Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-01-30

pied with the fact that IN the popular
branch ~ congress the debate i nearly
always liyelier than II !, In the American
house ~ lorls. IL much more frequently
embelli.hei with epithets or seasoned
with the spice % bal tempers.
wh.. ,h. sarf... Q. ga.'.d.
When the house il calm. visitors are
no, numerous. Bu, let the surface h..
come rufiicl. LEI the storms 10 debate
brew. and the big audience CONES with
amazing quickness-whsrr from u u n
difficult 90 guess a. who they arr. But
In some unknown manner the wOrl l.
passed. round. and frUm some unknown
spots the listeners hasten ani the CALLER.
les are sOOn flls-l. ~ N was last week.
when fierce battle was wag~l over the
tariff. IL hal not l-sn expected. No
one hail forrse.n the ra,tling hrc ~ hat
t.ri.- ani small arms that hlled the hall
~ the hous- with smoke and also left a
number ~ wounded lying on the field.
When the row b-gan. there were only
. few people In the galleries. In les
than an hour they were tllei tO over
flowing. and men and women, both
white and black. stoOl In long line
awaiting "a chance to enter. To tell the
whole truth. far more than half ~ thcse
curious persons were black. The apr
tlt. ~ the negroes ~ the Capital City for
tarin debates l. wholly ineiplicable-
and all sorts ~ debates. for the matter
% that. Day in aud day ont they con.
s,itute a majority Of the congressional
audiences. True. some ~ them 90 a.
sle,p. and now and then an oratorical
Congressman on the iOor below has his
teriol- punctus'ei by the snorcs - an
sn,hrallei occupant u the galleries.
tn. >.w.r.psr Nsa.
Possibly the crowd learns ~ scenes of
interest In the house by watching the
newspap-r men. The correspondents of
the Capital City are Thermometer
worth watching AZ I o'clock of an
afternoon there may not IT, half dozen
newspaIer men In the house gallery.
They arr at Luncheon In the restaurant
down Stair. In the committee rooms
talking a. members or lOuuging In their
own spacious and comfortable lobby,
wherr they have cheerful open fires, paid
attendants and all the conyeniences ~ a
private Office. II would H. difficult 10
say where the country l. rulel-On the
fioor below or up here In this meeting
place of the Washington correspondents
Of one thing You may b. surr-when the
prc-s men leave their easy chair., drop
their story telling and joking aud rush
into the gallery something really inter
es,ing Il going on.
The average correspondent u great
cynic. More than cynical. he u bla-e A.
10 specche-. debates and incidents. He
Is 80 hardened 10 all the-e things tina,
n take- something extraordinary Ia
rouse hi. interest. but II S'Iere j. to bs
some real fighting he wants to IT, IN at
the death. Thu. II often hapTens that
where 10 minutes before the pres wa
wholly unrepr-sente,l in the house gal
lery fully a hundred men suddenly AZ
pear. They fock from all parts u the
capitol. and even come hurrying upfrom
their Offices down town.
Potent FACTORS.
Visitors to Washington are surprised
that the newspaper correspondents spend
80 little time Ia the galleries Of the house
aud senate. They wonder how the PRES
men are able TO report the debates with.
out hearing them. But as general
thing the special correspondents have
little 10 do with the debates on the flOOrs
Of the two houses. They are covered 10y
,he reporters ~ the two press associs-
tions. men who sit at little tables IN
front Of the desks % the vice president
aud the speaker. who write shorthand
and have nothing else 30 DO day after LAY
but make up accounts OF what is said 10y
senator's and representatives. IL Is only
on extraordinary occasions that the .pe-
cial correspondents "handle" the debate
such occasions as that fierce hand to
hand fight In tho house over the tarif
few days ago. Then the brightest anil
keenest Of the Specials" 10 In for stories
that are worthy the incident and sui,ei
10 the tastes of their journals.
The newspaper men are an important
feature of life at the capitol. They arr
everywhere. Their influence l. almost
unlimited. They and not the lobbyists
constitute the "third house and u u
still an open question which Is the most
powerful-sena,e. house or press gallery.
lf the first two make laws, the third makes
or molds public opinion. II the members
of the bolie- exercise great inhuence
upon the correspondents, - do the cor
respondents exert great influence upon
sanators aud representatives.
There are many members OF the lower
bouse and afew of the upper who habit
ually seek counsel Of their NEWSPAPER
friends before deciding upon any impor'
tant line Of action. these newspaper
writers often being men of longer ex.
periencc and better Judgment than the
siatesmen themselves. Besides there are
the newspaper incn who write spceches
for congrrssmen. Not ~ much OF this
n done n oae would think from the talk
about II. but II does nevertheless happen
now and then that q statesman induces
one Of his newspaper friends to put a
speech together for him.
a Ssw Gisdtssss.
The tariff battle of last week brought
90 the front new gladiator In the arena
u debate. Nothing finer than the per
formancs Of Bourke Cochran In that
bout has ever been seen here. Mr. Cock.
rams reputation a. an orator was hxed
long ago. Op-,nany notable occasions
he has earned yhe right TO rank among
ths FIRST orators of the world. Bntthere
wss sO,ns doubt - TO how he would