The National tribune., 1906-07-05
CONGRESS QUITS.
TakFes Over and Members Glad Of much Excellent Leg
Iation Tremendous Appropriations Raft OF Bills Some
Good Many Very Bad-Presdent Pleased Speaker Happy-A
Few Bills Vetoed

| SOHSTeSS smut up SnOp lOI tic Suih
| mer last Saturday. after strenuous.
hot. humid two days session extending
far into two nights.
Your Member of Congress hates a
night session, especially in Summer. He
will do most anything to avoid 1t, but 1t
seemed unavoidable just at this time.
| Why? Well. Senator Hale got very
petulent and declared that the fault
must lie with the Public Printer. VINO
had not force to push the enrolling of
the bills fast enough. But, then. Sena-
tor Hale is a little choleric when the
| mercury begins to do skirt dances, and
maybe this was one of the times. Just
the same he declared for an investiga-
ton Of conditions for the purpose of in
forming the Senate as to where this
delay was caused and how and why,
and so Mr.. Stillings. Public Printer.
will have a few bad half hours during
the heated months while his methods
are getting Congressional overturning.
OF course the United States Senate
could not do such an undignified thing
as listen to funny speeches, or sing
rag-time songs while waiting for bills
that never come, and 1t took 1t out in
''recessing" for an hour at time,
gravely coming together at the appoint
ed hour to sit down. and after two min
utes some Senator dignifiedly move to
recess" again. There was the same
decorum in dress. excepting that some
OF the Southern Senators were without
vests-um-yes, "waIstcoats" as King
Edwards calls them-and collars were
wilted-no Senatorial dignity can sue
cessfully cope with wilted collar. don't
you know-and when they recessed
they went into the retirement of COM
mittee rooms where ice clinked against
glass with a cooling sound which came
clear through mahogany doors. and
there was a smell of mint in the air.
and the fragrance Oft sure wasn't
roses.
Over in the House-ah, they do
things differently there. They DO away
with cornstarch dignity when Gen. HUI
midity gets busy and the sun melts the
lead in the glass ceilings. White pre-
vailed in attire. Representative Gaines.
of Tennessee. who has a face such as
you see on old Roman coins and n mass
of wavy white hair, wore waite linen
and necktie of fiaxfower blue. Oh,
but he was a dream of manly beauty
and coolness. Mr.. Speaker wore a
black silk sack coat and Representa-
tive Landis suit of Irish linen in cream
tint. Irish linen was most fashionabl
Gen. Grosvenor was all in white linen.
The waiting was interminably long for
everybody. but in the House the tedium
was lightened by short speeches for
pure buncOmbe. Then there was the
singing. 1t was rich, it really was.
Representative Watson, of Indiana.
seemed to be the ringleader and Repre-
sentative Phil Campbell was assistant
The lot of 'em worked till the sweat ran
down their faces and they would sink
exhausted into their chairs, while some
body took up the refrain and helped
them out.
a;.i r
S-e-e-e
Comm foh to caahy me ho-om-e-'
Watson would roll out unctuously from
the Republican side. and from away
over on the Democratic side some ma
tive of Dixie would yell back
"A golden chariot comm aftah m-e-e
A comm foh to caahy me h-o-o-rl-e,"
and then from floors and galleries the
chorus would roll and rumble out like
a darky campmeeting after weeks of
''gittin' religun'-
Swing low, sweet ch-ar-i-o-o-t comm
foh to caahy me h-o-o-o-m-e
Sw-i-n-g lo-o-w, sweet char-i-o-t.
comm foh to caahy me h-o-o-m."
Say, it was rich all right, it certainly
was. Then they would change off and
sing
"Oh, Columbia, the gem of the ocean"
which is about the hardest thing in the
books to sing save and excepting the
Star Spangled Banner, but there was
always somebody who could compass
the earsplitting notes and about two
verses, and everybody came in strong
on the refrain.
Rock of Ages" was great favorite,
and many of the singers were carried
back to childhood. the old rocking-chair
and mother luliing restless spirits into
dreamland with the dear old tune Just
as l am. without one Plea Jesus.
Lover of my SOUL" Nearer. my God.
to Thee" all the old favorites, were
sung with verYe and spirit, and true
Methodist enthusiasm
Sometimes somebody would start up
Marching Through Georgia." but that
didn't take. The "other side of the
House. does not love the old marching
tune. 1t would be answered by Mary
land, my Maryland" and then the Re-
publicans got busy looking for things
in desks, and in reading letters, just
like that. Rally round the Flag" met
the same fate from the other side, for,
If you will remember. the refrain is dis
tinctly insulting to one who wore the
gray and you couldn't expect a very
hearty response on Down with the
traitor" of coIrse
Every time the Speaker came mean
dcring In somebody would yell, What
the matter with Uncle Joe?" and back
would come the answering yell
"Nuthin'; he's all right" and then !
everybody would cheer and yell again,
and somebody with a stentorian voice
would troll out
For he's a jolly good fellow"
and they would sing that refrain in a
'rondelay' till everybody sank down
breathless. They got up little parody
on the Speaker, who enjoyed the fun
as well as anybody, and it went very
lamely after this fashion:
Everybody works but Cannon,
And he loafs round all day.
Presiding in his Office
In a fascinating way
Hes supposed to be the Speaker,
But Hines is the whols show:
Everybody works in our House
But Uncle joe"
Then somebody started Dixie"
The rebel yell that broke loose is re-
echoing down the Shenandoah yet.
Every member on the Democratic side
jumped to his feet and let off that yell
and even Vice President Fairbanksi
in the Senate Chamber, a quarter of
mile away. looked surprised and panied
at the racket. You'd have thought Joe
Wheeler, John Morgan, Mosby and all
their legions were back making a |
charge on the Capitol just as old Jubal
Early tried to do 3S years before
Then they sang America