Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-02-09

picture of Il night session for debate
only" on January Is:
We are sitted in the reporters gallery.
which. by the way. is vacant. Below us
is the hall, barhed in gas light, with its
green carpet, brass ventilatOrs. silverv
cuspidors. oak desks and cane-seated
chairs. Only thirteen of the 1856 chairs
are occupied. Judge Powers of Yer
mont is delivering Il tariff speech. Mr.
Dockery of Missouri is presiding in com
mittee of the whole. The Judges speech
is land upon pile of Congressional Rec
ords." His frUck coat is buttoned to the
throat. He gestculates fiercely with his
right arm and looks every inch states
man.
Over on the Republican side you see
Jerry simpson, turning over the leaves
of a pamphlet, and paying no attention
TO the speech. On the back row is that
great Norwegian Populist, llaldOr E.
Boen. awaiting his turn to speak, and
scratching his head for thoughts. Away
off on the left, in what is known as the
"CherOkee Strip" sit three pages, pen
in hand, initiating the stenOgraphers.
Brown. Devine, Welch, White. Ireland,
the real stenOgraphers, are scattered in
seats in various parts of the hall. Some
are listening and others reading news
papers. Welch is steadily at work
taking down Judge Powers words when
ever he speaks ectempOre.
The Judge runs his speech off without
interruption. He has just made an al
luSion to the Hawaiian queen that sets
Jerry Simpson to laughing and draws
out applause from the five members
nearest him. Chairman Dockery brings
down the gavel with bang and the
applause ceases.
In the mellow light pouring through
the glass ceiling, for there are no lights
in the chamber itself, the galleries are
worth studying. The main tier is packed.
You see near the clock faces that have
appeared here every day since the open
ing of this session. The entrances are
crowded with standing spectators. There
are very few persons, however, in the
members family gallery. one-legged
man with crutches sits back of the pew
reserved for the speaker. Four ladies
occupy front row absorbing thn words
that fall from the judges lips. Possibly
they are relatives of somebody who is to
speak Flanking the reporters reserva-
tion are two short galleries crowded with
ladies and gentlemen. They face the
Judge and listen to him as If daZed while
he reels Oft his perUratiOn. Gen. Hen
} derson of Illinois wanders out of the
barber shop on the Republican side of the
house, drops into a seat, puts on his
spectacles, props his chin with his hand
ana like true Republican enjoys the
1 judges talk about the American and
: the foreign markets.
Suddenly Harry Tucker arouses him
self. He remembers that he has wrtteI
, dozen or more letters which have no
e been mailed. Turning towards tn,
f speakers desk, he snaps his thumb ant
fingers for page. \ boy darts to hin
like n dragon fly. He passes the letters
5 to the page, who hes away. Tucke
t then crosses his hands over the top of hi
p head, and again tries to fathom Judg,
Powerss argument. Meantime Congress
u man Sperry wanders over to Congress
, man MallOry's scat. They consult eacl
: other long and earnestly, and are finally
aroused by the judges closing pOetica
-, extract. Sperry claps his hands fOu
u times as the Judge takes his seat, anC
t Mallory listlessly follows his example
h Boen. the Norwegian, is the next speaker
q He takes the desk vacated by Judg,
Powers. He uses the same pile o
"RecOrds,' but not the same speech. II,
f also changes his glass of water
a Thomas j. Hudson then appears at tn
= desk vacated by BOen. lie Is Il rip-rOar
luS IOpullsl from hdllSdS, anu III
e awakens the sleepy galleries. Half al
e hour afterward the committee rises ant
the house adjourns. But the same pro
cess Of education is resumed on succeed
e ing nights. Meantime workngman
farmer, banker and capitalist to whom
o all the speakers referred were breathless
ly awaiting the action of the house
t Truly this is a great world, and tn
!, longer we live the more we ought t,
+ know.
/ Having delivered his speech either b,
,. word of mouth or through the " Record,
G the members calling and reelection ar
G reasonably sure. The government o
r this great, growing and glorious countr.
n then allows him to have printed on it
r presses for a nominal sum all the copie
# of it he wants, and, last but not least, t.
+ frank them and send as many of them a
he pleases all ever the broad land.