The Washington herald., 1906-12-04

Both hands Of the clock pointed directly
upward. The galleries were crowded. and
everybody there and on the floors was
talking at once.
Bang" went Speaker Cannon's gayeI
In the House. Tap. tap" went Vice
President Fairbanks gavel in the Sen
ate. And the short session OF the Fifty
ninth Congress had begun.
Several incidents Of more than usual
interest marked the opening The White
| House smashed another precedent by ask
ing the Senate. over the telephone. not 10
| adjourn until a messenger reached it with
a batch Of nominations.
Officially, the President did not know
that Congress had assembled, but that
was not permitted TO make any difference.
A real stir was caused in the Senate by
the offering of resolutions relating TO the
discharge of the battalion Of colored
| troops implicated in the Brownsville
trouble. II is not usual to transact any
such business prior to the receipt Of the
Presidents message, but It was bad
day for precedents, anyway.
Alaskas first delegate to Congress vas
sworn in. as was Henry A Dupont. the
new Senator from Delaware; and, finally,
| Uncle Joe Cannon narrowly missed being
late.
/ II lacked but three minutes Of being Z
o'clock when the Speaker reached his Of
fee, but, at that. he was less woTried
than several others. His ever-observant
secretary, Mr. Busy, had notified the
/ clerical force Of the House OF his chiefs
belatedness. and Clerk Mcdowell was pre-
pared TO arrest the fight Of time by turn
ing the clock back minute or two. But
/ that was not necessary.
With Just a few seconds TO spare, the
/ Speaker entered the chamber, fresh and
cool as an Illinois cucumber. The mem
bers of the House, who prior to that time
had been attempting to rival the galleries
IN the matter OF animated conversation,
quieted down Immediately and gave the
man with the gavel a hearty rcund Of ap-
plause.
! Request TO Delay Adjournment.
The Senate had just recovered from the
surprise occasicned by the introduction Of
the Penrose and Foraker resolutions re-
garding the negro troops when the Incl
dent of the nominations occurred. Al
/ though the message viii not be presented
/ to the two Houses until to-day, and in
/ spite Of the official fiction that the Presi-
dent did not know the session had com
menced. a telephone message that a big
/ batch OF nOmina tions was being sent in
/ was received. and the request was made
/ that adjournment be not taken until the
/ White House messenger had presented his
! papers
/ Following so soon after the tension OF
/ the members over the resolutions relative
to the negro soldiers. the announcement
! sent the Senate into broad smile.
/ Shortly afterward an adjournment was
taken, it having been decided in execu-
tive sessions that the nominations, which
| included Cabinet changes and Attorney
/ General MoOdy's elevation TO the Supreme
/ Court, should be taken up later.
/ It was curious coincidence. much COM
mented upon that the first prayer uttered
| IN the Senate by the Rev Edward Hale.
its venerable chaplain. on the first Mon
day in December. 1904. made special ref
/ erence to the death OF Senator HOar. to
whose influence DR.. Hale largely owed his
appointment. Yesterday, two years later.
the House mOUTned she death OF Senator
Hoar's only son, the late Representative
lockwood HOar, of Worcester, Mass.
Crush of Visitors Present.
The crush of visitors became so great
an hour before noon that the doors lead
ing from the corridors .nto tile galleries
were thrown open. One of .re dis
tinguished spectators in the House gallery
was the Presidents daughter, Mrs. Long
worth.
In the Senate gallery reserved for the
members were Mrs. Fairbanks, Mrs. De
pew. who occupied seat in the PTesi-
Dental row, and the wives and personal
friends Of many Senators. The usual
rule OF issuing special tickets of adnlis-
sion for the day was not observed in the
Senate. The general gallery ticket was
the only one IN circulation. These were
issued without limit, and people armed
with them stormed the gallery doors
There We're hundreds in the waiting line
when the Senate convened.
The members Of the House were not so
slow IN taking their seats as the Sena-
tors. In the upper body Senator Teller
and Senator PIatt had the chamber 10
themselves up TO a few minutes before
the gavel fell The New York Senator
entered on the arm of an attendant and
made his way slowly to his seat.
lie appSdIeu unusually Du0FdnT. and
laughed and chatted with various Sena-
tors as they arrived. His colleague, Mr..
Depew, was one OF the last to enter As
he wended his way through the seats,
until he reached his own, in the front
row, he glanced back at the private gal
larry and smilingly acknowledged a greet
ing from his wife. Both the New York
Senators appeared TO much better ad-
vantage than at the last session. Though
giving evidences Of nervousness. AIr.
Depew had lost the care-worn expression
which was so marked before I'll health
called him away early in the year
Prayers of the ChnpIains.
Chaplain Hale. in the Senate, invoked
Infinite help and infinite wisdom" for
the Senators, while in the House the
blind Chaplain. DR.. Couden. prayed for
wisdom, strength. and guidance for the
legislators and referred feelingIy TO the
members who had died.
The roll calls showed 20 Senator's and
2g4 members OF the House present. The
customary resolutions Of fixing the hour
of meeting &c, were adopted. Senators
Hale and Pettus and Representatives
CONTINUED on FOURTH PAGE