Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-16
STUCK LIKE LEECHES


..Nobody I'D around here seems to know
for certain whether there's going to be any
revival of the Senator Smoot hearings at
this session or not" observed Senate en-
ploye. 'sbut II the campaign against the
Utah senator Is renewed believe the hear
ings will be private this time. There was
too much bother clearing the room at the
times of unexpurgated testimony last year.
The women who attended the hearings
seemed to consider Il q blow at their rights
and privileges when they were asked to re-
tire, and there was lot Of unnecessary
trouble at such times,
"At one juncture of the last hearing the
moment arrived for the Introduction or a
| Utah court record In a certain Mormon
divorce case. The record was considered
undesirable for the regalement OF the
women present at the hearing.
1T will be necessary the late Senator
Hoar suggested in q low tone to the COM
mittee. to clear the room Of all persons ex-
cept those directly concerned In the hearing
during the reading of this report
of course. the other members of the
committee nodded afflrmatively. The clerk
OF the committee arose and said that the
committee was about to go into executive
session. The audience, composed chiefly OF
middle age, took not the hint. None Of
them budged
The room will be cleared remarked the
somewhat embarrassed clerk.
The few men among the listeners were
already on their way out when the clerk
uttered this second suggestion, which was
addressed to the women, for not one of the
latter had made q sign of leaving They
settled back In their seats more determined
ly than ever when the clerk told them for
the third time that the hearing was over
Tor the day, so far as the public was con-
cerued
The clerk turned around and gazed inquir-
lngfy at the members Of the committee But
the members of the committee, one and all,
refused to permit the clerk to catch their
eyes They were leaning back in their seats
In attitudes that plainly told the clerk It
was up to him.
1.-THE clerk moved down the passageway
and called in the doorkeeper.
You ladies'li have to leave" said the
doorkeeper. busting In and getting busy
at once. Committees going into 'zecutive
session
"The women stiffened in their seats and
sazed resentfulIy at the doorkeeper, but
only two or three OF them moved toward
The door. The others gave utterance to
shifts and 'huhsr and some Of them re-
marked to their companions that "deed they
weren't infants In arms, and they didn't
intend to be treated as such. SO there
But, said the doorkeeper. Intellectually
endeavoring to herd the determined women
in the direction of the door, there's going
70 De some hot st-er-testimony that's not
Interior la Oh. there's no use in talk
ing. ladies, you'll have to leave, and right
now. Committees orders
d 1es' like t know what right they
nave to lis'n to testimony that's not fit for
ladies', and right here In the Capitol that
the people pays fori The wicked OF sim
ners? snapped hatchet-faced woman In a
front seat, including all of the white haired
senators of the committee in her sweeping
gaze of condemnation.
AT length, however the t1oorkeener CON
trived to edge them all out of the door ex-
Cept one This one was fat sour-visaged
woman OF fifty or so, who carried rather
cumbersome hearing appliance with her.
She had been present at the hearings from
the beginning. She seemed so deas that she
could only hear when the person addressing
her actually shouted into her big ear trum-
pet. and 1t seemed as If she must have at
tended the hearings just for the fun she got
out of watching the proceedings. since. an
parently. she could hear nothing of the tes-
timony. even with her hearing contraption
She didn't appear to be aware of what
was going on. even after the rest of the
women had taken their reluctant departure.
The doorkeeper approached her. She saw
that he wanted to address her. She placed
her ear trumpet in position.
as 'Zecutive session LADY, said the door
keeper. in HIS ordinary tome but with his
lips close to the orifice of the ear trumpet.
Hey? she inquired, with a vacant ex-
preston of countenance.
You'll have to leave now'Zecut!ve ses-
sion. repeated the doorkeeper.
"'Who said Ia have to leave and what
for?' said the woman with the trumpet,
brfdling.
Testinony's getting warm lady, bawled
the doorkeeper into the trumpet
Oh, it's not any too warm for me In here
I feel perfectly comfortable returned the
deaf woman. imagining that the doorkeeper
had referred to the temperature of the
room.
:" 7 mean the doorkeeper shouted into the
trumpet, while the grave senators were con-
vulsed in their chairs. that the testimony's
going to be too indicate for ladies for the
rest of the afternoon"
Why. the ideeP snapped the deaf wom-
an, taking down her trumpet The very
idee of such a thfngi How can help what
the testimonys going to be? And what DIFF
ference will 1t make to me- If I can't hear?
=" oh, let her remain said the venerable
Senator Hoar. with an amused expression.
What she can't hear isn't going to hurt
her.
And remain she did during the executive
session of the committee although at sew
eral stages of the reading of the Mormon
divorce case several of the senators eyed
her apprehensively and nervously out of the
slants of their eyes, as Il not entirely GER
tain I'm their own minds that she really was
deaf"