Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-09
DRAWING LOTS FOR ROOMS
REPRESENTATIVE GET QUAR-
TIERS IN NEW BUILDING.
Largest Attendance of Members of
the House at Any Time Of
the Session.

The great House office building lottery,
| which was pulled off today on schedule
| time. under a previously made arrange
ment, brought out the biggest attendance
of the session of representatives up to
| date. The drawing for the assignment
| of rooms to members was recognized as
an all-afternoon affair, and consequently
| the House lost no time in getting down
| to business. On every members desk this
! morning was big square of white paper
| containing the ground-floor plan of the
| four stories of the House office building.
| with the rooms for members plainly
| marked. Each member had copies of this
4 plan some days ago. and were supposed
/ to be familiar with them. Some of them
| were and some of them were not, as was
| made evident by the manner in which the
House employees designated to check OFF
| the rooms as fast as they were taken
| tore their hair at frequent intervals dur
| ing the afternoon.
The Method of Drawing.
| The drawing was by the usual method
| followed in assigning seats to members
on the opening day of new Congress. A
blindfolded page put his hand in bal
| lot box and drew out a little white ball
which was marked with a number corre-
| spending to that opposite members
name on an alphabetical list in possession
of the clerk. Representative Claude
| kitchin of North Carolina was the lucky
man to get the first whack at the new
| office building He picked out nice
| light room on one of the upper floors on
the New Jersey avenue or east front.
| Then the drawing was continued as rapid
| ly as possible. the members advancing to
| the front of the clerks desk when their
| names were called and announcing their
selection to the House employee in charge
of the recording end of the lottery. Of
| course. there were many disappointments,
! and some men selected rooms next to
| those occupied by their dearest enemies
But little judicious swapping will change
all this and it is expected that before long
the members of the House will be pleas
antly and comfortably housed in the big.
new structure.
| Chairmen of committees already had
been assigned quarters in the new build
ing, and today'S drawing was participated
| in only by the 1913 members who are not
/ heads of committees The interest OF
members in the novel proceeding was evil
denced by the fact that there We're but
| few absentees. The selection for these
were made by colleagues.
! Much Amusement Created.
| Much amusement was created by sew
eral members insisting on thorough I'M
derstanding of how the drawing was to
be conducted Mr.. Mann, chairman of the
committee having the matter in charge
was subjected TO a fire of questions, which
| occaSioned much confusion and which led
to inquiries of the Speaker as to what
! business was before the House. Speaker
Cannon finally shut off all discussion by
directing the drawing to proceed.
The drawing had not proceeded far I'M
! til it became evident that the members
were choosing the rooms with south
ern exposure, by far the most desirable.