The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-11
IT'S LAST DIsREPUTABLE HOURS


The New York Herald published yes
terday vivid description OF the last
hour, of Congress. 1t was of the nature
OF what is usually referred to as an sun
written chapter"
IL The Herald's contribution to the
history of the Fifty-third Congr ess is
reliable, the wind up of this remarkable
body of men,. elected two years ago to
represent the people OF the United States,
was a condition such as is fiippantly
spoken of as a big drunk. According
TO this interesting, if unofficial, chapter
of United States history: Congress
drew its final official breath amid wild
saturnalia. Champagne flowed like
water. Committee rooms became tenn
porary brothels. Women of ill-repute
swarmed the corridors and sang songs
in the public restaurants with inebriated
Congressmen in the small hours OF the
morning between roll calls. Members
staggered between their places and the
bottle"
This is a pretty stiff piece of repoctor-
ial work, and as word picture the story
is impressive. Mr.. TIM MURRAY. the
caterer of the House restaurant, is quoted
to the effect that the capacity for liquor
Of the lower branch Of the .Fifty-third
Congress " is simply astonishing" We
should say it was. The duties of Mr..
MURRAY, according to his testimony, had
resolved themselves into the labors of an
ordinary bartender. The restaurant
feature was palpable cloak. MIR. MUIR
RAY allowed that he might as well be a
Sixth avenue dive-keeper as run another
restaurant for House like this Of the
Fifty-third Congress. A loaf of bread
to a gallon of whiskey is an expressive
metaphor to illustrate the pro-
portion that existed between the
eatables and the drinkables supplied to
the House--and Mr.. MURRAY would
consider this an overstocking of eat
ables. Anew York French ball is said
to offer the only parallel for the diver
sions that distinguished the closing
hours of Congress a week ago Sunday
night.
1t was indeed pretty lot of chaps,
the majority Of this Fifty-third Con-
gress--take them all in all. They were
as incapable a lot of men as ever
got together for any purpose under the
sun, reckless, irresponsible, vicious. But
we doubt If the picture, which The
Herald paints so vividly, should have
been so sweeping in its portrayal. 1t is
fairly incredible that anything like a
majority of even this queer
Congress are chargeable with partici-
patton in the disgraceful scenes
described, although, knowing the
kind Of men that got into Congress
on the tidal wave of 1892, many of them
without character as they were without
ability, we may easily believe this kind
Of a story of their doings. But if the
saturnalia was so general as this report
would indicate, we ought at least to have
listed for record the names OF those men,
bers who know how TO behave them
selves and who did IL on that memorable
Sunday night, and it would seem to be
due these members that they be relieved
from the disgrace which marks the
dying of the Fifty-third Congress. We
don't believe, for instance, that OSCAR
LAPHAM and CHARLES II. PAGE, Con-
gressmen from Rhode Island, were
mixed up in the affair. aud out of that
big Democratic majority there must
have been at least few more members
who conducted themselves with
decency and self-respect that Sunday
night.