The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1894-12-01
READY FOR THE STATESMEN
The National Capitol Swept Clean
and Refurnished.
New Desk for the vice president-old
Works of Art Made Bright and
Fresh The House Car
p~et-Gossip.

is now in readiness for the post-mortem
session of the Fifty-third congress. All
the debris of the last session has been
cleared away and the damage repaired.
1t is astonishing to calculate the
amount OF damage II session of congress
can do to the building and furniture
occupied, not to mention the damage
they may do to the country.
This congress. having two sessions
running almost into each other before
the last regular session should begin,
did an unusual amount of damage
and left mere work to be done in prep
alton for this session than has ever
been done before in the middle of
a congress-. The extra session, when
they had the fight over silver in the
senate, resulted in the utter demolition
of the vice presidents desk through
his rapp,ng for order with the little
ivory gnvel, and the woodwork of the
desk had to .be replaced before the reg
ular session began. Ghe 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 between the
two sessions.
The II was a parliamentary fight,
full OF tnmult: the other was one Of
diplomacy, conference and lobbying.
The first was a play of the vice presi-
dents gavel; the second was all on the
carpet.
Back of, the speakers desk in the
house wing Is n large marble room,
known as the speakers lobby. IL cor
responds to the marble room on the
senate side, where the senators receive
their visitors and to confer with people
who are not permitted to go on the
floor. The speakers lobby was ur-
nished with very massive furniture,
deliberately carved and upholstered in
richly embossed leather. 1t used to be
the admiration 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 tho
soft sofas they hold conferences and
put up plans. Here, too, they listen to
the convincing arguments of gentlemen
who would like certain legislation to go
thus or SO.
1t is not open to the ordinary lobby
list, but oX-lnembers and Il few others
Of the privileged classes are admitted.
During the two sessions of this con-
gress the wear and tear on the furni-
ture of this great lobby was SO great
that ut the close of last session the EN-
bossed leather upholstery was actually
worn ont aud hanging in tatters. 1t is
probable that there was not a single
chair or sofa that wal not IN holes. and
in many cases the bottoms were burst
out and the leather hanging over in
flaps like dogs ears.
The carpet in the space in front of
the speakers desk was worn out by the
shutting of feet of members in tho con-
slant tramp through t~ellers, or the
crowding together of members eager to
catch every word in some exciting de-
bate or to get the full import of some
ruling. Allthese things and many others
had to be repaired and put in shape for
this session. 1t has all now been done
and is ready for the destruction to be-
gin again.
The force of men has been at work
for weeks cleaning, painting and patch
ing and uoholstering; the paint of all
the interior portion of the building has
been touched up; tho Worn out carpets
of the committee rooms have been re-
placed; the desks have been cleaned Off
and recovered, and the halls of both
houses secured and clcaned and painted
and vanished, till they look MS shiny
us ~ silk hat.
Nearly I'LL the ell paintings in the
building have been cleaned and re-
touched. The big historic paintings
around the %rotundn, except two, which
were fixed last year, have been gone
over and SHINE out once more in bright
colors. The Heaton painting of the
"Recull of Columbus" which hangs at
the head of the east staircase on the
senate side, II the portraits of La
fayette and Washington, and the two
famous Bierstadt paintings, which hang
on either side OF the speakers desk in
the house, all of which have grown dingy
with time, have been gone over by an
artist, and are in all their glory of fresh
paint. There has always been some
hesitancy about attempting to reto,lch
these pictures, lest there should be
some deterioration from the original
work. Their restoration. however, has
been excellently done, and they look us
well us when first hung upon the wall.
The Recall of Columbus" did not need
to have much done to it, but the others
were SO dim and dingy as to be almost
without character until restored.
When Il new carpet has to be bought
for the house The American manufac-
turer having the contract has an artist
submit special designs for approval and
when a design is selected tho contract
requires that the manufacturer shall
never make another carpet nftor that
pattern. A velvet carpet is selected and