Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-12
HOODOO HELD FAST


lemons for a good many years now. and
I'm not figuring for any sure thing that I'll
ever get lucky break" said a man with
the nimbus of disappointment swaddling
him.
Il only go up to the Capitol about once
every year. although I've been living in the
same town with the Capitol for matter Of
thirty years or SO. This may be the reason
because live in the same town with the
Capitol Familiarity breeds Indifference.
and 1t takes whole lot of a Robbery up
a point where want to dust up there and
see some of the fireworks. The ordinary
doings of the Congress folks don't get me
going even little teenchy bit. I've got to
have a prospect of action before I'll get het
up about proceedings in Congress.
But I've been entertaining and cherish
ing this same view for all the three decades
that I've lived in Washington, and yet I've
works-not even a belated popping of a
punk frecracker or toy torpedo. It's al
ways just finished or just on the point Of
being postponed or all done with when 1
reach the House or Senate gallery. I'm
either left al the post or l don't reach the
barrier at all. 1t never happens for me.
Other fellows that | know, slews of them,
contrive to get in on these sizzling congress
slonal performances year after year, but no
matter how alert I may be to attempt to
pick up the congressional thread when there
is promise of a rough-House, it doesn't seem
to be my luck to connect
Had the same old experience this week
I've been watching this Brownsville shoot
lng-up business pretty warily in the pa
pers. 1t looked to me from the minute that
senator Foraker took hand in that thing
as II there was going to be something doing
In the Senate when they got all of the
decks cleared for action
Me for that when it gets ripe said I to
myself. foxily. I'll land on one of these
at laCf
Just keep weather eye on the proposition
until the psychological moment whoops
along. Mr. Foraker will no doubt make a
great big talk on the subject, and he's the
warm spieler the Ohio folks used to call
Fire Alarm Foraker. And the President
will have his crowd shooting barbs into Mr.
Foraker and his outfit and therell be an
all-hands-around, and with little care and
watchfulness I'll sure be able to catch a
whole lot of this, and thus break up that
Jonah thing that has overtaken me every
time I've tried to hunt up the exciting stuff
in the Capitol for the past thirty years
"Thus spake unto myself.
Sunday last it was announced in the pa
pers that the Foraker big talk on the SUBJ
ject Of the Presidents firing Of the black
troops was going to come off in the Senate
the following afternoon.
AHA! quoth 1; now I'll get 'em I'll be
Johannes-in-theN eighborhood before SO
much as blank cartridge is popped and
Sunday afternoon trudged right up to the
house Of a senator / know and got from
him pass for one Of the private galleries.
Il romped through my work Monday fore
noon, and l was up at the Capitol early
as half-past II o'clock in the forenoon.
You ought to have seen me endangering
peoples lives by ramming through the
crowds that infested the Capitol corridors.
l wanted to be there for sure thing, and
1 didn't intend to let few human lives
stand in the way of my accomplishing my
purpose l was going to hear the big noise
for once or stand for arrest and peremptory
execution.
'rIn front Of every one Of the doors lead
ing into the Senate galleries was an i'm
mense crowd with n comet-like tail winding
away around down the stairs, but I hurtled
myself through the mob leading to the door
of the private gallery that my ticket was
good for. and finally gained the ear of the
doorkeeper. He wasn't easy at all. He was
all for having me await my turn with the
rest for quite bit but I was pretty elo-
quent. choking voice / explained
to him how for long years had been wait
ing for chance to see something doing
around the national halls Of legislation, and
how I had missed connections every time.
Finally, when was In the midst Of my mar
rative. he made an impatient movement. 1t
was plain that he wanted to be rid Of me,
and I thought had fallen down in my at
tempt to win him; but his method of get
ting rid Of me was to take me by the Shout
ders and shove me through the door of the
gallery. He couldn't have showed me any
where else the crowd was so thick, and
suppose he was so weary of the sound of
my voice that he was willing to take
chance on showing me anywhere.
well, 1 was inside, all right, and the
Senate was just about to convene. Great!
I felt that 1 was in right at last There
wasn't any room to sit down in the private
gallery, and even the aisle was packed with
women seated on the steps. but didn't re-
pine. I was in, anyhow, and could stand
If I was to be repaid by bunch of elo-
quence on the subject Of the shooting up of
Brownsville by the negro troops. with the
President on the carpet and Mr. Foraker
sort O dusing him of.
well, the gavel fell and the prayer was
said, and then I braced myself for the
shock II oratorical cannonading. I wasn't
standing in any very comfortable position,
and had to shift from one leg to the other
pretty often, and it was powerfully hot up
but was. as I say perfectly agreeable to
put up with any sort Of discomfort just to
break my hoodoo at the Capitol.
Gust at the minute when I was warning
myself that I mustn't become too excited
and wrought up over what was going to
take place, senator from one Of the Pa
cific coast states was granted the floor. and
he arranged a whole lot of books and pa
pers on his desk, and then got up and be-
gan to converse in a very mild and sedate
manner about the importation of Japanese
laborers into this country. Just as mild
and nice as 1t could be. his talk was. Moth
ing to do with the Brownsville gag at all
Mr. Foraker and Mr.. Lodge, who were
scheduled to toss inkwells and things at
GdCH OlneT ABOUT the BTOWnSNllle business,
sat at their little desks writing things on
pieces of paper, and seeming to actually
smile over their work.
'"Well, sure disappointed. stood it
as long as I could and then 1 bobbed out of
the door and asked the doorkeeper how long
1t would be before the senators got to hurl-
ing law books at each other in their frenzy
over the Brownsville matter. Dunno he
said, and then I went back and stood on the
other foot and listened to about another
hour of the japanese talk. 1t looked like
the exciting stuff was all off. At half past
I blew out Of there. 1t seemed GER
tain that I was In bad once more. I'd been
waiting for the hot stuff for four hours and
1T hadn't eventuated. left the Capitol in
a state of gloom.
"And when picked up the papers in the
found that the Lodge Foraker hot
with choice little Intersections
by Mr. Tillman had broken out just five
minutes after I'd left the Senate gallery.
Mr.. Lodge had appealed for the President.
and Mr.. Foraker had made the talk of his
life, and Mr.. Tillman had chucked in little
of the seasoning tabasco sauce for which he
has achieved such fame
But I didn't despair. The papers said
that the argument would be resumed that
1 decided to try once more.
But said to myself went up too early
I'll give 'em time to work off
the predatory business today. and I'll just
drill in In time to catch the real desk