The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-03-19
CONGRESSMAN RUINED
Capitol Drinking Saloons Make
Drunkards' Graves.
EFFORTS TO ENFORCE THE LAW.
Two Interesting Old Men-senator Palmer
and Ex-Governor Boutwell, = American
vandsiism-soms Think It IL No Crime
20 Is~stroy Governments Property.

wAsHISeToS. March is.-ISpeciai. J.
Congressman Little OF Arkansas Is the
leader OF crusade In favor OF enforcing
the law which prohibits the sale Of intoxl.
eating liquors In the United State capitol.
While there Is little probability that he
will succeed In his mission, most people
believe the law should be enforced Thar
u is violated every minute of the day any
one can see. In both the restaurants Of
the capitol. that at the house end and Ia
the senate wing Of the big white capitol
Guiding liquors OF all sorts are freely sold.
No attempt at concealment is made, and
these congressional liquor shops do not pay
license foe to the District government
They are maintained under the direct and
immediate patronage OF congress itself.
Probably greater amount OF liquor Is
sold every day In either of these places
than in any other saloon In Washington.
At any moment one may go to the house
restaurant and see members OF congress or
employees taking drinks. There Is no bar.
but 1t Is only necessary for one to sit dowp
at convenient little tables and order what
he wants. 1t Is not even required that one
order articles of food.
Ruined by Drink.
Many employees of congress and not n
few members have been ruined at these
capitol drinking saloons. The writer
could name half q dozen members of tho
house who in the past five years have liter
ally gone to drunkards,. graves on account
of the associations ana o.abits formed here.
There Is constant temptation to drink.
One is continually meeting his friends and
receiving invitations to imbibe. This IL
ma trn nf fhn xrh IN bs
house In various capacities as 1t Is Of the
members themselves. 1t Is not pleasant to
see n score Of mon sitting about these little
tables in tho middle of the day drinking
cocktails and straights. Nor Is IL On edi-
tying spectacle when members Of congress,
who should be an example to others, drink
SO much during the afternoon that they
are incapacitated from attendance to their
duties Yet such scenes are Of daily CO.
currenoe. Fortunately there IL not a.
much drinking about the capitol as there
was In former times but there IL still en-
tirely too much, and 1t Is too public. 1t IL
impossible for q stranger In the city to
take his wife or the members OF his family
to one Of these restaurants without having
drinking bouts thrust before their eyes. Il
Is only now and then that anything gross
ly Objectionable occurs, but In the opinion
of some members of congress such things
should not BIO at oil In a building owned
by the government and dedicated to the
use of the national legislature and the su.
prone court.
Law Violated.
The law on the subject Is very plain, but
no one appears to care for Its enforcement.
The proprietors of the restaurants make
more money out of their bars than they do
out Of thor cafes. Probably If they were
forced TO give up the sale Of drinks they
would find 1t necessary to raise the prices
of their food dishes or sacrifice their profits.
These congressional restaurants are exceed
ingly profitable, and there Is always a
struggle to obtain the franchise. The gov
eminent gives the rooms rent free, includ-
| ing kitchens and storehouses. 1t furnishes
| the light and heat free of charge. There
are no licenses or taxes to pay 1t Il
| charged that even the cost of repairs to the
| ranges and other apparatus and renewals
| of utensils are betrayed out OF the contin
| gent fund.
On the floor of the senate few days agt
| two interesting old men were seen in Close
l conversation. One was Senator Palmer Of
| Illinois. but few observers knew who the
| other was. "Why," said one gentleman
this proves the truth OF the old saying
| that fame quickly flies away. That mar
| is Governor Boutwell, of Massachusetts
| He Is as years old. Before he was govern
| or he was In the state legislature. OF o.
| governors who succeeded him In Massa
| chusetts only four besides himself are now
| living. He was state banking commits
| sioner. He assisted in tho organization oil
| the Republican party. He was delegate
| to the convention that nominated Lincolr
| for president. He was member of tn,
famous peace conference which met In this
| city during the war. He organized the In
ternal revenue bureau. He served In con
| gress and was chairman of the committee
that tried to impeach President Andrew
johnson He was secretary of the treas
ury. He was senator from Massachusetts,
He was an overseer of Harvard university
He codiiied tho statutes of the United Stato
by appointment of President Hayes. III
represented the United States before thu
French claims commission. And yet peo
pie have to ask who no Is.
Senator Palmer was member OF thu
peace conference too 1t was there he ant
Governor Boutwell, became fast friends
The two men are about the same age, there
| being only q few months difference. Lik,
Boutwell,, Palmer entered public life as I
member of the legislature. He also after
ward became governor. He came to thu
senate. What a large part OF the histor!
/ Of the last half century In the United
States those two mon could write from
their personal experiences and observa
tionsl
Diszracefui Visitors.
A peculiar phase Of American human
nature Is its proneness TO vandalism. Tn
officials of the senate have discovered tina
IL is not safe to leave the chamber open &
visitors during the hours tho senate Is no
In session on account Of tho many acts o
vandalism committed. Pieces have boel
whitfield out of the desks Of senators, small
| bits have been cut from the car. SITS, blot
ting pads and ink bottles have bean stolen
Visitors are now permitted In the cham5e
only under escort, and Sergeani -at-arm
Bright always details detectives to waite
| strangers OF course not more than one la
thousand Of the people who visit the capito
would be guilty of petty theft or destruc
| ton, but who can tell which of q thousan
| Is the guilty wretchG In the senate gallerie
many leaves, twigs and spirals of the OF
| namental iron work which embellishes I'll
| walls have been wrcpched of and carrie
away for souvenirs. In the lavatories al