Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-04
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T HE man with the convoluted stogie
looked aggrieved.

my first point is,'' he observed
petulantly, that these national lawmak-
ers have no right to maui each other
around in star chamber, so to speak,
when the galleries are not filed. I mean.
1t isn't neighborly of them to come here
and live in our town and enjoy them
selves here, and then, when they've got
something sure enough strenuous in mind,
to fix things so that we don't get any
fun out of the legislative vaudeville. 1
think that openness. aboveboardness
ought to be the dominant characte ristic
Of this country's legislators. and that's
the reason that I've always claimed that
when they've got any fighting to do here
in Washington it would be only square
| to the people from whom they derive
their substance. emoluments. perks and
| pickings, for them to do the rough-hous-
| ing at regular sessions. They ought to
send out due and seaSonable notice. so
that the galleries could be well filed with
people who, as the thing is fixed now,
never by any chance see any of THIS fun,
and who. since they only read about such
occurrences in the newspapers, might just
as we'll be living in Spitzbergen as in
the Capital city of the nation
| ''Why, say, I'd knock off work and go
UP to the Capitol any old time to see a
| regularly arranged and properly conduct
ed mill between a couple Of tip-top legis-
lators.. 1 certainly would and no mistake.
AS a matter of fact. I'd chase up there
to see any of 'em fight If only / could
get the tip. Surprising, for example,
that it were to be duly announced in
the papers that Ollie James and Cy Sullo-
way. that pair of physical and mental
Golaths. were going to have a go of.
say. four rounds. for points, not for a
| decision. in the clear space in front of
| the Speakers desk on such and such a
| day-don't you suppose, if that kind of
| a fair announcement were made. that
| thered be plenty of Westinghouse in
| the galleries to see that there was fair
play and no hitting below the belt or in
| the clinches? There sure would be!
| They'd even run spe cial trolley trains I'D
| to be duly scheduled.
Then, too. it would give us a chance
| to get a little action on what spare
change we might have kicking around
crowd us hard enough here in the matter
of getting a little bet down on some
proposition or other. I don't mean to
| say that there's need to be open book
| making in the galleries on such an event;
but the believers in the prowess respect
lively of Ollie and Cy could get their little
pieces of coin down according to their
opinion of the outcome before repairing
to the Capitol to watch the scrap, and
then they'd have roofing interest when
and could enjoy that pleasant feeling
that they weren't permitting their man to
scrap urBba cked.
Now, Washingfonians are often &C
cused of being selfish. in these matters.
Now. just to show you that I'm not one
of the selfish ones, I'll go farther in this
business and state that, in my opinion,
motion pictures ought to be made of these
announced fights on the floor of the House
and Senate 50 that the entire country
could Qn1Ov ronrndnnp6
at these legislative scraps. 1t would be
simple enough matter to install a cluster
of arc lights of sufficient lighting power
to render the taking of good clear motion
pictures in either chamber perfectly feast
BILE.
THE films could be rented out to the
vaudeville houses or even the nickelodeons
all over the country by the Secretary of
the Treasury, the. government to receive.
say. 80 per cent of the gross receipts. This
revenue could be applied to special pur-
poses. "A part of it, for instance, could be
applied toward the maintenance of per-
manent polite or advanced vaudeville in
the East Room of the White House. OF
course. there is occasional polite vaude-
Vile in the White House now, but not
enough of 1t to make it self-supporting.
Once started on permanent basis, why,
it ought to get the money.
"Supposing. for example, the entire
country had chance to look at motion
pictures of that Jap wrestler. Hitchiyama,
or whatever his name is, singing those
other laps all over the East Room, do you
imagine for a minute that the whole coun-
try wouldn't go to an exhibition like that?
Yes. Stree. there ought to be permanent
polite Vaudeville fn-the White House. and
motion pictures of the same-thats my
opinion. don't think this idea has been
sufficiently exploited, If 1t has been men,
toned at ALL and that's why I'm men
tioning it now.
AS a simple matter of fact the coun-
try, which undeniably supports the Con-
gress, should have been let in long ago
on the Capitol fights. to get back to that
little grievance. It's an everlasting
shame. for instance that there couldn't
have been a big gallery audience in the
Senate on that afternoon, some years ago.
when a couple of our celebrated young
senators fell to tapping each other on the
wishbone and doubled dog daring each
other to say that again.
I'D like to know by what right these
two brilliant young toga-wearers pulled
that thing off with nobody in the CALLER
les to enjoy it except such drifters as
sleep in the Senate galleries throughout
the cold weather? 1t wasn't right 1t
wasn't fair. 1t wasn't a square deal.
There ought to've been motion films made
of that bit of mussiness, too. If there
had been. they'd have been drawing the
money yet
"Why. nobody but a few inconsequen-
tial loungers around the corridors of the.
derful and inspiring scene when a num-
Der of years back a famous Texan kicked
in one of the doors of the House because
a doorkeeper, obeying the Speakers in
structions. refused to let the Texan pass.
The Texan hadn't announced that he was
going to do that. and so good deal of
the sweetness of the incident was entire
ly wasted. Supposing that Texan had
tipped off some motion picture photoSra-
pher that day that he was going to do
some bustling and splinterins under the
great white dome, wouldn't bunch of
films of that sort go fluttering down the
ages. educating. uplifting and inspiring
the-er-and all like that?
1.-The trouble is. there's too blamed
much exclusveness about these legisla-
tive chaps. They talk lot about dedi-
eating themselves to the people. but they
don't show the people just what they
mean by this dedicatory business.
Shouldn't the people. for example, have
sort of inside view of the workings of
the Congress? Well, then. what's the
use Of our having these ingenious contrap-
tons like motion picture machines and
such like If they're not to be used for
educational purposes as well as for mere
frivolous purposes Of amusement? Now,
if by means of motion pictures, every
where shown. the country could see
large proportion Of the members OF the
House of Representatives chasing Speaker
Cannon through the corridors Of the Capt.
toll and through the streets OF Wash
ington, begging him for the Kind Of COM
mittee assignments they wanted. and IN
Gle Joe turning around every lew steps
and barking at 'en-why, wouldn't set
of educational films like that be the candy