The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-11

along. What size 90 you "eHl'
Eight and a half, . said MIR. Henderson;
Same here" said the 'grizzled spec'ei
agent.
Then they signalled to the conductor tna'
they wanted to get Of. and they got Oh tne
car together and repaired to a FenGsyI-
vaniA avenue shoe establishment wheie
they bought a pair OF shoes between ene"'
A delegation Of Iowa ministers. IN WASH
ington attending a religious conference,
once called upon MIR. Henderson az q very
inopportune time. This was during the
debate on the French spollation claims IN
the House OF Representatives during the
closing days and nights OF the SESSION
terminating in 1901. So,
Scenes were enacted on the House sue
at that time that have rarely been eauaheu
In the Capitol. All hands seemed to Leu
down, and the three or four days n nights
during which the debate lasted comprised
q sort OF Saturnalia in which everybody
joined. 49,,
The debating lasted all night. for the
session was to end at noon OF Marcn T.
and the people handling the measure were
determined to have the thing thoroughly
threshed out on the floor OF the House.
Liquor was sold In the Capitol restaurants
In those days, and the legislators were far
more careless In their ways than they have
been In recent years.
In a number Of the House committee
rooms big bowls OF punch we're kept hileu
to the brlm all night and day for days and
nights running, and many Of the members
lowered around the punch bowls in the
intervals of debate. The hilarity and utter
lack of restraint increased, and by the night
Of March 3 there we're some astonishing
doings on the House side Of the Capitol.
Tired members Of the House were
stretched out on couohes In the committee
rooms, and more than tired members
s%lumbered peacefully in their seats n all
attitudes. Word of the hot time on at the
House, on and off the floor, ~percolated
around Washington and q swift element OF
the Washington population took posses
sion Of the corridors and galleries and the
House restaurant and turned that wing OF
the building into a sort OF unrestralned
carnival scene, in which the popping OF
corks furnished the musical leh motif.
Scores of pretty women laughed nolsily
all over the place and there were not laok-
ing instances in which some Of them pub
licly went through the evolutions OF ex-
t~raordinary dances, with olutched skirts
and legislators looking on applaudingly.
A bunch Of hilarious members Of the
House sent out for gangs OF singing n
buck dancing negro boys and presently the
committee rooms and corridors beneath
the floor Of the House resounded with the
merry t~wanging Of banjos and guitars and
mandolins, while the darby boys buck n
wing danced, surrounded by enthusiastic
groups Of ~merrymaking legislators, who
added the clapping Of their hands to the
music the better to aid the dancers in
keeping time. And all the time the punch
bowls were kept filed to the brim and the
contents virtually free to everybody who
looked right to the servers,
Mr.. Henderson's committee room. was
right alongside one Of the merriest during
this engaging period Of festivity. There
wasn't any, punch bowl; in his committee
room, nor was Mr.. Henderson taking any
part in the festivities.
Nevertheless, the twelve clergymen from
his State, after winding up the business Of
their religious session in the hall down
town, concluded to call upon Mr.. Hender-
son on the night Of March 8. They got into
the Capitol by the basement door on the
House side, and they were holding up their
hands in horror by the time they reached
Mr.. Henderson's committee room.
Mr.. Henderson was Just about leaving
the committee room, leaning on his cane,
when they blocked the door upon their
arrival. In the committee rooms on both
sides the dancing n punch absorbing was
going on, MOI was the giddy laughter Of
young women making their way around the
corridors lacking.
The spokesman for the delegation Of Iowa
olergymen addressed Mr.. Henderson with
a tone of deep reproach in his voice, and
Mr.. Henderson, replying, made a attempt
to apologize for the situation as the ministers
saw it.. He explained that things were not
perpetually thus around the Capitol.
The ministers plainly doubted his
words. That was their first visit to the
Capitol, and they were entitled to believe
the evidence Of their own eyes and ears
They all returned to Iowa with stin ging
words of denunciation for the doings they
had seen at the Capitol, and their words
created an impression upon some Of Mr..
Henderson's constituents that it took him
years to efface.
1t was in the course of a colloquy with
Mr.. Henderson that the late Tom Reed de-
livered himself Of his famous witticism as
to how much a gentleman ought to weigh.
tom, said Mr.. Henderson to the gigantic
man from Maine one day in the Republican
cloak room, "do you know that you're get
ting to be q whopper in size9" Mr.. Reed
weighed pretty close to 800 at this time.
aWhat do you weigh, anyhow
Il weigh 100 pounds, Dave calmly re-
piled Mr.. Reed.
Mr.. Henderson staked Mr.. Reed to a quiz
1ioal. ouestioninp smile.
'And how many stone besides, Tom?'
he asked.
swell, it may be a fiat 200 pounds, Dave"
said Reed, still with the greatest gravity.
mo gentleman weighs more than 200
pounds