Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-23
LOOKS LIKE RETRINUT|ON
Congressman Howard Reported
 Drunk in the House.
MEMBERS BOLDLY CUT HIM
Such Is the Unenviabe Repute of an Alabama Representative Whom the Montgom-
 cry Advertiser Helped to Elect.

Special Correspondence of the Jackson
 vile Fla) Citizen.
 Washington, D. C., Feb. H.-Represen- tative Howard, the populist member from Alabama, who created sensation a year ago by the publication of a most remarkable volume. entitled, If Christ Came to Congress, giving in fulsome detail a number of stale stories of com gressonal debauches and dissipations, together with highly moral comments upon the condition of affairs therein presented was today led from the house of representatives in a state of beastly intoxication.
 The poetic retrbution plainly observ- able in this incident was remarked by every one who witnessed the humiliating spectacle Howard has never been pop ular in the house. His filthy and libelous publication of a year or so ago was re- garded by the members then in congress as placing him without the pale. This book not only possessed no literary merit, but had no moral excuse for ex- istence for while there was lot of hypocritical cant contained in the form of comments upon the scenes de- scribed the entire publication was of the sensational and obscene character of the pink papers so popular in barber shops and sporting establishments.
 Sent to Coventry
 From the day Howard entered the house as a member he was treated as one beneath the notice of the other members They sent him to Coventry in deadly earnest, and he often passed through the trying ordeal of an entire day in the house without having a word said to him. He had the doorkeeperS to talk to ana the negro attendants, but aside from these he had no companions and 1t IS probable that he was driven to drink from sheer loneliness. His book deserved the treatment it called down upon the author, for a more mediocre, malicious, insane production never came from the press It was absolutely without literary merit and was so deadly dull and incoher- eut that even with its highly sensa tional features it could not hold the attention of the most easily pleased reader, and was usually read by chapter headings. Its main flea ture was map and directory of the "Division," Washington's Ten derloin" The book was often purchased for this feature by visitors to the city, but after the first sensation created by It's appearance it was forgotten, except by the members of the house, whose sense of decency forbade the admittance of the author to terms of intimacy or friendship.
 Intended to Expel Him.
 Several of the members whose mis- deeds were detailed in the book have in~ timated an intention to do Howard per- sonal violence but have been deterred by the knowledge that it was the inten- ton of both sides of the house to bring in a resolution to expel him from that body for having libeled and slandered congress while representative, this of fense being attributed ito him because of the publica ton of a second edition after his election It was the birth of this in- famous book that landed him in the house and secured for him the populist Support of his district.
 He was a disappointed democratic of flee seeker originally, and in the book produced by him he revenges himself for the fancied slight of the administra- tion by abusing the president in man. her that was unprecedented until MT. Tillman took up the pitchfork in the senate and even surpassed MT. Howard in scattering verbal manure.