The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-03-24
WASHINGTON NOTES.

WASHINGTON NOTES.
Much OF the spice of life is gone since
congress adjourned the 4th of March.
Inc last few days were as they always
are, very exciting. A number of men.
bers who had been placed on the retired
list were doing their best to make
good showing. Jerry Simpson, mild
boylsh looking man took quite an active
part in the debates. He has certainly |
added to the CAVITY of the nation if not
TO its wisdom and will be greatly miss
ed in the house. He debates readily
and has the most seraphic grin that |
ever beheld. 1t makes one quite over
look the reported deficiency in his
wardrobe. MIR. Lewis of Washington
is another of the notable men who fail
ed to be reelected. His "sun kissed''
pink whiskers have been the subject of
many a newspaper joke but whatever
shade they may be the gray matter of
his brain is of the right color and
plenty of it.
Gen. Joe Wheeler attracted my eyes
a good deal, he looks like retired Nj
e. preacher who has worked hard and
lived plainly. One of the most drama
tic events of the last day was when
Speaker Reed refused to allow Wheeler
the floor. 1t often seems as though it
gave Reed pleasure to cut off mem.
Der who is buriing to help this down
trOdden country with speech, but this
time it was plain to be seen that he
hated to overlook Wheeler, but as the
committee on election had refused to
call Wheeler a member he had no other
way.
The Iowa members are conceded to
be the finest, strongest body in the
house with that of Maine close Sec
ond. 1t was wonderful the way they
led the house and had great measures
!. under their control 1t was therefore
). very fitting that the jubilee held after
}. the house adjourned should be led by
, Col. Dave Henderson and j. A. T..
; Hull. 1t would have done your heart
). good to have seen Henderson swing
;. ing his cane and true to his Scotch
;. blood singing Aud Lang Syne. The
;. members behaved worse than children
;. their last day at school but no one
:. grudged them their play time after the
:. awful strain of the last few weeks.
:. Mr.. Bailey of Texas made very grace.
:. fully turned speech of thanks to Speak
:. er Reed. 1t carried NV thoughts back
.. to Reeds first term as speaker when
{. words failed to express the feelings OF
:. the other side toward the Gar but that
:. as Kipling would say is another story,
=. The gallerys were filled to OVERLOOKING
:. good many had sad faces, SO many
=. we're interested in private bills that
>. had failed to pass and to whom the
:: failure meant so much. But Yester-
:. day now is a part of forever, made up
; in bundle that God holds tight"
) Since congress adjourned I have
spent good deal of time in the library
j. theme that might we'll appall train
d ed writer and cultured critic and is way
y. beyond my power. My owl case re.
!. minds me of the girl who said she had
n never seen Niagara Falls, but had heard
;. them very highly spoken Of. l had
= read much of the library building and
= had visited it before it was completed
It but my feelings upon visiting the fin
ished building were akin to those the
s girl might have had upon visiting the
= :, falls.
OF the splendid and monumental
}. building itself, it may be stated, that it
is the most perfectly adapted for the
!. convenient use and storage of books of
. any large library in the world. 1t the
y largest, the cOstliest. and the safest
1t is absolutely fireproof, not through
J any ingenious arrangement or contri.
4 vance, but by the very quality of the
materials of which 1t is built-granite,
brick, marble, iron, steel, and terra
/. of the rooms, but they are merely a
carpet of boards laid upon terra Gotta
or brick vaults. 1t would be impossible
for the library to burn down; fire
would nowhere have an opportunity to
spread. The great size of the building
is perhaps best appreciated from a
statement of the amount of some of the
materials used in it: 100000 cubic feet
of granite, 100000 enamelled brick, % :
100000 red brick, $500 tons of steel and
iron. and $4,000 barrels of cement The
draughtipg Office turned out, during
; the eight years that the library was un-
der construction, 1000 plans and draw
!; lngs. Exclusive of the cellar, the total
! floor space is ,195 square feet, or
. nearly eight acres; and the whole num-
Der of windows is about 2,l65.
. So far, however, as general interest is
J concerned, it is the magnificent series
of mural and sculptural decorations
with which the architecture is enriched
that has contributed most to give the