The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-05

A HUNGRY SET
Luncheons Are important Affairs
With Them.
AND THEY BUY LIQUOR, TOO
SPIRITS SOLD IN THE CAPITOL
BUILDING.
Special Correspondenee0

Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON. May 1.-The Grid
w iron club once described congress
as being two debating societies.
which held forth over two unlicensed
canteens. The definition is, in a meas |
ure. highly appropriate. 1t might be
added, however. that for several hours
each day these two debating societies
hold session in these same unlicensed
canteens; for much legislation is
launched with the aid of bowls OF
milk or something stronger.
Morning prayer is over. The house
and senate calendars rustic in the
lahcs OF the lawmakers, and the dishes
( clatter in the two unlicensed canteens
under the legislative halls. Woe be-
I tide the new member who chooses that
/ time to bore the assembly with his
I maiden speech on why Government
| clerks Should Have Longer Hours"
mere IS mighty pleader inside nu-
/ nerous Irock coats which urges "for
/ thy stOmaeh'S sake" An Immaculate
] New Yorker starts the exodus. New
/ Workers have the luncheon habit bad.
I A hungry Missourian follows to sun
/ port his failing strength until the din
ner hour, which has somehow gotten
down into the tail of the day since he
/ came to Washington. Jolly sam"
| Powers is every ready for a light col
lation, as they say UP in Massachu-
sets, and his disappearance from the
chamber is suggestive.
In the House Restaurant.
The exodus becomes general. and
hhaliy drags into its wake the new
/ mans only listener, a member who
mas reached a sort Of sophomore stage.
he mas the house restaurant crowded
10 its capacity. Even the ladies' din
ing room is full, and Representative
Newlands, who refuses to eat anywhere
else, is taking the last seat in the
I members room" The congressional
soph sidles up to the buffet and tries
| 10 make believe that he has Just
moment for bite, while all the time.
| deep down in his soul, he knows that
luncheon is just as much an event Of
the day as the chaplain's opening
prayer or the evening adjournment He
fOrgets to hustle back because a wiley
odd timer" gets him interested in rec
iprocity for Cuba and a bottle of self
zer that's mixing up with something
else. When he does remember that
his country will go to the demnition
bow-wows if he is not upstairs to save
II, ne leaves convinced that beet sugar
can be best protected by free trade for
Cuba and wonders what the ID the
gentleman from Mississippi meant by
suggesting the abolition Of that con-
Venient buffet in the capitol.
From II a. m. until the house ad-
JournS, there is a constant stream Of
members, employees and visitors pour
ing IN and out Of the house restaurant.
L
back and forth under watchfuI eye Of
Mr.. Coffin himself, who. whether drink
/. ing how with a congressman, or
speaking a word to a pretty woman,
sees everything He must just coin
money, said a commercial visitor one
day. When an exclamation of this
kind reaches Mr.. Coffin. he is won't to
remark: But you ought to see the Off
days, the recesses and the adjourn
. ments. and the summer VacatiOn-and
/ the payroll Why, there's the chef and
: his assistant, second assistant, third
{ assistant, fourth assistant, sculliOn, two
oyster men, dish washers, expert glass
washers" His fingers give out as he
goes on to enumerate walters. bar
keepers, etc, etc. The whole check for
! that room won't amount to S." and he
) indicates with tragic sweep of the
hand a room filed with venerable mem
bers eating bread and milk At the
very entrance. the Watchdog of the
Treasury is finishing a bowl Of musf
and milk. "Of course. we make Up for
it in here where the congressman
| bring their guests. and then. you know
a member always spreads himself on
a constituent"
/ Want a Government Cafe.
But the house and senate restaurants
/ are losing money. As a proof of this
Messrs. Page and Coffin are agitating
the question Of a government estab-
2 ilshment- They propose that the gov
eminent shall undertake the whole en-
! terprise, retaining them to manage II
! on a fair salary, and serving patrons
{ at cost prices. The latter stipulation
Z would doubtless increase the popular
ity of these dining rooms to an unde-
1 sirable extent. and would probably ne
c7ssitate a limitation of their privileges
- to members and their guests and en-
D ployes. There is also a public mora
81 side to this question. How can Unclt
e Sam assume the role of drink-mixel
for his legislators? He viii afford Z
new theme for the caricaturist when HI
becomes a barkeep.
=. But how about the thirsty senat tor
There has been much buttoning o
frock coats during the morning hour.
In the committee rooms The tinkle o.
, telephone calls has been continuous
Engagements to lunch with senator,
are as much sought as tickets to presi
Dental receptions. The senate restau
. rant fills rapidly after ? O'Clock. Ger
e tain senators are favorites, and a mem
I Der Of the committee on rules, unde
e which the conduct Of the restauran
q falls, can have anything he wants
! though il take a culinary miracle T.
: secure it.
e Luncheon is a serious feature Of tn
legislative day. Senator's make regu
! lar appointments with each other L
y discuss a bit Of in9ide politics or
: party issue at lunch Members Of diff
: ferent political faiths, who rant a
II each other within the senate chamber
II bury their differences when the res
e taUrant is reached, and fraternize owe
= pie and milk. or Lynn Haven Bays. a
= the season warrants.
3 Eating With big" Men.
y Constituents are tickled into a fer
d vent adherence by an invitation TO tax
j. luncheon with their senators. They &
# home and tell about the big men the
n saw and what they ate, and how 9TH
10 senator knows 'em all"
It is interesting. We may not re
ir alize it. but, honestly, we have som
l. clever men in the north wing of tn
capitol. One sees them more nearl
e from an adjoining table than from tn
y galleries and they seem more them
~ selves. often quite jolly and human
n And the things they eat
% What was the strangest Iuncheo
hi YOU remember
s. wei, 1 guess that the dish tbs
re Congressman Crout OF Vermont use
u 10 order is about as unique as any