The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-03-30
AT THE NATIONAL. CAPITAL


Special 20 the Pcst-rntsIlfgencer.
WASHINGTON. March ---Ee2ressnra-
tives Lewis ard Jones will sit side BY side
n the Democratic half Of the house The
seats which Mr.. Jones selected are not
the best IN TIE house. 5uf shey are q great
deal better than 3 large number 81 the
older members o. TIE house succeedlng IN
getting.
Il is = rather remarkable fact that. while
congress has passed most stringent laws
prohibiting all kinds q lotteries from
operating in the United States. il never
tneless. az the beginning OF each Biennial
session. holds 4 lottery % its own N which
hltndfoaded page sits az the clerks desk
and draws out numbers; and IN this way
the seats In the house % representatives
are distributed among its members
To newcomer this national lottery.
which occupies about two hours on the
opening day OF the session. is ar Interest,"
ing scene Immediately after the newly
elected speaker has sworn In the officers
% the house. be announces that the time
for the sea, drawing mas arrived. and that
members viii please take their places ba1k
OF the railing. A few moments later and
81 vacant seats are exhibited 10 the sl'ec-
tators IN the galleries. while ali around
the chamber are crowded the men who
are 10 occupy them. Then the clerk OF
a
black walnut box having a sliding I'd
ard containing as many little numbered
ivory balls as there are members He
shakes up the box as baby would its
rattle slides of the cover OF the box and
the hlind-folded page draws out one OF
the numbered balls. He passes IL 10 a
clerk who has before him a complete Est
OF the members OF the house. arranged in
alphab order each name being num-
"a Gr~~ y&oll a "A
member having the same number to his
choice OF any seat In the house. Fate is
usually In a playful mood. for the new
members Invariably get the first choice:
but here again fate plays q trick. for the
new men. knowing nothing Of the acoustic
properties of the house or tho fact that
the front seats and those along the middle
aisle are adjacent to the places where the
members gather and hold conversations
while the house Is In session. always
choose these very seats. Thus the older
members. when their numbers are drawn,
still find many OF the most desirable seats
along the side aisles left vacant for their
occupancy.
As soon as a man has taken seat, q
page writes his name on card and sticks
II upon his desk. which thereupon becomes
his for the next two years. unless he
chooses 10 make a trade with some one.
IL has been the custom in the past 70 per-
NIT ex-speakers and the father OF the
house 10 select their seats prior 10 the lot
terry, but this year there was an attempt
70 extend the privilege 20 half a dozen
other more or less distinguished men on
both sides of the chamber. and oOjeclio
was raised. Mr.. Reed himself Is the
father OF the present house. and the next
Oldest member on the floor Is Harmer OF
Pennsylvania. who administered the oath
10 the speaker this year. The only ex-
speaker now In the body - Hon. Galusha
A. Grow, OF Pennsylvania Mr.. Grow
wears a very ancient silk tile. which Is
well known 70 every member OF the house.
When he left his seat to join the thron z
back OF the railing. he fnnocently left his
hat conspicuous,y upon his desk. II said
as plainly as words could have done:
This is Mr.. Crows seat. and no Republican
will think Of taking IT." SO II was. that
although SIR. Grows name was not called
until very nearly the end OF the list his Old
seat was waiting for him when the time
came for him to make his choice.
Some OF the older members are not
above little tricks to obtain coveted seats
when their names are not called az an
early stage of the drawing. Representa-
tive Harry Loudenslager. OF New Jersey,
was one Of these. After about two dozen
which he had fixed his eye seemed 70 be
in great peril. he hired one OF the door
keepers OF the house 10 go down and sit
in this seat until his name should be called.
or course, all the new members supposed
the doorkeeper was one OF themselves,
who had been fortunate In obtaining a
choice seat. and the old members thought
the doorkeeper had been asked to keep
the seat for some one who had already
drawn II. When Loudenslager's name
was called. he tripped lightly down the
aisle and the older members who saw the
doorkeeper get up and give him the seat
realized Immediately that one OF their
number at least had found a way to beat
Uncle Sans lottery.
Richard Parks Bland. the Democratic
silver leader. got one OF the best seats on
the Democratic side. and Gen. Grosvenor,
OF Ohio, McKinley's statician. secured his
old seat by being among the first few num-
bers drawn. Twenty-one Republicans
were forced 10 go over on the Democratic
side OF the house. and. OF course. were
obliged 10 take seats in the far of corner
OF the hall on that side This row OF seats
is known as the Cherokee strip. but never
before has the Cherokee strip had such a
distinguished list Of occupants. Among
them are a number OF the older Republi-
cans Of the house, like Gen. Henderson
OF Iowa: Mr.. Hit. OF Illinois; Mr.. Grout
or Vermont, and Seth L. Milliken. OF
Maine. Gen. Henderson, OF Iowa. occu-
pies seat number oue in the Cherokee strip
which was occupied by Hon. S. c. Hyde
during the last congress.
Special courtesy was shown 10 Repre-
sentative Dingley, the floor leader OF the
Republicans. Mr.. wadsworth. of New
York, whose name was called early. So
cured good seat which ne gave UP TO
Nr. DinFiey when the latter's name was
called. Representative Wilson. Of Brook
lyn, had q still better seat which he ex-
changed with Mr.. Dingley. taking the ore
first Chosen by Mr.. WadSworth. The lead
or OF the house Is therefore now located on
the first aisle left TO the center. four seats
back and just across the aisle from ths
seat occupied by Mr. Reed when he was
the leader OF the minority. Neither Rep
ress NATIVE jones nor Representative
Lewis name was called until very near
the close Of the drawing. Mr.. Jones' name
was called first, and he picked out an aisle
sect in the back row on the Democratic
side. Just across the aisle from him. and
the aisle Is very narrow. sits Milford w
Howard. the youthful Popalist from Ala
ma. and tbs repated author OF that in
famous book "If Christ Came 10 Con-
evess." When the name OF Mr. Lewis was
called, Mr. Jones reserved the seat next
70 him or the left. IL commands view of
the whole house. II either Ar. Lewis or