Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-03-11
GRAVE SENATORS "BOOzY."

How Drunken Statesmen Were DisgustinEiy
Conspicuous During the Closing Hours Of
the Senate on Thursday.
Washington Correspondence New York Evening
Post S1
Representative Morse OF Massa-
chusetts spent some time in the Senate
chamber during the night session, col
lecting object lessons for his next adj
dress on tbs liquor question. The scene
recalled the memorable closing night
of the Fifty-first Congress. Very early
IN the night Senator Hoar discovered
how things were drifting, and his dis.
gust resulted in the angry clash with
MIR. Quay. The Pennsylvania Senator
had all day been trying to defeat the
amendment to tho Naval bill reducing
the price of armor plate to $500 ton.
He had resorted 10 all sorts OF OBJ
structiye tactics to this end, but was
either absent or 10 state OF mental
iuadyertence when the final conference
report on the bill came in and was
adopted, thus disposing OF the whole
subject.
Alta later stage, evidently surprising
that the Naval bill was still before the
Senate. he rose and called the attention
of the chair to the apparent absence OF
Quorum. As this meant the long
delay incidental to roll call, and as
the suggestion was obviously for OBJ
structi,e purposes alone, MIR. Hnar was
netted. Mr. Quay, with his hair
rumpled, his eyes wearing the peculiar
droop which they always do when he
is on mischief bent, and his finger
clutching an unlighted cigar. certainly
did not present an orderly and sym
metrical appearance.
Mr.. Hoar protested against the roll
call. remarking that any one Senator
under the Influence of liquo. could
block the proceedings OF the whole
Senate with such weapon. This
drew from Mr.. Quay the prompt and
snappish retort that if the Senator from
Massachusetts, meant to intimate that
he Quay was under the influence OF
liquor, the Senator was climatic and
| liar. Naturally the Senate was
shocked, and it took a good while for
the sensation TO wear off.
In little while. however. the Sena-
tors we're hanging their heads and
hiding their faces behind their hands to
! conceal their merriment at the antics
of really intoxicated Senator, who,
| with unsteady eyes and voice, was
| thicEly warning bis colleagues that il
they persisted in ignoring the demands
of American labor. they would find
themselves impaled upon the pickets Of
patriotism which are ON the outworks. u
The author of this remarkable figure oil
speech became presently such terror
| to his fellows on the floor that seyera
of them united with the presiding Officer
to suppress him. He was continually
arising TO take further part in the de
bate, but two or three OF tho conspira
tors would rise at the same moment
and the chair would recognize one o
the others and cut the bihulous gentle
man off.
Another Senator bubbled over on tht
subject of the sympathy hs felt will
the laboring people and then proceeded
to take tine Senate into his confidence
as to his own experience, telling hov
painfully poor his family were
and how he had gone barefooted as
boy, and worked his way through col
lege. and run into debt, but afterwarl
paid everything off. thank God, DC
&c. And so the entertainment went on