Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-24
Improvements That Will Greet the
Returning Congressman.
FURNITURE REPAIRED AND RENEWED
An Elevator for the Supreme Court
Justices.
CARPET FOR THE HOUSE

The Capitol is now in readiness for the
post-mortem session of the Fifty-third
Congress. All the debris of the last ses-
sion has been cleared away and the dam
age repaired. 1t is astonishing to calculate
the amount of damage which a session of
Congress can do to the building and fur
niture occupied, not to mention the dam
age they may do to the country. This
Congress having two sessions running al
most into each other before the last reg
ular session should begin did an unusual
amount OF damage and left more work to
be done in preparation for this session
than has ever been done before in the mid
die of Congress. The extra session when
they had the fight over silver in the Sem
ate resulted in the utter demolition of the
Vice Presidents DESK through his rapping
for order with the little ivory. gavel and
the woodwork of the desk had to be re-
placed before the regular session began
The last regular session resulted in the
utter destruction of the carpet of the
finance committee room, and the serious
damage of that in the committee of ways
and means This shows the difference be-
tween the two sessions The one was a
parliamentary fight full of tumult, the
other was one of diplomacy, conference
and lobbying. The first was a play Of the
Vice Presidents gavel, the second was all
Oh the carpet.
Hard on the Furniture.
Back the Speakers desk in the House
wing is large marble room known as the
Speakers lobby. 1t corresponds to the
marble room on the Senate side. where the
senators receive their visitors and to con-
fer with people who are not permitted to
go on the floor. The Speakers lobby was
furnished with very massive furniture
deliberately carved and upholstered in rich
ly embossed leather. 1t used TO be the adj
miration of all visitors. 1t is here where
members usually retire TO smoke when they
want to avoid a roll call, and sitting close
together on the soft sofas they hold con-
terences and put up plans. Here. too, they
listen to the convincing arguments of gen.
tlemen who would like certain Legislation
to 20 thus or Ii is not open to the
ordinary lobbyist, but eX-members and a
few others OF the privileged classes are ad-
mitted. During the two sessions of this
Congress the wear and tear on the furni-
ture of this great lobby was so great that
at the close of last session the embossed
leather upholstery was actually worn out
and hanging in tatters. 1t is probable not
a single cnalr or sofa that was not In holes
and in many cases the bottoms. were burst
out and the leather hanging over in
flaps like dog ears. The carpet in the space
in front of the Speakers desk was worn
out by the shuliing of feet of members In
the constant tramp through tellers or the
Crowding together of members eager TO
catch every word in some exciting debate
or get the full import of some ruling. All
these things and many others had to be re-
paired and put in shape for this session. 1t
has all now been done, and ready for the
destruction to begin again. The force of
men have been at work dor weeks cleaning
painting and patching and upholstering
the paint of all the interior portion of the
building has been touched up, the worn out
carpets of the committee rooms have been
replaced, the desks have been cleaned off
and recovered and the halls of both houses
secured and cleaned and painted and var
nished until they look as shiny as silk
hat. Nearly all the oil paintings in the
building have been cleaned and retouched.