Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
Citisens Denied Admission to House
and Senate Galleries.
EFFORT FOR ADMISSION TO THE FLOOR
Instance When the Rule Of Exclu.
sion Was Violated.
ANDIN REG ULATIONS

The war scare has attracted thousands of
visitors to this city, and probably a large
majority Of them have been disappointed
In not getting into the House or Senate
gallery on important occasions. 1t was
severe disappointment to many of them,
last week, who desired to hear the message
Of the President read, and who found that
even in some of the public galleries ad
mission was to be obtained by card only.
Included among the disappointed ones
were a number of families of representa-
tives on the House side of the Capitol. AS
published in The Star at the time, an effort
was made to admit some of the famS6es
tC the floor, but without success.
The rule concerning admissions to the
floor Of the House reads:
The Rule In the Case.
The persons hereinafter named, and
none other, shall be admitted to the hall
Of the. House or rooms leading thereto.
viz: The President and the Vice President
of the United States and their private Sec
retaries, judges of the Supreme Court,
members Of Congress and members-elect;
contestants in election cases during the
tendency of their cases in the House, the
secretary and sergeant-at-arms Of the Sen
ate, heads Of departments, foreign minis
tiers, governors of states, the architect of
the Capitol. the librarian of Congress and
his assistant in charge of the law library;
such persons as have, by name, received
the thanks Of Congress, ex-members Of the
House of Representatives who are not in
terested in any claim, or directly in any bill
pending before Congress, and clerks Of
committees when business from their COM
mttee is under consideration and 1t shall
not be in order for the Speaker to enter
tain a request for the suspension of this
rule, or to present from the chair the re-
quest of any member for unanimous con-
sent.
Even this rule has been violated in the
past, said man connected with the
House of Representatives to a Star report
er today. "One instance of its violation
occurred the day Representative Wilson
made his tariff speech. There was great
camor for admission to the House on that
occasion, and when the galleries were filled
the families of several members appeared.
What to do with them the doorkeepers and
others did not know. 1t was thought use
less to make an effort to have the Speaker
suspend the rules, but when the time ar
rived for him to eat his lunch Mr.. Hatch
of Missouri was put in the chair. His
ton was favorable and families of many
of the representatives were soon on the
floor.
Admission to the Galleries.
The rules concerning the galleries are as
follows
Of the west gallery for the use of the Pres
ident of the United States, the members of
his cabinet, justices of the Supreme Court,
foreign ministers and suites and the men,
bers of their respective families, and shall
also set aside another portion of the same
gallery for the accommodation of persons
to be admitted on the card of members.
The southerly half of the east gallery shall
be assigned exclusively for the use of the
families of members of Congress, in which
the Speaker shall control one bench, and
on request of a member the Speaker shall
issue card Of admission to his family,
which shall include their visitors, and no
other person shall be admitted to this sec
ten"
This rule: said The Stars informant.
us by no means an ironclad one. There
have been times when the diplomatic gal
1ery was almost filled with families of rep
resentatives, and when the members of the
legations arrived it was necessary to nut
them in the Presidents gallery"