The evening times., 1899-03-04
NIGHT SCENES IN
THE Dying CONGRESS
Senate Transacts Business
With Dignified Weariness.
House Makes Merry With Pro
gramme Of Song.
Takes a Recess to Listen to Solos
by john Allen and Other
VOcaIists.

filled the Senate CnamDer tniS IHOrninS
when the light of a hazy day replaced the
glow of electric bulbs. Nearly everyone
of those who were making themselves as
comfortable as possible on chairs and So
fas had been awake throughout the night;
many had participated in the debates or
worked hard in committee rooms getting
the measures to be acted upon into shape.
These were the ld-timers; Senators who
have come through many a long and hard
fought parliamentary battle. They kept
the wheels of legislation moving; brushed
aside obstacles and the result of their la
bors was shown this morning when near
ly everything was cleared out of the way
by $3.50 o'clock, when a recess was taken
for an hour
That recess brought to many Senators
their first rest since the previous day and
brief as il was, it was welcome. There was
a general exodus to committee rooms,
where lounges were available, and short
maps were INDUCED in.
The night session was one of the most
interesting that has been held by the Con-
gress which passed into history today.
Early in the evening it was very lively.
The debate was vigorous and participated
in by majority OF the Senators. The gal
lerieS were filled with spectators. On the
floor of the chamber Secretary Alger sat,
conyeIsing with friends and watching the
proceedings with evident interest, until the
small hours of the morning arrived. Gov
ernor Brady of Alaska, was also on the
floor, and there were prominent visitors in
all the galleries.
Suggestive of Chaos.
The Chamber itself looked as though
wave of something more than were par
liamentary fighting had struck ii. The
floor was Uttered with papers, chairs were
disarranged, and altogether the sc>ne was
| suggestive of chaos and disorder.
For some time this appearance was
borne out by the proceedings. Little
headway could be made for long time in
| the face of a flibuster staTtsd by Ssna ors
| Carter and Warren against the River and
Harbor bill, because the conference COM
! mittec had knocked out a provision for
! irrigatng arid lands in the Northwest.
| The bill was finally recommitted TO con-
! ference for further report and affairs went
| more smoothly.
! The galleries were almost empty at
midnight and it was evident that the Sen
! ators were getting pretty tired. Some OF
them went home, many of them lounged
in the cloak rooms, but the majority re-
| mained at their desks and attended to
I business Allison and Chandler were co
| spicuous by their efforts to expedite ma
! ters Hanna looked on and did not appear
to enjoy the novelty Of missing q night s
| sleep. Mason yielded early 10 tired ma
ture and stretched himself on sofa in
the cloak room. Spooner fitted from chair
to chair. and Tillman occasionally inter
jected caustic remarks. Pettus called
German TO account rather savageiy for
missing an opportunity TO further the in
| terest of the Canal bill, and altogether the
| night was uneventful.
Vaudeville in the House.
The last night session of the Fifty fifth
Congress will long be remembered by those
who participated in it, as a decidedly lively
and altogether pleasant affair, so far as
the House Of Representatives is concern
ed. The grave statesmen at The northern
end of the Capitol did not unbend, but
in the other branch OF the National Leg
islature, the dreary round Of business was
relieved and the monotony broken by fire.
quent recesses, during which members OF
the House gathered in the Speakers lobby
and held high carnival.
For time the House resolved itself into
a Congressional glee club. and the bis
building resounded with melody Fitzger.
erald of Massachusetts, led the singing
Lewis OF Washington sang tenor. Tawney
| of Minnesota, Rhea and Evans of Kentucky
and even the venerable Grosyenor of OhiC
helped 10 swell the chorus
The merriment did not begin until al
| most o'clock this morning, when a re
| cess for thirty minutes was taken. TIL;
heaviest part of the nights work wa:
over and the members of the House wer,
like enthusiastic schoolboys as the!
streamed out of the chamber into the lob
by. Representative Fitzgerald had al
original parody on the old song, Good
by, My Lover Good-by." which containe,
topical hits on Lewis of Washington AM
others who are not coming back next year
Chorus of Fifty Voices.
A chorus of half hundred Representa-
tives and newspaper men helped to max
the song tremendous. II was followed b
number of popular airs and the enthus
lasts were still singing when the Hous
was called to order again. The inter
ruption of the diversion did not last long
however. for someone suggested a son.
from John Allen, the Mississippi privat
{ and the humorist of the House. and an
other recess was taken.
Mr.. Alien rendered. in inimitable style
about twentF-Yerses of a song familia
2 to the residents of Tupelo, Miss, AM
t thenceforth rivaled Mr.. Fitzgerald in hi
efforts to keep the ball rolling He san
Going Back to Dixie, " Marching Throug
Georgia." My Maryland THE Battl
Hymn of the Republic" and other well
, known songs and hymns. Everybody els
contributed a song, and as a wind-up Nj
Fitzgerald said:
Three Cheers for Dewey.
, Now give three cheers for our gres
e Admiral Dewey and the brave sailors VIII
S fought at Manila-everybody.'
4 The cheers were given with will, an
the singing and jollity were kept up unit
it was time to go to work again. All th
rest of the morning the singing was re
sumed whenever an opportunity offered.
Before daylight dawned. however. th
S majority Of the merrymakers had sougi
committee room lounges for brief maps. I
freshen them up for the work of the da,
| few were left in the chamber to trans
: act such business as was sent over frol
l. the Senate but the proceedings were slo
a and there was a suggestion of weariness Q
J. every face.
J. Altogether the night was lively on
It with many pleasant features to relieve tt
), monotony of work.
: A Queer Quadruped.
F'rom the London Daily News)
DR.. F. Moreno the Commissioner Of Il
Argentine Republic, who is now in tn