The National tribune., 1894-06-28

4
None :was for the civil war. Notice that
| At this time Al House private bills are tied VI
| in the Senate, and the House reciprocates bJ
| holding e1 Senate bills of this character. The
situation does not look very encouraging fe'
the old soldier. Our Friday night pension
| sessions are almost failures The attendance
is not large, and if anything is passed it mus
| be by unanimous consent. The Republican:
| have submitted and help to pass all the bills
| reported from the Pension Committee, which
| provide for the Southern soldiers who fought
in the Mexican and Indian Wars. But when
it comes to acting upon the claims of the North.
ern soldiers, Jones. of Virginia; Stalings OF
Alabama, aud Talbert, of South Carolina, block
| legislation by demanding a quorum. As q
! quorum is not present at any of these meetings,
our bills are killed by these brigadiers."
An amusing incident occurred in the House
| lobby the other day, which illustrates the vast
! influence OF the thermometer. Mr.. Randolph,
The weather clerk, had gone up on the roof OF
the Capitol 10 adjust the distinguishing appa-
raius there as he is frequently obliged to do.
| IN so doing he disarranged some portion Of the
apparatus, SO that the thermometer i'll the
| House lobby below registered 105 for some
minutes. congressman who strolled into the
lobby and glanced at the thermometric chart
commented on the excessive heat and sent for
faus, while others thought it must be hot
enough for iced tea and mint julrps. The
next day several new China silk suits were in
evidence ia the House, aud press dispatches
were sent everywhere that owing to the ex-
cessive heat in Washington there was every
tariff debate.
Senator Patton, of Michigan, delivered his
maiden speech in the Senate last week, and
created an agreeable impression. He dealt
generally with the subject of the tariff, and he
sketched the growth of the industries of Michi-
gan ander a protective system.
Il
The Maine Congressmen all frequent a GER
tain portion of town and are constantly to be
seen there. 1t is the northwest part of town
above Fourteenth and ( streets Almost every
day Frye, Reed, Miliken, Dingley. aud BouteIle
iBay be noticed OH K street between Four
teeHth and Fiftoenth. and Hale lives only two
blocks of. Reed lives at the Shoreham; Frye,
BoutcIle and Diugley at the Hamilton, corner
Fourteenth and K; Miiliken on Fourteenth
street near ]. 1t is apparently happy family.
Ali the Maine Representatives are on coed
terms, and dwell together in good deal of
unity.
The Library of Congress now occupies quar-
ters in the Capitol Building. It's collection of
books outgrew the shelving capacity of these
quarters q dozen yesrs ago, and the huge ag-
gregation of printed matter has gone on ac-
cumulating at the rate of 25, 900 or 10000
volumes a year. The books are piled every
where in heaps which would seem to indicate
helpless and hopeless confusion. Basement
vaults are stuffed with literary treasures, and
nothing now be done with the further in
crease except TO secure some kind of tenn porary
storage and wait for the new building
Il
Mr.. Ainsworth z. Spofford, the Librarian,
will next year celebrate the attainment of his
threescore and ten years of life, and the CON-
pietion of 30 years of continuous service
a
though the new building may not be ready
for general public use, it is quite certain that
Mr.. SpOford may also next year superintend
the placing of at least half million volumes
upon the shelves of the new stack-rooms. 1t
was TO his persistence and energy, more than
10 the persuasions of any other man, that
Congress yielded when il finally determined
to erect separate and monumental structure
for the housing Of National Library. Mr..
Spofford had for some time served as an assist
ant in tho Congressional Library before he
became Chief Librarian in 1865; and in that
earlier period he had given ample evidence
of extraordinary capacity in his chosen field
of work. He had catalogued the Congressional
Library, and had done much to render it
quickly aud satisfactorily available for the
reference Of Legislators and the use of others
who desired to delve in it's rich treasures of
Americana. II now contains approximately
100000 volumes while in 1865, when Mr.
Spoford assumed full charge, it had only
10000.
Senator Mcmillan is endeavoring to have the
flag of the 22d Mich. returned to it, The colors
N4 AH'S So'i"he Oons VI iueH were WTeSCen from
them at Chickamauga, where. out of 5S4 men
engaged. SIS. or - per cent were killed, not to
mention the piteous array of wounded Later
the flag was retaken by Union troops. and now
is in the War Department. This was not dis
covered until recently, and, OF course the boys
want the old flag once more. In accordance
with their DESIRES Senator Mcmillan saw Sec
retaTy Lamont, and that official referred the
matter to Gen. Schofeld. Instead of com plying
with the request, Gen. Schofeld brought forth
many reasons why the flag should remain with
the relics of the War Department thereby in
curing the dispeasure Of the Michigan vet.
Grams. Senator Mcmillan is making renewed
efforts 10 get the flag, and the Gossip hopes he
will succeed
When Jerry Simpson returned to his seat in
the House the other day lie fonnd his desk
piled high with flowers sent by Secretary Nor
ton, and was greeted by thunderous burst of
applause by his colleagues Chairman Wilson
is still rusticating in Virginia, and as yet there
is 10 ntimation of his return.
Mr. Call wears pretty blue socks with white
tips and nickel -buckied garters and white
| flannel trousers. He administered, unwittingly,
terrible slap at Senatorial dignity by appear
| ing in the Chamber one afternoon last week
| thus arrayed. took off his yellow shoes and