The National tribune., 1908-06-04

boys. sang that refrain that no human
being was ever able to spell. but is made
thru the nose with the mouth shut,
"Ehnugh, ehnugh," and the sound that
rolled up into the recesses of the glass
ceiling were uproariousiy funny.
Early in the evening. say. about s
o'clock. or maybe it was s. but ii was
along there somewhere, the tension let
up in the House. and the signing of bills
by the President was the only real BUSH
| ness. The members had to stay around.
| for there was no knowing what freak of
bill might be sprung to make trouble
| IL the majority happened to dwindle.
| and it was just impossible for the MEM
bers to keep quiet. There was whis-
pered consultation between a few of
the members and a page. The page
| few out of the House. Half an hour
| later the page. came back and surrepti-
| tiously showed lot of flags under the
| desk of member. Another page came
in with an armload of Old Glories. and
showed them under Representative Keif-
er's desk. Another page came in with
| all he could stagger under and those
! flags were grabbed from his arms by
eager members. There were great big
silk flags and tiny little cheap cambria
ones. There were five-foot cotton flags
and two or three small bunting ones.
Gen. Keifer couldn't rest content with
just one flag. He had a large flag on a
tall staff. and he got some of the CAM
brio flags and fastened them to the staff
below the big one, so that he had five
flags in tiers of two topped by the big
one. After that he just went round
and round as the children say. Right
in the middle of the very 1oudest noise
you could see his snow-white hair and
those five flags wildly waving.
The flags were not displayed in the
House at first. and so the packed gal
leries easily guessed that something was
doing somewhere. Out thru the lobby
doors could be seen members walking
about waving their flags, and now and
then burst of song fioated in on the
heated air. Then it was seen that n
procession was forming out there. Pres
emily it moved over toward the east end
of the lobby corridor and disappeared
not entirely. however, because the re-
frain the line was singing came drifting
in thru the east doors. the barber shop.
and then the main doors flew open. and
down the middle aisle marched a per-
fectly uproarious crowd of Representa-
tives. Barchfield, of Missouri, was at
the head. He carried new broom-it
was the newest he could get under the
pressure of circumstances. but you are
assured that the brush end of that
new one. Sticking out of the top of
the broom was flag, and just below
the brush was a portrait of Your Uncle
Joseph" The whole thing was carried
high. and behind came at least 200
whooping, bowling dervishes, who when
clothed in their rights minds are Rep
resentatives SO and So, of such a Con-
gressionaI District. but on that occasion
were simply kids out for fun.
They pounded their way down to the
arena in front of the Speakers desk
each of them carrying flag and singing
a song
Here's to dear old Uncle Joe, one we
love where'er we go.
He's the chief and gallant leader of
us all.
North and South and East and West, in
the States we all love best
We will sing and cheer for one the peo-
pie know
The words We're not of the strongest
and the tune was almost failure but
the sentiment was all, right. and the
popular demonstration thp,t followed
was enough to warm up a glacier. and
Speaker Cannon isn't one, you know.
He said some things that were. compii-
mentary to the men whose differences
with him and with other leaders are
well known. Then the Speaker said in
low and what might be called a broE-
en- voice, for he was moved by the DEM
onstration:
Somewhat out of order by unani-
nous consent. with nothing else this
moment to do, awaiting the message
from the Senate, l have not felt called
upon to raise the question of order, and
yet, gentlemen, / can only say a word
at this time, and that is, to thank you
for the expression of good will, more
precious to an old man of many years
public service in this House than ONT
ment of old. i would rather have the
good will of the membership of the
National House of Representatives, and
deserve that good will and the mani
festation of it without regard to the mis-
takes that 1 have made (and I have
made my due share D. than to receive
any other tribute. of praise from any
other body on earth" t
And then chaos broke loose. They
cheered and cheered and shouted and
howled themselves hoarse.
Rut the Cannon men were not to have
it all to themselves. Representative
Helm, of Alabama, suddenly appeared
on the scene, and a bowling mob of
Democrats Immediately Joined his ranks
Somewhere he had procured a large.
very dirty steel engraving of Bryan, and
also flag-decorated, and down the main
aisle he marched to stand beside the
Cannon picture. Helm is short and
fat. Barchfield is tall and strong. Hel
shot the Cannon picture up into the air,
while the Cannon men shouted. Helm
sprang upon a desk, and had a mOmen-
tary advantage. Barchfield followed
suit, and again Cannon's picture went
five feet above all else. Heflin sprang
to the clerks desk, amidst yells from
the Democrats, and Barchfield went
him one better by Springing spang on
the Speakers desk, and there planted
himself amidst the awfulest uproar. He
held the Cannon picture high. but as
Helm sprang to his side he gave the
broomstick a toss, and the newspaper
it flew up and held it high above all
heads. Hefin very thoughtlessly gave
the Bryan broom a toss, but, weighted
as it was with frame and glass, it did
not respond so readily. and fell with a |
crash, carrying bottle of ink from the
Speakers desk. and barely missed that
high officials head. Helm himself went
down in heap at the same time, and
for brief moment it looked as tho |
a catastrophe was imminent.
The Speakers fSee turned red for ami
instant, and he rose hastily to his feet,
saying:
I'm the closing hours while members |
are waiting messages from the other
body and sending messages to that
body, there is much of latitude, not
the rules. Yet it is WE'LL
enough to remember that the disorderI
should be on orderly lines, and having
had something of disorder by uuani-
mons consent and with tha greafeSf /