The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-28
CAPITOL NOTES AND GOSSIP.
a Missing Mer.enger.-where is Il

a Missing MessenEer.-Where is the
messenger with the electoral vote of the
| State of Tennessee? is a question being
| asked at the Capitol C. Ed Loose,
from Utah, was the last to arrive.
and now the tally is complete but
for the vote OF Tennessee. At the closing
of the session last Saturday the deln-
cuency of their States messenger was
called to the attention Of the Senators
from Tennessee, and they began sending
kilograms TO find out il, perhaps, he had
not been lost on the way TO Washington.
| 1t is very rarely that the returns are so
late in getting in. and the Tennessee
members are afraid that something has
happened TO detain thei. man. Ii he has
| lost the record of the vote. and for that
| reason has not appeared 1t will be
| rious matter for him. According to the
| statute, messenger who loses, or fails
TO deliver the message entrusted to him. Is
subject to a fine Of s1,000.
Presentation Pen.-Representative
| Brownlow Of Tennessee is happy over
having succeeded in getting through Con
gress bill to establish a soldiers home
at Johnson City in his State The bill
carries a S25o,0OO appropriation. with the
understanding that each year the same
amount will be appropriated until about
SD 600 has been expended. By all Ten
nesseeans the signing of the bill is look
| ed upon as something worthy OF being Sc
| cured in some imperlshable manner. In an
| tlclpation OF the event Mr. Brownlow is
having made a magnificent penholder. 1t
| is to be heavily encrusted with gold fila
| gree work, and is to be of fine mother of
pearl. 1t will be sent in Morocco leath-
er. silk lined case to President Mckinley
with the request that he use 1t in signing
the bill. 1t Will then be sent to the mayor
| OF johnson City with instructions 10 have
| 1t properly labeled and put among the
archives of the city.
| Mr.. Brownlow is to be honored for the
success OF his efforts. He will not admit
| 1t, but other members OF the Tennessee
| delegation say that there has already
| been started in johnson City subscrip-
| ton for monument in his honor-either
a stone shaft or a bronze memorial plate
to be put on the cornerstone of the build
| ing All the Southern members are in
terested in the soldiers home, as it will
be the only one for Southern soldiers who
! fought on the Onion side.
ton of windows is generally supposed to
| be to let in the light, and in winter to
| keep out the wind and cold. During the
| last few frosty days clerks in the Capitol
building have discovered that the win
dows there do not live up to the latter
| part OF the requirement. The sashes have
ratified in their frames, the blasts of
| Boreas have whIstled through. and the
stenographers have been driven from the
nicely lighted alcoves, into the middle of
the rooms, taking their typewriter desks
with them
These are the days when everyone in the
Capitol fees from a draft as he would
! flee from wild animal. Everyone who
has not had the grip is having 1t, or is
afraid he will have It. Everyone is sneeZ-
ing and suffering, and everyone shuns
Anything that can be remotely suspicioned
| to be breath Of fresh air. Committee
clerks sit in their overcoats and shout
Shut the door" as IL a hurricane were
passing through the room. and members
Of Congress complain that they are being
frozen TO death. Necessity and desire for
bodily comfort being the mother OF in
yention, those evils are now being grad
ually conquered by the assistance of news
papers and the paste pot. The window
frames in scores OF rooms in the building
paper scraps pasted over the cracks to
keep the chill wind out. II not slightly or
picturesque, the plan seems to be at least
q successful one. 1t has been suggested
that Congress, with an eye to its own COM
fort, might make some provision for re-
placing the worn and decaying frames by
some made at least during the last cen
fury. Another suggestion is that several
miles of weather strip properly applied
might alleviate the evil
SplrifuaIists in COngress.-AIuost
any day may be heard in the House cloak
room some rare and inexplicable tale OF
spirits. Among the Representatives are
many deeply interested in the theories of
spiritualism, themselves often taking part
in seances. The talk is often very full
of mediums frances" "materializa-
TONS spirit world" control" and
other terms peculiar to the spiritualistic
doctrines. Chief among those interested in
the spiritualist manifestations is Repre-
sentative CASTOR of Pennsylvania He has |
made life study OF il. and ranks as one |
of the most learned men on the subject |
He has pursued his investigations so far |
as to admit being a believer in some phases !
of the question. Mr.. Gaston's knowledge |
of the spiritualist doctrine and his inves- |
ligatlonS, nave made MIN known over al |
most the whole world. He has made con- |
tributions to the literature OF the subject |
which are recognized as unprecedented. He |
is the leader al the Tillydale Chautauqua |
in New York, where the spirituaiists OF |
the United States have their annual gath |
erings. Representative Brownlow OF Ten |
nessee is also interested In the subject. |
and confesses to having had several |
strange experiences with spirits that he |
frequently recites to cloak room listeners |
very effectively.