Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-04
CAPITAL CHAT.
Continued from Page One.)

Continued from rage One.)
plenty Of such conversation and plenty
Capitol during the legislative day
without going to the cloakrooms.
The experienced recOnteurs. OF
whom there are quite a number in the
House. make the cloakroomS their
headquarters and are always pleased
to find an audience there. Some
times Speaker Cannon invades their
circle, for he is something of story
teller himself. He has probably
gathered up as many anecdotes as any
other man in Congress and occasional
ly he wanders up the center aisle,
turns sharply to the left and then
sharply to the right whereupon he
finds himself in the Republican cloak
room. He lights up n cigar and walks
back and forth SO that the galleries
can just sec his aged head bobbing up
and down beyond the curtains at the
rear Of the hall. Uncle Joe" does not
tarry as rule much after his cigar
has burned out but before that
happens he has probably relieved his
mind Of few good ones about life out
in the Mississippi valley. Speaker
Reed used to be powerful in anec-
dotes, but he rarely told them in the
cloakr0om. The members heard his
scintillations in the little room Off the
rear lobby, where Speaker Cannon
now holds forth.
or course there is a Republican
cloakroom and there is Democratic
cloakroon,. One is just as large as
the other and is located in the same
relative position with regard TO the
seats Of the partisans In the House.
The Republican cloakroom is Just
back Of the Republican sections of the
House and the Democratic cloakroom
is just back Of the Democratic sec
tons. But when 1t comes to the fine
art Of story telling, the Democratic
cloakrooms are the real thing There
are just as fine artists on the Republi-
can side as on the Democratic side but
there are BY no means as many of
them. The Southerners are especially
proficient. There lives. as a, rule, are
little more leisurely Rural, rather
than urban conditions prevail in that
section. The men have been schooied
from childhood in the wit and humor
Of friendly conversation. So they
flock to the cloakroom when IN
Washington as they flock to the
corner grocery or the courthouse III
their home towns and they match wits
in very interesting fashion. Then the
minority has less work to do than the
majority in a House of Representa-
tivcs, and the minority members can
spend more time in the cloakrooms
swapping yarns. The king story
teller on that side is John Sharp
Williams of Mississippi. who besides
having been an observing student Ut
human nature is n highly educated
man. perhaps the most highly
educated man in the House.
Neither of the Maine senators are
cloakroom devotees. Senator Hale is
always too busy to do any loafirg in
the cloakroom. He does not smoke
and therefore lie does not have that
excuse for retiring to the Senate re-
treat when Senator Tom Carter of
Montana. Senator Deliver. of Iowa
and other WORTHLESS see who can tell
the biggest whopper. If he is not on
tte Seilatt Ilccr MI. ffdte Is ia MS ON II
committee room or in some other
committee room attending to some
work. And when his work for the day
Is done, he is away up town.
Senator Frye enjoys Il good cigar
and occasionally he smokes it in the
Republican cloakroom and listens as
he smokes to the raconteurs. He can
tell a good anecdote himself. but such
efforts are generally up in his com.
mittee room. In the old days thu
committee on commerce included
among it's members the present eN-
Senator Berry OF Arkansas and tn,
late Senator Vest OF Missouri Botf
belonged TO the past generation o
familiar with the hardships of Civi
War service in the Confederate arm,
and their quips and quirks We're on
wide range of topics. These wer
sometimes sandwiched in on proceed
ings on the committee on commerce
and Senator Frye also sometime
paused to give "reminiscences.
But as a fine art story telling seem
to be passing out at the Capitol. Me
nowadays are buster than of yor,
Ihey have less time for sittin
around and exercising their imagina
tons
Among the Maine people who wer
III washington last week Is Prof L.