtain in
all the chambers surrounding IL. All this
the great gilded hall, which they never
saw, may truly be said to typify.
now common symbol of speech de-
clares that all eyes are on the Senate
Let us interpret the statement literally
and tell the public what it sees there. 1t
has been said the chamber is surrounded
by other apartments. The first of these
are the cloak rooms, which fully inclose
the great, golden assembly hall These
cloak rooms though they are the prop
erty of the public, are held sacred, and no
one is admitted TO them. They are
splendid saloons, each one set with soft,
padded sofas of leather, with great mir
rors, with open fires, with beautiful,
golden chandeliers and with carpets in
which the senatorial feet sink luxuri-
ously. Just lately, while there have been
night sessions, light luncheOns have been
kept in these cloak rooms, ready at the
call of any hungry senator.
Both of the houses of congress main
tain restaurants. The one belonging to
the representatives is called a restaurant
The one belonging to the Senate has the
word ''refectory' lettered in gold over
the doorway. Apparently the senators
are too great to eat in restaurant.
Their ''refectory' is not the large and
busy room in which the clerks and the
public are permitted to eat. 1t is a forid
and gorgeous apartment, accessible
through the public room, for the senators
will not eat where the people do This
splendid refectory of theirs might be
hkened to a bit of Versailles. Indeed,
Madam Maintenon's rooms scarcely
carried so much elaborate and
gorgeous ornament. Every inch is
ornate, from the Colored tiled
floor to the splendid ceiling In this
palatial sanctum of theirs the senators
find especial food prepared only for them,
and different from that which is served
to their clerks and the public. They have
better butter. They have superior bread
They drink from thinner glasses and
dine of better china. The dishes of each
are such as they particu-
larly favor each day. The
prices are lower Il al those which the
public has to pay. 1t is great thing to
be a senator. The distress of the people
and the anxiety and dread that are par
alyZing business all over the country are
evils thai are not shared by these favored
magnatCs SO long as they are ia Washing
ton ana dependent on the public crib
IL will surprise many who are aware of
the princcly elegance of our pampered
senators to know that their
elegance and luxury is based
upon 70 larger salary than that of
the members Of the lower House Five