The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-25
From the Philadelphia Record.

GEhCIaA 4A4Asg congressman Are
Very Light Drinkers.
From the Philadelphia Record.
Washington, Aug. 1S.-Congress is the
biggest hypocrite in the country about
the liquor business. Its rules formally
prohibit the sale of intoxicants in the
capitol building and specifically in the
restaurant under the Senate and the res
taurant under the House, both of which
are absolutely III its control Its rules
make no exceptions whatever either as to
the liquors or the customers. They are
as sweeping and as emphatic as the laws
of any prohibition state.
A stranger reading the rules of con
gress on this subject would imagine that
if a glass of whisky or Of any other alco-
holic drink was sold 10 anybody whatso-
ever in either restaurant, the keeper of
the restaurant, always selected by a COM
mittee of senators or representatives. as
the case may be, would lose his franchise
Immediately and be replaced by practi-
cal prohibitionist. AS the restaurant
keeper of either house gets his dining
rooms, his kitchens and his pantries free
of rent, and, In addition, his heat and
light, with some other things, free of
cost. and Is allowed to charge the usual
fashionable restaurant prices, it would
seem that he would not dare to risk a
penalty more severe than that incurred
by breaking the average prohibition law
This would be true if it were not for the
TACT that congress- like the famous Maine
politician, is for the law. but agin its
enforcement"
Congress as body is temperate. Many
of its members are total abstainers, and
very few are recognii ed drunkards
Morals apart, hard drinking is as incom-
patible with the hard work of a senator
or representative as with that of any of
the rest of US. Modern conditions have
made ancient drinking customs impracti-
cable The men who succeed in congress
either do not drink at all or drink very
little. But there are a. good many who
drink more or less, especially of the
lighter alcoholic beverages, and there are
others, who do not drink at all, who are
in favor of having intoXicants sold in the
Senate restaurant and in the House
boldly say so, and repeal the
rules which they have voted for
prohibiting the restaurant keepers
from doing that very thing, they would
at least be free from a charge Of hypoc-
risy which is now justly to be made
against them. But the fact is that they
do not dare TO avow their real opinions
much less to act upon them, except sur
reptitiously. And so we have the de.
plOrable spectacle of congress deliberately
setting the example of breaking law in a
contemplate fashion which aggravates
the oflense. / or the restaurant keepers,
knowing that they would lose their
franchises if they did not break the rules
OF the Senate and the House, instead of
losing them because they do break the
rules of the Senate and the House, sell
every day and every hour of the day
every variety of intoXicant which their
customers demand, and do it as publicly
as 1t Is done in any restaurant in the city.
ANCIENT CUSTOMS ABOLISHED
Whatever pretense used to be employed
10 conceal this business under DISCUSSES
has been abandoned. Whisky is not
called cold tea" any more in the con
gressional restaurants, nor is it served in
teacup on saucer. Nor is the Gus
toner asked to order food with his drink.
he can SIT down at table if he wants to,
put he can Just as easily stand up at the
bar. There is a regular bar in each res
taurant, although In the Senate it is
largely utilized for food. while in the
House it is largely utilized for drink
The Senate drink customers more
frequently sit down at tables while the
House drink customers more frequently
stand up. In all respects, l believe it is
true that the drinking is done more
tagrantly in the House than in the
Senate restaurant. But, of course,
that is matter of detail. The point is
that the most casual visitor to either
restaurant any hour in The bust
ness day will see men drinking intoxi-
cantS, and. sometimes, l am sorry to say,
women doing likewise. At certain hours
of the day he would see certain senators
drinking in the Senate restaurant who do
not even take the trouble TO go into the
room reserved for senators and protected
by a screen door but sit right down in
the public restaurant and order whisky
or some other alcoholic drink, Just as
they would in any bar. At certain hours,
too, IN the House restaurant. he would
see certain representatives publicly
drinking intoxicants at the bar or at the
tables. He would also see some of the
young men, so many of whom are always
around the capitol as employees or in
other ways, also drinking, and now and
then obviously to excess.
PAGES DO NOT DRINK.
do not think the little pages would be
sold intoxicating beverages in either res
taurant, and l never saw any of them
drinking of the sort in all my long obser-
walton, but there is nothing to prevent it
except the discretion OF the restaurant
Keeper, for the restaurants are not under
the local liquor laws; they do not have TO
De licensed al heavy fee by the district
commissioners and are not subject to the
inspection of the local police. livery body
VINO is around the capitol at all knows
that these things are going or in the res
Iaurant of the Senate and the House.
Ihey are commented on privately. some
tunes seriously, oftener jestingly. Yet
the Senate committee on rules, which has
charge of the Senate restaurant, and the
House committee on public buildings,
which has charge of the House reStau-
rant, do nothing whatever to have the
rules enforced and the prohibited liquor
trafic stopped.
say this confidently, although, l do
not, OF course, know of my own llnowl-
edge all the proceedings of either com
mlttee in its secret sessions. because
DO know that one word from the chair
man OF either committee TO the restaurant
Keeper under his branch of congress
would stop the whole thing Aow why
uon't they do it, since they do not adyo-
cate repeal of the prohibitory rules!
Lhey would probably say that because
Ihey are officially ignorant OF
what is going on, although as
INDIVIDUALS they see it every
Time they 90 in the restaurants. This
IS OF course, purely technical. But sup
suppose 1t TO be sufficient, il may then be
asked why do not other senators and
Qther representatives lay the matter be-
!0re their committeeman in such a way
JHdJ they will have To take Official notice