The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1907-02-01
WASHINGTON. 1. 26. ,O7.

" HNAAA4NUlOtN1 l., ~, VI.
Congress and vaudeville. These
have come to be comfortable anC
interchangeable words, meaning
the same thing. And the vaude
vile is mostly farce, too, with
only an occasional dash of melo
drama. 1t is, indeed, so much oil
a farce that it is almost a pitiable
tragedy. God save the state!
From the beginning of the SEES
sion almost to date the changing
scenes of vaudeville have fitted
backward and forward across the
stage. This is particularly true
of the senate, and in scarcely a
less degree of the House. Like q
body of men at each end of a rope
in a tug of war, first one gang will
be hauled up to the line and then
the other. Openly and avowedly
a cheap game of cheaper politics
White House conferences, coat.
room conferences, residence con.
ferences, committee room confer.
ences, corridor conferences, con
ferences at all times and every.
where, plotting and planning for
personal and political advantage
on the floor of the House or Sen
ate or before the people.
Up to and into this week, at
least, Congress has sat solely to
provide visitors with cheap
amusement. 1t has made no
pretension to anything but vaude-
vile. Either a screaming farce
has just gone off the boards or
has just advertised the program
for tomorrow. 1t has not sat to
elucidate national problems nor
to enact pressing national legis-
lation, but to amuse the sensation
mongers, the seekers after a new
thrill, the searchers after ennui-
dispelling melodrama. In the
Senate the galleries have been
thronged as never before. Last
Monday was case in point. 1t
was advertised that '"Tillman is
going to speak, in reply to some
previous structures of Spooner
on his attitude on the race ques-
ton in general, the lynching of
the colored brethren for criminal
assault and all that, and in an
ticipation of what would certain
ly prove melodramatic and which
might prove tragic every inch of
sitting and standing room in the
galleries was occupied as soon as
the doors were open and for
hours the waiting lines of those
anxious to be ''in at the death"
packed the outside corridors in
dense masses. The assured en-
tertainment with the chance Of
personal violence emptied every
committee room of very employee
who had a right to the floor, and
scores of members of the House
also contributed their presence.
1t seemed as if every one every
where who had a right to the
floor of the Senate was ON hand,
and for hours it hardly allowed
room for one to move about. 1t
was the largest audience that
the senate has contained this ses-
sion, and one of the largest ever.
Right royalty was it enter
tanned, too. Tillman spoke, and
met every expectation. People
crowded to hear him-the large
wOmen-fOr the same
reason that some men go to see
a dogfight, and the witless and
groundlings were delighted at the
show. 1t more than measured
up to their expectations. The
speaker lampOoned his colleagues
by name and nickname, lambasted
everybody indiscriminately and
used language which no one ever
before dared whisper within the
precincts of either legislative hall
of the capitol. The scurrility and
seemed to delight the
galleries almost as much as the
salacious details of testimony in
a divorce case. Nothing was left
to add to the gaiety of nations.
For hours the harangue con-
tinued. Then Tillman was fol
lowed by Spooner in reply. This
was intensely interesting, al
though to the galleries it lacked
The especial attraction Of vulgar
ty and obscenity. However, it
was better than dry truths in the
I'D fashioned system of debate.
So, the vast crowds sat and wait
ID in the rapidly waning hope |
hat somebody might hit some
)ody over the head with a chair. |
Suddenly it looked as if the hope |
night be realized. Teller follow
ID Spooner, and gave way TO |
Jarmack for a minute or two to |
answer Tillman. The latter had
nercilessly fiayed Carmack, with
'ther senator's, in opening, and
he senator from Tennessee was
,allid with rage. He had waited
or hours to get at Tillman, and
lis anger. had increased with the
lours. In a quarter of a column
# this type he slsshed Tillman in
he most frightfully cutting in
ective ever heard in the United
states senate. 1t was such as no
l.