The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-10

cinches mentioned above The public
idea that the body has aristocratic tend
encies comes from the large number OF
rich men in it and their social ambitions.
A senator, one in moderate circum-
stances, said to me: "A man should have
$4,000 income to be a United States sen
ator. You become every body's servant.
You must do things for your constituency.
A rich senator can have corps OF clerks
to do everything, and can enjoy himself
and his position. A poor senator can
not"
I suppose If you would take a single
United States senator anywhere alone ne
wculu randiate about him the idea Of
greatn~ 3 Ninety Of them together dis
sipate this effect entirely. In other words
a herd Of lions lacks the majesty Of a
single lion.
The impression you get in facing this
herd Of political lions is that these are
men of superior ability, who through for
| tune or fortunate environment or oppor-
tunity have arrived at this high estate
! and, If you are not after job, you feel
that there is material in the United
States for thousand senates. I asked
/ a common American citizen in the gallery
| about this-he was from Kentucky-and
he said that was his opinion, too. OF
course, no senator could believe any such
thing
You wander over to the house gallery
and find it in a futter over the arrival
/ Of the British ambassador and 1.-The
queens granddaughter" who is visiting
here. They are in the diplomatic gallery
and are watching the house. The house
doesn't know it,
! This is what is taking place on the
! floor and I will try to give it without
the least exaggeration. You have heard for
years that most of the speeches in con-
| gress are delivered for the benefit Of con-
| stituents and are made to be printed in
| the Congressional Record and distributed
/ to the voters. You have heard for years
! that congress doesn't listen to long
| speeches. But until you see it you can
not realize just what this means
The end Of the session IS only two days
away. Time is valuable. Every body IS
rushing 10 get something through. TIE
house opens A red-heade1 man f en-
/ New York rises and sends a aataH Of
aHidavits vindicating himself on some
thing newspaper has charged HIM WITH.
| The house listens about two minutes and
then begins 10 converse. write iet' rs,
! read newspapers. The man from New
York sits down and Mr.. Miers of Indi-
ana I think, arises and gets. recognition.
Miers is all dressed up in a Prince Albert.
He wears boutiniere His hair is sleeked
down tight. He is going to deliver
speech against Henry Clay Evans on a
/ certain pension procedure. 1t is ire
mendous speech, but the shorthand re-
NH ic ir 20
Congressional Record has to take his note
book and go right up to the speaker to
catch what he is saying Miers warns
up in his speech and talks louder and
louder He raises his hands above his
head and shakes his fist on high and
grows redder and redder in the face. Oc-
easionally you catch phrase or two. He
wants to say now that "by the eternal
this thing must stop" He wishes to call
the attention of this house" to some
thing and asks if the house will grant this
as an accepted fact.
Now the house knows nothing about it.
Although Miers is making the speech of
his life, no one Is listening to it. Every
body is busy talking to somebody else,
the rest are rushing about on business.
In the next seat to Miers is a man who
must be his friend, probably a close in
innate friend. You think that this man
would be listening. But he is not He is
writing letters. Occasionally he Will look
up at the excited speaker in an abstract
ed way, as if he thought that perhaps
Mers was having a fit, and then he viii
bend over again and continue scratching
away with his pen. No one, as a matter
of fact, is listening. Even the speaker is
holding a conversation with some one.
But Miers does not omit a gesture; ne
does not for q moment relax from the
attitude of a man who IS holding a vast
audience spell-bound. When he makes a
! telling point. he paUses as if he were in
terrupted by wild and frenzied applause
But no one has known that he has mo-
mentarily ceased. No one knows he has
talked or viii talk again.
You have great sympathy for Mr.. Niers
during his speech The conduct Of the
house upon the whole is the rudest thing
you ever saw. A neighbor tells you that
this is the custom of the house and that
Miers doesn't mind it at all. But Miers
does mind it. for when he sitsdown ne has
a look of disgust on his face big enough
to wreck a freight train. Miers is a Dem
ocrat, and Republican gets up and de-
clares that what Miers said is not true
A shorthand reporter has rushed over
to the Republican to take down what he
says, for the house is not quiet N1iers
does not reply. He is sitting IN his chair
still with that look of disgust
Does the house ever listen? When a
man has a reputation 1t listens, and then
when a man without a reputation makes
a speech the contrast, to the reputation
less, must be calling. For instance the
Mississippi levee Question is up. \ Mr.
Burt0n of Ohio explains IL suceinctIy
while the house IS silent. Senator Payne
Of New York attacks it and is listened to-
Mr. Catchings Of Mississippi makes a long
speech about it and is listened TO. and is
given great applause His speech was
thin, but Catchings has been in congress
4 long time and is a fine speaker. Hep
You hav great sympathy for Mr.. Niers
as death. He makes short speech. the
burden Of which is that fifteen years ago
he advocated just what the Democrats
are now advocating ans they then fought
IT. There is no point to his speech, but
there is Wild applause because Hepburn
said it. Allen OF Mississippi the wit OF
the house. arises. The house is stiu. He
IS very funny man. He says several
witiess things at which the house laughs
heartily because Allen said It
Then another man who has no reputa-
ton starts 10 say something. Instantly
the house begins its conversation again
and the speaker rounds out his periods
and unloads q complete SET q modern