The evening times., 1899-11-28
9HH CAPITOL PREPARED.
Pleasant, WeIl-Furnished Rooms
Await the Nations Legislators.
Members of Congress- Have Begun
Their Daily Visits to the structure.
and They Express Themselves as
Well Pleased With the Removal
tfOns That Have Been Made.

The Republican and the Democratic
| members of the House of Representatives
will hold caucuses next Saturday in the
when the members arrive there they will be
pleased with the renovations that have
| been made, and its cheerful and tidy ap-
pearance. The dark green carpet, which
did service on the floor during the Fifty
fifth Congress has been replaced by a
warm looking red one, with black vine
running through it. The desks and chairs
have been cleaned and vanished and the
walls and ceiling have received touches
from the painters brush where needed.
There yet remain a few finishing touch
es to be made in the circle in front of the
Speakers desk and some oiling and var
nishing to be done on the desks of the
clerks and that of the Speaker. The COM
mittee rooms are now prepared to receive
the Representatives whom, the Speaker will
designate to occupy them, the cloak rooms
have been made unusually comfortable for
the smoking and gossiping statesmen VINO
are prone to steal away from the routine
Of business for a half hour. The lobby
has also been attended to with care, and
the old furniture and the choice portraits
in it have been made as inviting in ap-
pearance as the material would permit.
The press gallery, from which room is
telegraphed to all parts of the civilized
world the thoughts and utterances Of the
men who make laws, is yet undergoing
renovation, but it will be in excellent con-
dition by the last of the week. In fact,
every possible thing has been done during
the vacation of Congress by the Architect
of the Capitol and his staff, to make the
building pleasant and desirable for those
who will be compelled to spend great
portion Of each day there for the next seven
or eight months.
The changes at the Senate end of the
building have already been described in
detail. 1t is only necessary to say that the
work of the decorator, painter. and up
holsterer has been well done and the re-
suits will meet the appreciation of Senators
and visitors. Painters are still employed
about the windows on the exterior of the
Senate wing, but this labor will be finished
before Saturday.
AS yet there has not been any formal
conference held at the Capitol for the pur-
pose of discussing matters pertaining TO the
Fifty sixth Congress, but daily a number
Of Representatives meet each other there
in an informal way. and discuss the politi-
cal situation. The principal thing that at
tracts Representatives to the House at
present is in their mail. The postoffice is
now being provided with their washington
addresses.
Among the employees at the Capitol there
is much uneasiness for they do not know
whether the incoming Congress will re-
place them by others or not. This is not
only true of clerks, readers, etc, but also
of the pages, messengers. and the hun
dreds of men who are employed in the va
rious parts OF the huge building. Owing
TO the failure Of large number of Repub-
L. L Z. tr4
possible that the patronage held by these
defeated members will be redistributed and
that many persons will be removed TO make
room for an equal number of newcomers.