Evening star., 1897-04-10

been threshed since the foundation of the
government. As yet he is not conversant
with committee work. The committees
have not been named, and the assignments
nave not been allotted. When made. he
will find that committee work is fully as
intricate as the work of the House. Quor-
umS are counted with much more facility
and motions to reconsider and table are not
final.
The New Faces.
1t has been said that there are 14S new
members in the present House. This is not
correct The number of members who have
never before served in Congress is exactly
131. The f1edglings are picturesque lot
Some of the finest American faces come
from the west and southwest. There are
countenances from the commercial districts
of the east that recall the banks of the Rio
Grande, the sands of the Platte, and the
mining camps of the Occur d'Alene. Per
contra, the populists are not wild-eyed nor
anarchist In appearance. Many of them
look like railroad magnates and eastern
bankers. They appear like men of earnest
convictions, and not like politicians.
VI course, dozen or more quaint char
acters have sifted themselves into the new
Congress. One appeared in the restaurant
the other day and asked for a plug of to-
baccc. He got it and coolly laid a cent
upon the showcase. The clerk looked at
the cent and then at the man, who wore
sombrero
THAT is cent" the clerk remarked
YES" was the reply. that's so; it IS
cent. I never saw one of them until I
where come from"
He pushed the cent contemptuously on
the floor. laid down a nickel and strobe
away in majestic dignity.
Take it all in all, however, the new men,
Der will have pleasant sailing in the extra
session. He escapes many annoyances that
the old member cannot escape. Strangers
will not bother him, because he has no ma
ttonal fame. WaShingtonianS will not i'm
perfume him until he becomes member of
the committee on library or on the District
of Columbia. He will have time to attend
to the requests of his constituents
The passage of the appropriation bills
prior to the consideration of the tariff bill
has practically closed the business Of the
session. With the opening of spring he will
have plenty of time to enjoy the environs
of the city. Most new members fancy that
they must obtain leave of absence when
they remain away from the Capitol. This
was the case with the writer ten years ago
Gen. John H. Ketchum, then, as now, g.
member of the House, heard the request for
leave read from the desk. Approaching the
new congressman and pinning his
around his neck he said; Don't do that;
there Is no necessity for 1t. When you
want to go home, go, and say nothing. You
won't be missed"
Falling Into the Ways.
The same feeling exists today An ex-
member of a state legislature astonished
me the other day by saying that he did not
like to leave the House, for fear the
Speaker might notice his absence.
Gradually and gracefully the new men,
Der Is falling into the ways of the old
member. His eye is lighted with ant.cipa..
ton when he looks at the portraits of the
Speakers in he lobby and great thoughts
enter his head. Many are already employ
ed at their desks in writing letters during
the sessions of the House. Others read
newspapers and stretch and yawn when
long-v inded speeches are inflicted upon
them. A few gaze at the pretty faces in
the galleries, and assume positions more
stateSmanlike than statueSque. At times
one ventures to address the Speaker but
he is rarely recognized unless he mas made
an arrangement fer recognition through
some experienced friend. No one has as
yet dared to pass bill. One new member
recently astonished the Speaker by de-
manding to have his vote recorded when
Gen. Henderson moved the previous ques-
tion on the adoption of the old rules I'm
der parliamentary law the Speaker could
rot refuse to record his vote. although he
failed to answer to his name when it was
called. This vote made a tie. Old members
of the House laughed at the persistency
Of the new member, but it forced the Cen
eral to call for the yeas and nays and de-
layed the House forty minutes.
In the last Congress Mr.. Crowther of
Missouri, new member early in the ses-
sion asked unanimous consent for the
House to consider bill. He got 1t, and
with slight explanation passed his bill.
1t was not until after the bill was pa sed
that 1t was learned it had never been con-
sidered in any committee. Messrs. Dock
cry and Ssyers. and even the sedate Mr..
Dingley, were utterly astounded The pas
sage of bill under such circumstances
was unprecedented. Crowther with q cyni-
cal smile, trotted over to the other wing
of the Capitol to clinch the matter by ac-
tion in the Senate. His friends claim that
the success Of the movement was due to
his ingenuity, but the old members seem
to think that 1t 1ue TO his lack of
knowledge of the rules of the House.
AMOS ]. CUMMINGS