The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-26
ut is my dinner, and i shah serve no

:.
Hayes answer is not recorded, but it is
certain that she had her way, and that
the luckless diplomats got no wine.
Gen. Grants weakness for the cup that
cheers has passed into history but he
never drank to excess while in the white
house.
Andrew Johnson's spree on the occasion
or his inaugura ton was about the most
inopportune jollification man ever irSuls-
ed IN. On the morning of the event he
reached the capitol some time in advance
of the time for the ceremony, entering un-
eXpectedly the room of the secretary Of the
senate Col. John w. Forney. He looked
pale and sick, and was accompanied by
his physician The latter asked Forney IL
he had any whisky. There was a black
bott4e always kept in the secretary's room,
and Col Forney went and got il. He plac.
ed il on the rlantelpiece and set a tumbler
beside 1t. Then Mr.. Johnson walked over
ald poured out half a tumblerful of the
spirits, which he swallowed at a gulp ~
j. Il. McCullagh, now editor of the ST
Louis Globe-Democrat, CHANGED to be In
me room OF the secretary of the Senate at
tns uine, and so was an eyewitness In
teIlng the story to newspaper man some
time ago, he said:
Mr.. Johnson soon became cheerful and
sreW very laxative. After time he TOOK
another drink, though the doctor tried to
Sel .SS nm, filling the .tumber almost
run Oh raw whisky. A moment later II wa
pan Pan 10 us that he was Intoxicated Mean
willie, the hour for the Inauguration had
arrived; It was. but a few steps from Mt
f4rneys office to the Senate Chamber
S wneIe Mr. johnson took the oath. Evi,
uentiy ne did not think that the Ceremony
should conclude without his saving some
LINZ Snlns. lie turned to the cabinet and adj
nteSsea each member of that body bv
saaiIle IA turn, making a series of brief
speeches., and ending in every case win
words something like this: And am hera
Stat teI you Mr. Seward, Secretary of
S SsaLe, that / am plebian, man Of the
people, and am proud of il" His te1IS
was SO lncoherent as to make n evida,,e
u al that the new President was drunk .
stories ba seldom drank 70 excess and
this regard. ''9 "eaAhesS III
In earlier days refreshments were
onered customarily at white house re,.e,,
ions, but that sort of hospitalitv c.n,e -
ana end with Van Buren's term 'rb ~
Groves ao se, were too hungry and the scramble
njtu iooe zoo indecent, the carpets and fur
nIsuIe suierlng severely. During Jack
son administration the carpet In the east
room room was wholly ruined by punch that was
s spr,,ed S On me noor. The beverage was
We're sometimes upset. 1t was Jackson.s
iuea TO throw open the doors of the exec,9
1lHS mansion TO the people in generaf.
MlLhout special invitation, but the plan
President Madison was alight drinka,
Wv Mh ems, ne had hard drinkers at his table
ne would dilute his wine with water in
order to keep up with them. In his al
mlnlstration there was much formaiitv
anu ceremony at white house entertain,
menIs. Mrs; William Seaton, in her dairy
speaking of a banquet at the executive
mansion in those days, SAYS:
ne dinner was certainly fine, but II 6i0
not sur9ass some | have eaten in Caro-
lima. There were many French dishes
and exquisite wines. Comment on tbs
quality OF the wines was the chief topic
after the removal of the cloth. Candies
We're introduced before the ladies' left md
tables, and the gentlemen continued half
an hour to enjoy social glass"
There was no lack of wine at the tables
OF the drst three Presidents.f Jefferson
dlsliked formality and entertained in 4
generous, southern style. while Adams
gave stately and magnificent dinners
There can be no Question that AZ the
present day alcohol is held IN less esteem
tnan at any previous time in history. 1t
but it has got into disrepute 1t is 40
longer the fashion for gentlemen to drink
to excess. and the statesman who tippies
naIS T nsde mercy complaint was act.
present congress because southern MEM
Der walked into the House one morning
IN IN e conc Of palpa1le inebriety. Other
members actually started movement to
discipline him. Shade Of Webster! What
are we coming to2
Was it not the immortal Webster who
habitually fortified himself during speech
es with gin and water? And are not
those alcohol-inspired fragments of patri-
otism REGARDED to-day as the finest posi-
pie stun for American sehoolboys to COM
NIT to memory 9JGihs OF course, has the
advantage of looking exactly like water
70 the naked eye, and the great Daniel
hSpl ~ ny MIN III "A pltcnef, with tufn-
bier, for periodical doses. 1t Is related
that one day a fellow senator took a big
swallow from the glass, quite unsuspect-
ingly, just as he rose to make some re-
marks and the consequences was a choking
fit which threw the whole chamber, and
particularly Mr.. Webster, into convul-
sions of laughter
Those were easy-going days in the SEN
ate before the civil war. IL was not until
April, 1866, that Henry Wilson, afterward
Vice President, offered his famous resolu-
h tod tlaA. Il ..G1
IN the capitol and its grounds. Since that
time more or less hypocrisy has governed
~ such matters and whisky served in the
Senate chamber has masqueraded COM,
monty as cold tea" Bottles Of good
stuff are kept in the committee rooms
Don Cameron, for instance, always has
soHlethlng cholce in cupboard-aud any
drinks that may be wanted are sent quiet
ly to the cloak room from the restaurant
below. Perhaps 1t is owing TO the exist
ence OF such conYeniences that within
recent years a presiding officer of the up
per House was so given TO tipping that
on repeated occasions the Senate chose
70 save him from exposure by going pre-
clpltately INTO secret session.
During hot weather there is always an
unlimited supply of apollinaris lemonade
served in the cloak room of the Senate.
so-called contingent fund" of the upner
House. Thus one finds in the list of ex-
penses of that body such items as TWEEN
" cases of apollinaris, quarts" 600 bounds
of graduated sugar" and eighteen box-
es of lemons"-this supply, mind you, for
a single month. Everybody likes apoIlf-
naris lemonade, but most senators prefer
IL with a stick" in it. Occasionally
charges for syrup" running up into the
hundreds of dollars for a single session
seem rather suggestive. One is almost
at loss 10 know what to make OF there.
The famous debate in the last congress
on the silver question carried the Senate
through two consecutive all-night ses-
sions. IL was test, not of argument, but
OF endurance. AS soon as the roll had
been called the grave and reverend legis-
lators would retire to the.cloak room and
partake Of juleps and other mixed drinks.
which dozen walters were constantly
engaged In bringing from the restaurant
below. The weather was extraordinarily
hot, and the continual imbibng Of cooling
fluids was a patriotic necessity.
There are very few total abstafners in
the Senate Hill is one. He is refriger-
ator, and has not a particle Of the con-
vivial spirit. Perkins of California never
drinks anything, but he always has a bot
tie on tap for his friends In his rooms al
the Riggs house. He says that he does
not imbibe, simply because he has never
acquired the habit His colleague. Sena-
tor White, takes dash of brandy In his
tea. Blackburn prefers his whisky
as becomes a Kentuckian OF the
old school. On the whole. the upper
house Is sober body compared with what
IL was before the war.
In the House Of Representatives Il IL