The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-24

but 1t doesn't cost you anything to walk
along through it. and besides It Is the oil
rect route TO glory. 1t is said that p. L
Elder and ]. N. Dunsmore used to tread
this hall hours and hours alone in the shall
low glamour OF the incandescent, trying tc
get their footprints fully left upon the
sands Of time.
At the west end of this hail way. big
double doors SWING into representative hal
until the session opens. when It is said
they have to be locked and barred on &C.
count of the great pressure of eloquencs
from within. Representative hall is a
rather nice looking place, with the excep-
ton of the barn-loft galleries in each end
II is the NEST poorly ventilated room IN
Kansas outside of the Hamilton hotel
Seats are arranged In double desk-row.
| with big spring Office chairs facing the
| speakers desk in the west end of the room
The new members come in early as
O'clock and begin seating their constitu-
ents by quietly feeling their Importance
! and warming the chairs. II is important
| to warm the chairs. This is year and a
jubilee when the habitual chair-warmer
came 10 the front. Half an hour before
the speaker raps for order everything is a
buzz and hum and usually remains SO
during the day.
The happy-go-lucky member walks abou,
| joshing his neighbor with hearty corn
field josh. The committee chairman. with
a gunng sack of bills. barely hitting this
| high places in his effort TO loom up and
seem rushed. This is also important. Ed
| ward, If you have the germ Of desire to be
| famous gnawing at your door. 1t will be
! necessary for you to appear so crowded
| with work that you can't stop TO talk, can
| so after your mail, can't read 1t when you
| get it--fn fact, can't spare the time TO bend
when yau sit down. AndSyou'll be great.
| Presently Speaker Street goes up to his
desk and brings down the gavel He Is a
| large well-porportioned man physically.
| Pleasant is his bearing. gray eyes, big
moustache and imperial that looks like the
| frazzled end of a fresh picket rope. Whack.
| whack Half dozen times ''Order! Cen
| tlemen take their seats. Lobby will re-
| tire''-and the house is in session. Then
| the fun begins. Generally about the first
| thing that happens is the introduction of a
batch of bills and resolutions. This is done
| by about fifteen men jumping straight into
| the air and throwing big roll OF manu-
script about their heads in a sort of hys-
teric gyration and giving Mr.. Speaker the
| wink. Getting on the floor first cuts no
| ice in mob of this kind. To be recogniz-
ed you must stand in with the presiding Of
ficer and apply before hand. Most of the
Populst resolutions get in first, for the
speakers heart is on that side-provided,
however, that this shall not be construed
to mean that Charley Lobdell and Judge
Cubberson ever failed to call the aggrega-
ton down when they undertook 1t. Over
on the Populist side there are about five
men who do the work. Bill Blown of
Pratt is coacher for that side, He is of
medium statue, Slightly stopped, close
drawn, determined features. He is a young
man but an old member on the Pcpulist
side. He is not considered radical except
in his ideas of railroad legislation. He
shoots straight at his work when he getst
up to speak He sits in front half-facing
the members of his own side and when
some man gets up and offers anything that
he thinks is uncalled for, he simply turns
around with the interjection. "Oh bosh!'
If this Is seconded by Weilep OF Cherokee
and approved by Brown of Cowley and
Barley of Elk, the resolution expires sud-
denly and Internationally.
L. c. Weilep, who sits in the back row
next to the center aisle, is by long odds
the best parliamentarian on that side OF
the house. His Dutch training impedes
his English some, but it's cold day when
Neleps mead fails 10 work.
c. L. Brown of Arkansas City is
round-faced, pleasant free silver Republi-
can, who does more work than talking.
This is the machinery Of the Popuist side.
There are others. but, Edward. II you hap
pen to incline to the faith of Bryan, Alt
geld and Blood up-to-the-b ridle-bits Waite,
you wouldn't want me to describe them
ALL There are several who appear to have
carried the burden of reform under their
hats for several years. This has result
ed IN making their heads as barefooted as
Whittier's little chief and in some instances
has generated a wheel-work action of the
cerebrum Some of them have no more
idea of proper legislation than Archimedes
had of bicycle. However. they have adj
yanced well enough along 10 initiate older
members in calling the pages. This they
90 by Shaping their hands in about the
same style that they start Shep after the
unruly bunch Of swine in the cucumber
patch at home II you want TO see
living picture of the present legislature,
Edward, my boy, 90 TO some very inlani
literary society and watch them 90 through
the performance once or twice and you can
speak authoritstively or write q book on
Life al the Capitol or Behind the Scenes
in opeka.'
Murat Halstead. the Great Brooklyn edi- |
tor. visited Topeka yesterday and was i1- |
vIted to make an address in representative |
hall.
Barkiey OF Elk offered a resolution "to |
invite Mr. Murst Hslstesd, editor Of the |
Louisville Courier-JournaI. 70 speak for |
ten minutes." It was adopted and Mr.. !
Hslstead was escorted TO the speakers |
desk. Speaker Street said:
Gentlemen. / have the honor 70 intro |
duce the Hon. AIurst Halstssd. editor ot i
the Louisville Courier-Journsi one-an'-
one OF the most honorable men OF that /
state"
Cubbison looked across az Lobde1 and |
they exchanged smiles, while Nr. HslsteaI /
said:
There are so many ohioans here that
must oorrec; the slight geographical error
% the speaker. I have rot the honor 10 be
q citizen CT The state OF Kentucky"
Saving this he took I'd a glass Of water.
looked around significantly. and proved
that he was not kensuckisn. while the
galleries reared
y have heard and read great deal OF
Kansas" Mr.. HaIs;ead continued And
since coming here I am not surprised
This sentence was not qualified.
Here are sunny skies. broad fields and
may people And 1 used 20 regret that
.rstesd OF going west l went towsei the
Atlantic slope snd cast my latter fortunes
sith essserners
Mr.. HaisieaE Was seen by the Esgie cor
respondent and asked What &c really |
thought Of Kansas.
Il can hardly say ] have act become
much acquainted a. yet
What &C you think OF this leg.slatursT
NJ. Hai<,esd smiled. sink-d hhs osas-
eye, and sad:
''oh-am-reH. we must look over suca