The National tribune., 1903-01-15
FIFTY-SEvENTH CONGRESS.

FIFTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS.
Representative Eddy, of Minnesota, en-
tertained a number of his friends at a
"venison" lunch in the Senate restaurant
the other day. The hanch of yenison was
sent to Mr.. Eddy from Minnesota. by a
friend, and he has been censured by some
of his Minnesota friends for eating venison
killed out of season.
What has become of the wounded honor
of Mr.. Bailey, of Texas? How has he
managed to safve it so as to meet the dap
per little Senator from Indiana who go
grievously walked all over the feelings of
the Gentleman from Texas, subj" The
incident seems to be closed, and is a strik-
ing illustration of the several various
kinds of fool man can be when he de-
iiberately sets out to achieve fame by the
wounded honor" route.
One of the queer things that Congress
still persists in doing despite the fact that
the country has long outgrown such things.
is that of euiogiZing dead members months
after the demise of the statesman. These
eulogies are usually pronounced on a Sat
urday afternoon, are the stiffest, coolest.
most perfunctory affairs that anybody
was ever forced to listen to. Some of the
men so eulogized lived lives so blistered
with faults that-well. 1t seems to be
necessary to salve the feelings of the rela-
tives by making saints out of some men.
and the Congressional Record is loaded
up with a lot of stuff about the "distin-
guished' mans career, and "the useful life
cut short in its prime. 1T is the same
| thing that obtains in all funeral eulogies.
If these eulogies were pronounced at
| once, it would seem less of shrieling
| sham, but Congress always awaits for
day when there is no business of particular
importance pressing, and the memory of
the distinguished dead" is then hauled
out OF its already dusty pigeon hole, while
| handful of his colleagues droDe through
two or three hours to an audience of a
dozen, sometimes less. The funereal tones
deemed appropriate for the eulogies echo
and re-echo through the empty hall till it
seems filed with Hamlet's fathers ghosts
who have come to hold high carnival All
the business of the House has to stop.
hence this afternoon of eulogy costs the
Government some $4,000. for all the
dreary proceedings have to be printed In
handsome book form for "distribution. ~
| The family usually takes 100 or so, the
rest of the 5000 lie in the musty cellars
of the Capitol. to gather mold and mildew
| and finally are distributed" to the old
paper man.
Only few years ago the death Of a
| member of the House or Senate was the
sure forerunner of funeral junket. for
of course the dead statesman's body had
to be carried to his home State This
meant an escort of members of the two
Houses, special train fitted out with dain-
~ viands and wines, and the latest litera-
ture, cards, chess and such amusements
to beguile the weary hours. II cost as
high as S50.0O0-for special trains espe-
cially fitted up come high. When Senator
PETER, of Kansas, arrived on the scene
he witnessed one display in the Senate
Chamber. Just one. and then opened
upon the whole farce the full walls of his
Populistic wrath. The smoke of incense
had scarcely been aired out of tile stately
old chamber when he proceeded to roast
the customs that had grown into inflexi,
ble laws.
That is about the only claim that Sen.
ator PETER has to fame. He practically
ridicnled Congress into semi-reforms In
its funeral customs. and his name ought to
live for that one thing, if for no other
There is much yet to be desired, but the
leaven seems to be working, for the House
has designated Sunday ns a eulogy day
, in two or three latter instances. This
at least, does not stop the public bust
ness. Neither does II insure an audience
for the average member of Congress muci
prefers his smoking jacket and the Suuda,
newspapers to the stupidity of two houri
. of mournfully phrased pharisaic eulogies
Representative Fitzgerald, of New
York. has introduced a bill directed
against the promiscuous use of photo
graphs OF notable people as advertise
ments. The latest outrage of this charac
3 ter is a picture Of q drinking scene, II
which Senator Depew, ex-senator Hill
: and half dozen other prominent men ar
seated about table drinking Blank
: beer. or champagne-tbey are supposed 4
he in high glee over some kind of ferment
:. anyhow. AS Senator Hill never drank
drop of any kind of liquor In his life an,
does not know the taste of the stuff, he /
very much incensed, and it fs through hi
8 efforts that the bill has been introduced.
3
Representative Sheppard. Of Texas, tn
D baby" of the House. who looks like
: kid of Is years. started back from Texa
, on slow train accompanied by his moth
. er and sister. When he got to Cincin
natl he found that they would get L
Washington too late for the opening O
: Congress after the holidays. and so thi
:. young limb of q statesman pocketed tn
: tickets of the party over the slow trail
c and purchasing $50 worth of tickets OF
3 the fast train, got to Washington In tim
. for the fall Of the gavel when Congress