Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-25

"A ILLUSIONS to the French spoNa-
~ ton claims" which caused the
wrangle and the protracted ue-up
in the House Of Representatives last
week. ring familiarly in the ears of
Washingtonians who have been here for
a long time and who have maintained
their interest in legislative matters.
The French spoliation claims have been
the occasion of many a night session OF
the House Of Representatives, going back
through long stretch Of years. There
was considerable newspaper comment
upon the scenes Of disorder accompany
ing the debate over these claims last
week. But whatever mild scenes of dis
order there were all occurred on the
floor Of the House.
The writer recalls some sure-enough
scenes Of disorder which attended a pro-
tracted debate over the French spoliation
claims in the House Of Representatives
something over twenty years ago. It was
in 1889 or 1890. The tumultuosity was
by no means confined to the floor Of the
House. Certainly the scenes on the floor
were wild enough during the three or
four days and nights Of the debate. But
1t was In the committee rooms and In
the corridors that the spirit Of riot SEEM
ed to have taken complete possession of
the legislators Of that period.
It is to be remembered that those were
looser times. so to speak, than the pres
ent. Liquor then was served and drank
openly In the restaurants of the Capitol;
nor was there any such prejudice against
the spectacle of slightly elevated or
even distinctly Observation-Disclosures legisla-
tr>y~n Hnc cfrnon hof Tina v0f
of the congressman still were proud of
the fact that they wore boots; and the
members of the lower house preened
themselves upon certain rough-and-
readiness that the modern members have
completely shucked. They were, a good
many of them at that time, big eating.
big talking men, unafraid of criticism, not
in the least ashamed Of their primitive
ness: they knew that their constituents
approved Of their manners and methods.
and that was all that they cared for.
One hesitates to say just was proportion
of the membership of the under house
during that famous prolonged debate on
the French spoliatiOn claims, surged
about the floor and through the corridors
and committee rooms in spirit OF car
nival, SO to speak; for any such estimate
might appear to be exaggerated by read
ers of this generation. None of the emil
nent men of the House membership of
that time became involved in the queer
the lesser men certainly did. In the mild
est manner of speaking. whoOp things up
about the Capitol at that time in way
that never since has been approached,
much less equaled. 1t was. in fact. soon
after that time that the agitation for the
cutting out of liquor selling at the Capitol
began. The whole country heard about
what had taken place during the French
Spoliation claims debate, but the country
heard about it in sort or diluted, gloss
ed-over form.
4 4
Besides the liquor that was consumed
in enormous quantities in the House res
taurant, there were huge bowls of punch
kept filed for days and nights on end, in
at least half dozen of the more import
ant committee rooms of the House. The
carnivalizing congressman did more than
full justice to these punch bowls.S 1t
was in vain that the notable representa-
tives of that time-Randall, Reed, Crisp,
Henderson and men Of that stamp-pro-
tested against the spirit of riotousness and
disorder which appeared to have taken
complete possession of large proportion
Of the membership of the House. The
really big men were ashamed Of the
sights and sounds that were only too
visible about the Capitol on the House
side to the immense throngs of visitors
W WIZ Liz OIIS6u the
great build .ng, day and night, while the
debate was in progress. But they could
do nothing. They. were told. in a way Of
speaking, to go and roll their hoops or
sell their papers when they protested to
the celebratOrs: and SO the whoop'er
up proceedings went on and on until it
came to q natural end; said natural end
being the physical necessity which re-
quired the wilder ones to take to their
beds from pure exhaustion and other
incapacitating ailments Of the body
At that time there were bands Of young
negro men who on agreeable nights