Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-07
AN ALIEN AT CAPITOL
ENaLIsHMAN's IMPRESSIONS OF
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
sydney BROOKS. in Harper's weekly.

Sydney Brooks In Harrer's weekly.
Congress il easily. the most American
thing In America. II is more redoIent of
| Its native soil than even Mrs Carrie Ma
| ton herself The distinctive flavor of the
country Is blown in your face the moment
you set foot within the precincts of the
Capitol. That Is as 1t should be-: that Is
precisely what you have been hoping for;
that Is. at any rate, what you oyerwhelm-
ingiy find. An American, no doubt. would
find It at Westminster. On both iegisla-
lures the national mark is stamped broadly
and Enthusiastically. and yields an abundance
of piquant contrasts in manners, bearing.
personnel and procedure.
The differences really begin to be felt be-
| fore you are inside either chamber At
Westminster there are formalities to be
| observed. An NJ. p. has to be importuned
| for ticket of admission to the strangers
gallery; the ticket has to be balloted for;
your name and address are written down
In a register: your bag is confscated: there
Is a gauntlet of slightly suspicious officials
10 be run: you feel that, logically, you
ought to have dynamite bombs concealed
in your overcoat pocket; there is an air of
official disappointment at being obliged to
let you in; and even when the gallery is
reached-and drearier place 1 never sat
| in-gruf and pompous functionares. with
all of George HIS contempt for the mere
voter, marshal and watch you.
AT washington there Is nothing OF all
this. The note of unmtigated liberty Is
struck on the very threshold of the Capitol.
Any one can enter it's precincts who wishes
to, without reference to age, color sex,
previous condition of servitude or present
condition of clothing. Millionaire or tramp.
white or black. the Capitol and all It's cor
ridors are yours to roam in and to smoke
In at will. No one is at hand to challenge
your right of admission or inquire after
your business. No tickets. passes or ere
dentials Of any sort are asked for. You
just walk straight in and wander about as
you please. If there is vacant seat In
the galleries, and you wish to listen to the
debates, you are entirely welcome to take
It, Liberty, In short, could go no farther
1t seems to me entirely and satisfactorily
American. and altogether consonant with
my ideas of the country and its spirit, that
matters should be arranged this way, and
that Congress should be conducted on the
lines Of a huge legislative free-lunch
counter for all to nibble at. At the same
time / own that my English notions are
occasionally startled when l see a man
which no second-rate hotel would allow to
enter its lobby lounging about in the pre-
cincts of the national legislature. / have
to stop now and then and remind myself
that his presence is more than compensated
for by the system that makes 1t possible. 1t
is such sights and such reminders that
make democracy take on a new signif-
canoe for the English visitor. And they
have the further usefulness of preparing
him for what Is to come. They advise him
not to expect either in the House or Senate
any characterless imitation of European
ceremony, but rather genuine American
ism in it's freest and easiest undress.
That at least Is what he gets abundantly,
from all sides, wherever he turns. 1t Is
not least noticeable in the galleries of the
two chambers. Washington is a city of us
itors. and Congress comes just after the
White House and the Washington monu-
ment as one of the sights that have to be
done" You see cohorts of weird tourists
ushered into the galleries. sitting there for
ton atptIf md hAy, orSlan lSI
out again to take up the spectacular rou-
tine. Ninety per cent of them are women,
and their presence, their dress. their bear
ing add to the prevailing informaHty. I
feel them to be all intensely patriotic and
intensely bewildered. 1t is Of the
charms of Congress that nobody ever
seems to know what is being done. Pro-
cedure in both houses is as much mystery
to the onloOker as congressional govern
ment ITSELF and the good ladies of Wyom
ing as l watch them in the galleries seem
a little anxious They are wondering
shamefacedly why they are not as much
impressed as they ought to be. and they
are trying almost pathetically to convey at
least the impression of understanding what
is going on below them. AS an entertain
ment do not think much of Congress, and
neither apparently do they. They are
bored, though they would not for worlds
admit it, and their boredom blossoms into
chat and comment among themselves and
little outbursts Of laughter and applause
whenever anything on the floor of the
House happens to strike their fancy. That
encourages very homelike feeling and
puts the stray visitor at his ease at once
He infers that it is not expected of him
to be overwhelmed by the dignity of the
assembly at whose deliberations he is as
sisting. Indeed, dignity is hardly the note
of the House of Representatives The
stately etiquette of the house of commons
was left behind when many Of its emblems
and presidents were transplanted. The
Speaker is there, but shorn of the full
wig and flowing robe and silk knee breaches
that grace Mr.. Louther. The clerks at the
table are there, too, but SO far as ex-
ternals go they might just as well be clerks
In dry goods store. There Is sergeant
alarms, but he is not by any means the
deliberately dressed official We know in the
house of commons. The legislators are also
there, but in manners and appearance they
do not cut very striking figure. An
Englishman perhaps, Is apt to be exacting
on such points. The house Of commons.
even the present house Of commons is I'M
questionably the best-dressed assembly in
the world. Its members have air Of
good breeding about them, of men ac-
customed to drawing rooms and the best
kind of society. Congress looks at first
glance like gathering of dissenting minis
tiers on small salaries-an impression
heightened by the congressional costume of
loose frock coat, low-cut vest. turned
down collar and a white bow-and its man
ners suggest anything but a drawing room
counted the other day eleven representa-
tives chewing unlighted cigars and reliev-
ing themselves Dy pTOluSe SpltIiuB. Inc
sight almost reconciled me to the spectacle
one is liable to be confronted with at West
minister of an MP. sprawling on the
benches with his hat on, three-quarters
asleep-unedifying but, still, not absolutely
disgusting.
The Easy-Going House.
The arrangement of the House of Repre-
sentatives makes for an easy,gofng way Of
doing things. The seats are arranged not
in parallel lines, as with in England, but
after the continental fashion. in curved,
concentric rows. facing the Speaker. Each
member has a revolving armchair and
spacious desk in front of 1t. These con-
ditions have greater effect than all people
realize on the efficiency and department of
the chamber. I think they take away a
good deal from the earnestness and
reality of debate You cannot thunder sue
cessfully at the gentleman from Minnesota
when the gentleman from Minnesota Is
lolling back in his armchair reading news
paper, or writing letter, or busying him
self among his newspapers In Congress- 1t