Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-17

A Novel Idea to Save Long Tramps to
the senate.

the senate.
There are some reforms that Congressman
do not take kindly TO, while there are 9TH
ers that appeal so closely to their own
! hearts that they are eager to press them to
a finish. One of the latter has just been
called to attention. On Friday last the Sem
ate went into executive session at 30 and
remained with the doors closed for two
hours and a half. For a greater part of
that time a reporter for The Star sat at the
front or south door OF the Senate chamber
watching for the Presidents emissary, who
was expected to arrive at any moment with
the special message concerning Hawaiian
affairs. He did not arrive. but in that pc
Rod of patience the reporter noticed a Gu
rious phenomenon.
At intervals Of about five minutes there
would come the sound of feet hurrying over
the tiles with unusual brtskness. From the
crowd of passing tourists and office seekers
there would then collie the form of some
member of Congress- his eyes half closed in
ecstatic thought Of the thrilling debate go
ing on in the House, and his head bent to-
ward the ground. He would push his way
through the walkers and make a bee line
for the great doorway. Then the attending
functionary would step forward and inter-
pose a strong arm that effectually barred
the way The single word: "Executiver'
acted like the antithesis Of an "open Sc
same"
1t was as though these hurrying solons
had suddenly butted their heads against
brick wall. They staggered for a moment
pondered on the full significance OF the
word, and then went away without a muir
muir, without a complaint.
During the two hours that the reporter
sat as vis-a-vis to the doorman, keeping
one eye on the throng for the rotund form
Of Major Pruden, and the other on the
spectacle of the Congressman falling away
from the senatorial portcullis. there were
probably twenty of the latter who came
skimming out of the south and went skim
ming back. They had made the trip es-
pecially for the purpose of getting upon the
floor OF the Senate, and they were sadly
disappointed The distance from door to
door is about two blocks roughly speaking.
perhaps a little more. The round trip
therefore, Is four blocks, or in the neigh
borhood of a third of a mile Fridays g-ist
Of rebuffed statesmen therefore represented
total Of about seven miles Of useless
walking.
Then a great and brilliant idea sufrused
the reportorial brain and brought light out
Of the darkness.
Why not arrange something that would
somehow tell the members of the House
when the Senate was in a condition to re-
ceive them?
That settled 1t. After the original concep-
ton there were but the details to devise. De-
tails are Of minor moment, nowadays. They
suggest themselves In the case in point
they came readily. There is no intention
on the part Of The Star to boast of the in
ventive genius of its news gatherers. Suf-
flee 1t to say that the project contemplates
two dials, one of which Is to be placed on
the wall of the House, at the side of the
north door, through which all senatorial
seeking representatives are apt to pass.
This dial will have three marks eQuidistant
to show the three states of the upper
House. A needle will serve to point to one
of these marks. and thus to indicate the
condition of things at the other end Of the
building. The most convenient arrange
ment Will be to have the finger point to the
lower left-hand side for adjournment, and
to the lower right for executive session
Thus only when the needle is standing
straight IN the air will 1t be profitable for
the tramping solons to undertake the pill
grimage.
The second dial is to be placed somewhere
in the Senate. most conveniently at the
right hand of Capt. Bassett. whose duty IT
now Is to ring the bells that summon SEN
This dial would be a miniature Of the first
and provided with a switch key to be turn
ed to a contact with three projections rep
resenting the three needle points on the
other plate. A simple arrangement of cleo
trio currents will do the rest
1t would not be a bad scheme to have the
House dial large enough SO that 1t might be
distinguished from the Speakers desk
This would in some extreme cases facilitate
the business of the Senate as well as sery-
ing for the personal comfort and time econ
omy of the members.
The idea has been presented to the atten-
who are enthusiastically in favor OF it, and II
now rests with the architect of the Capitol
to put the project, which would cost very
little into operation.