The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-01
DRINKS IN THE CAPITOL.
The Hole in the Wall and the Com
 mittee Rcom Sideboards.


 Chscago Tribune.
 Now that some of the followers of the water wagons in the House and Senate arc threatening to abolish the sale of liquors from the restaurants of the great building on the hill, and the Washington authorities have imposed fines of 500 each on the keepers of the House and Senate restaurants, it Is interesting t. look back and see how the liquid refreshments were dispensed in the days gone by.
 When Webster Calhoun and other leg islative giants wanted to wet their whistles when engaged in making and unmaklng laws for their country, they visited what was known as the Hole in the Wall" small room not far re- moved from the postoffice of the Senate, which at that time occupied the present Supreme Court Chamber. This small cir cular room, which got the name of the Hole in the Wall" was likewise the first restaurant the upper house ever knew, and, as may well be imagined, the menu was not to be compared to that of the present day restaurant, the great states men being satisfied with a sandwich of cold beef, tongue, ham, turkey, or few hard-boiled eggs.
 While the feed" was slow, the fluid was plentiful. and of the best adulterated and blended whiskys not being tolerated. The liquor was good. and as a rule the big men took big drinks. The Hole in the Walr' was for the convenience of Senators and members and 1t was seldom that the ordinary citizen managed to get a chance to let the place know his pres cree. Of course, the statesmen were per mitted to take their friends in for friendly bumper. sbut the proprietor gem erally turned them out when not accom- mi aA 1.tt faff To some extent the Hole in the Wall" was a blind tiger and the proprietor was afraid of being pulled"
 When the new Senate wing of the Cap itol was finished provision was made in it's basement for the present restaurant and postoffice. Later on the library ab- sorbed the old postoftice, incidentally talk ing in the Hole in the Wall" but today the litle circular room remains as a re- hinder of legislative corvivalitles of the days long ago.
 When the Hole in the Wall" disap- poared there sprung up the sideboard ad- junct for the committee rooms, and these fourished with a high hand for many years, and, in truth. some of these wet goods arrangements still hold good in few of the roojns of The haVe-all- -he-wants Sena tors. These sideboard arrangements were fearfully abused Dy many who were permitted to visit the rooms. and finally they were regarded as nuisance. And, too some of the papers throughout the country began to mako a protest at the larg sumg annually set fo:th by the Sec retary of the Senate as having been ex- pended for "snuff, quinine, bears oil, pills" etc, but which, in fact, went for the genuine old Indian figh:er. The con- mittee room bar was anything but suc- cess and gave the Senators vast amount of annoyance from the fellows who were ever ready to panhandle little liquid re- treatments.
 It was in 1866 that Henry Wilson intro duced a resolution In Congress abollshing the sale of whisky in the building The resolut on passed, but It was never ef- fe3tive, and from that lay to the present tt has not been difficult for drink hunter to get all ho wanted. although at inter- vala it has been announced that the sale of liquor had ceased.