The times., 1898-12-06
HEARD UNDER THE DOME.

| without its picturesque and humorous in
| cidents, and one of these occurred on the
| noor OF the House soon after Messrs.
| Dingley, Bailey and Cannon had been
| named as committee to wait upon the
President in company with similar SEN
| ate committee, and inform him that Con-
| sress was ready for business
Mr.. Dingley offered the resolution pur-
suant to which the committee was named
| and while this formality was taking place
| Mr.. Cannon was engaged in unfolding
some sort of a tale TO a circle of friends
and did not hear his name announced as
member of the committee. and neither
did the friends who were listening to his
tale.
Mr.. Dingley had been sitting near the
group of which Mr.. Cannon was the CEN
ter, and when he CDingley) arose to start
about fulfilling the purpose of his resolu-
ton he beckoned to Mr.. Bailey, who sat at
the other side of the House. to follow.
suppOsing all the while that the third
member of the committee was coming up
| the aisle behind him.
Mr. Dingley and Mr.. Bailey met in the
| rear of the chamber and both suddenly re-
| marked the absence of Mr.. Cannon. They
began a search for their missing colleague
! on the errand in hand and looked for him
| in every part of the house except where
he had been sitting. for 1t was supposed
that he had quilted his seat when the
names Were announced and had subse-
| quently become submerged in a group Of
| associates and lost to view.
II was several minutes before the halt
in proceedings became generally noticed.
and then some one hurried down the aisle
to end the absorbing tale and start Mr..
Cannon on his way. But Mr.. Cannon
was just arriving at climax, and waved
! the disturber away without listening to
what he had to say
| BY now the situation had attracted the
attention of nearly the entire House, and
| some one close at hand announced in "a
loud voice:
MIR. Cannon, you have been named on
"a committee of three to wait upon the
! President. The committee is waiting for
| you
Mr.. Cannon looked around studied the
| situation for a second and said: "Oh.
| well; | was through anyway" this to his
listeners as he hurried up the aisle. leav-
| ing them wreathed in smiles.
| Gen. Grosvenor of Ohio appeared on
the floor of the House yesterday with Il
| pink fastened in his coat lapel He al
ways wears a pink. and his friends are
wont 10 ask him jocularly. from one ses-
sion to another. if that flower never willis.
But it never does. which is to say that
it is always a fresh pink of the same col
! or and dimensions which the general
| wears, and not an artificial flower
One picturesque parsonage was lacking
TO complete the scene in the House yes
l hgt Hamilton
| Lewis of Washington. His absence Wa
deeply regretted. for if there is one day
In a session of Congress upon which Mr.
Lewis may be allowed TO shine and -four
ish without anybody caring. that day is
| the one which opens new session There
is less dignity in the body on these oc-
casons. less business and more time Il
waste.
One facetious member of the House pre-
pared during his idle moments resolu
tion expressing the deep grief of th'
body over the passing of Mr. Lewis. witt
much alleged wit at the expense of Ger
tain famous set of whiskers. But th'
resolution was withheld, and amused only
the few who were permitted TO read it.
Senator Mason of Illinois was one o
many who declined to give any expression
of opinion as 20 the Presidents messag
yesterday afternoon. In declining. how
ever. he said he was reminded of a stor,
of a similar interview which was aske,
and given some time ago.
1t was in reference to the message o
President Harrison TO The Fifty-first Con
sress. Senator Mason was then a repre-
sentative. and as earnest as he is now il
looking after the interests of mis- Chiea
go constituents. After the reading of tn
message a correspondent called on hin
and asked for an opinion.
Il do not think that | can give an in
telligent opinion on the message" sal
Mr.. Mason. until know who is going L
be made collector of internal revenue 70
Chicago"
But added Senator Mason yesterday
that isn't the reason today. / was :
frequently interrupted that l did not hea
the document read, and consequently ca
say nothing about it yet
Representative Bromweli of Ohio wa
in his seat in the House yesterday. look
ing pale and weak. He has been sufferin
from a severe attack of nervous prostra
ton, brought on. as he himself states, b
too much hankering for pie.
To a suggestion that this would caus
indigestion rather than nervous prostra
ton Mr.. Bromwell replied that the pi
of which he spoke was political and nc
actual. He had broken himself dow
working to get war patronage for his cor
stituents.
remarkable floral tribute. and or
less desirable as an ornament or a thin
of beauty than as token of esteem, wa
the elaborate product of the flower dc
. signer's ingenuity which reared its.l
from the top Of the desk OF Senator Cul
lom at the opening of the Senate yester
day. 1t was huge SCROLL partly un
rolled, made of white and colored in,
mortelles and pink roses. Across the toI
J of red immortelles. was the word. 1--WE
. come" and beneath it, IN red, white, an
, blue, was a small floral flag Below tn
emblem were the initials IS NJ. c."
5 The whole thing was between three an
, | four feet high. and rested on a wi.
screen. When in position it obscured
considerable portion Of the chamber fro
t the senator. II was placed on Mr.. Gu
lom's desk before his arrival by tw
pages, and was carried out immediatel
after the opening prayer.
There were several other rather COZ
. spicuous floral pieces in the Senate We.
t terday. One was floral flag. which ii
admirers of Senator Mason placed on h
desk. 1t was made of red white, an
, blue immortelles. and while not so Iars
$ as Senator Cullom's scroll it was 81
ficiently expansive to conceal the geni;
features and ample breadth of the II.
nois statesman. Another vivid group