Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-12-25

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Sg@z- Simon ,rrTTIi great are e0 seereey. ~i'n
W~ ii i : ely on the part Of
the legis ators and government officials
is required by modern public opinion IN
Washington. There is thought to be not
a single e, cessive thinker among all Of
the members of both of the present
houses and among all of the higher gov
eminent officials. Men still in middle
life can remember when there were ac-
tual drunkards among men in high place
in Washington. Less than fifteen years
ago a member of the lower house was TO
be seen riding about the main streets IN
| carriage with his legs dangling out OF
the windows from which he had playfully
kicked the glass, ar 5awling at the top
| of his lungs. Less than ten years have
passed since Washington witnessed the
| spectacle of a United States Senator ris-
| ing to address the Senate while in con-
| ditiOn of such drunkenness that he had to
| hold on to his desk His Aumiliated
| wife and daughter witnessed the scene
| from one of the galleries. A cultivated
| man by nature and training, this Senator
| talked on this occasion like any long
| shoreman tipsy with mixed ale; and when
he was on the point of falling down
where he stood, he was virtually carried
out of the chamber. He never address
ed the Senate again, but died the death
of drunkard not long afterward.
No More (arousals.
Less than quarter of a century ago
| the sight of a pair Of legislators or gov
eminent officials Keeling arm-in-arm
/ through the streets of Washington evok-
ed only indulgent smiles on the part of
those who witnessed it. Such a pair
exhibiting themselves now would stand
nationally dir ced. Carousals no long
er take place in the capitol The last
of these happened on the House side
| about ten years ago. Huge bowls of
| steaming punch ornamented the tables of
most of the committee rooms. The negro
| committee room attendants kept replen-
| ishing the bowls all night, Congressman
swayed through the corridors with flush
| ed faces, their voices pitched high. Even
those members who were abstemiOus by
| habit caught the infection and drank far
more than was good for them. Along to-
| ward . or O'Clock in the morning the
| fun in the committee rooms became fast
and furious. A party of singing black
| boys were impressed from the street and
hired to sing in one of the committee
rooms for the de.ectation of the hilari-
| Gus members. From singing they got TO
| engaging in buck and wing dancing, tc
| the music of harmonious, banjos and
| guitars, and a number of the Legislators
actually patted for them. The sounds OF
| the hot time reached the House chamber,
| and most of the men, Dsrs 1ocked out to
join in the carnival. When the first gray
streaks of dawn began to make the gas
| Illuminated glass rdof look wanly yellow
| members by the dozen We're snoring in
their seats, and others were stretched
out in unconventional attitudes, asleep on
| the sofas around the sides and back OF
the chamber.
| Time was, and not so very long ago,
when the cold tea" joke was one of the
| pet waggish phrases among many of the
| Washington Legislators. The lawmaker,
| while making speech, would pause,
| pick up from his desk a small pitcher
| filed with whisky and water, and, with
a smile, would remark, II crave the in
| diligence of the Speaker and of the gen
| tlemen of the House, while address my
| self to this cold tea" whereuPon every
body would be expected to laugh while
| tbs waggish statesman took a few gulps
| of the whisky and water from the pitch
er. 1t is safe TO say that no Senator or
| Representative would do that nowadays
| Tot any amount of money.
| Liquor is still, or was during the last
| ses sion, served in tea cups in the Senate
reftaurant, Just to take the sin away
| as one of the Senators put it, and the
members of the lower house who take
| their little nips at stated intervals see to
| it that they are well screened from the
| general view while thus refreshing them
selves. Not so many years ago about
| every committee room in both wings of
the capitol contained well-flled liquor
cabinets, but most of these have been
routed out.
Personal encounters. once quite COM
mon between lawmakers. no longer oc-
cur. Less than % years ago two cabinet
members INDUCED in rough andtumble
fight over a game of cards. Big poker
games once were common under the big
| dome. The games went on in the com
mittee rooms in both Of the wings of the
capitol, and no pretense of keeping them
secret was made. Participants in these
games would be hastily summoned 10
their respective legislative chambers TO
vote, and, having answered to their
names. would hustle back to the cards
| with all speed. Notorious lobbyists would
be permitted or actually invited. to sit
| into" these games, aud stories are still
| told of how these lobbyists would COM
PLEASANTLY lose thousands and tens of
| thousands Of dollars 10 men whose good
viii they relied upon in immediate or
future contingencies. There are also
stories of card parties and drinking bouts
| given by some OF these lobbyists at their
headquarters to the legislators. the ia
| yors distributed among the guests being
bills of large denominations furtiyely
tucked into overeoat pockets while the
| garments hung in the hall
The legislators Of to-day would no more
think of playing cards in she committee
rooms than they would think of throw
| ing rocks at the statue OF Washington.
They wouldn't even play old maid or
grab or casino behind closed doors in
the committee rooms lest the fact of
their manipulating the pasteboards
should leak cut and they should be sus-
pected OF engaging in game Of chance
for money. or course, those of the leg
islators who enjoy their little or their
big little game Of draw permit them
selves the indulgence at their quarters
| with boon colleagues as tablemates. when
night has fallen and the business OF the
| dew tS knE h.