The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1912-05-23
AT NIGHT SESSIONS
Live'ier Scenes In Congress Than
In Daytime.
ENJOYED BY SOCIETY FOLK
Debates Of the Lower House at These
Times Especially Are Likely To
Be vltrIoIic-One Closing
Night of Song.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

1ourn, congress probably will begin
holding night sessions soon; in fact,
they may be the order at any minute.
When night sessions are going on the
capitol is picturesque and lively
place. From without the great build
ing 1t looks like what in sense it
really is, an illuminated palace Of
white. the thousands of lights showing
through hundreds and 1t may be
thousands of windows.
Washington society takes advantage
OF night sessions of congress for an
opportunity to visit the capitol. Sc
ciety in the main Is not great on earlf
day outings and 1t is only occasionally.
when drawn by some big event, tina:
the social leaders go to Capitol HE
even In the late afternoon. The novel
society. so-called. but the thousands
OF visitors In Washington and other
thousands Of residents who, working
all day, get little opportunity to see
the law makers at their labor in the
daylight hours. The galleries at their
night sessions almost always are
crowded.
Debates liveIier at Night.
Night sessions, especially when the
day sessions have begun at IL o'clock,
seem to get on the nerves of the mem
bers OF both houses and one is much
more apt to hear a vitriolic debate
and to witness the losing of tempors
nj fprhN AA. H. l..
The night before the day of adjourn
ment is always a gala time in the low
er house. AS a rule then the house is
through with it's business for the ses-
sion and is simply waiting on the SEN
ate to catch up. The senators work
away the last night harder than they
have worked at any other night Of the
session, while the house members fire.
quently give themselves over to play.
1t Is rather sad to relate, but occa-
sionally the play In the house becomes
something more serious than play. If
the day has been long and hot and the
debates have been sharp and bitter
and especially If politics has been
touched upon, the members are led
from play to something more serious
and while names need not be men,
toned, there have been one or two &C.
casions when the last night Of the
session of the house has developed
healthy rows.
One Famous Closing Night.
1t is probable that the most pic
turesque of night sessions of congress
in many years was that which wound
up the long session of the year 1904.
The adjournment was well along into
the early summer Congress was
tired and wanted to get away; the
house had ended its work completely
except for the mere details of closing
and the members gave themselves
over to frolicking.
On that night the scene OF which
likely Is to be reproduced this year
every representative in the chamber
was given an American flag and with
1t there was handed to him a song
book. The night was spent in flag
waving. in singing and in telling sto-
ries.
West Point Frolics.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Barry Is the
superintendent of the United States
Military Academy. If the war de-
partment were to believe all the
reports that come in, General Barry
is having a hard time Of it in
enforcing discipline. Government Of
ficials, however, have always taken
with more than a grain of salt stories
that come out of West Point. Gen
orally they have been found TO grow
in the coming.
Major General Barry was sent to the
Military academy as superintendent
after a notable career in Cuba and in
the Philippines, and with fine record
for efficiency and maintenance Of disci-
pine. The last story which came
from West Point was to the effect that
the superintendent virtually put the
whole corps Of cadets under arrest
of the five hundred odd boys it was
who yelled Fore for the supe." Fore
In golf term, as everybody knows, |
aud General Barry, it was said, hear
ing the cadets words through an open
window of the mess hall, took them as
being subversive of discipline and as |
having the ring of impertinence in |
them. He did not find out who it was |
that had used the offending words, |
but the story of his method and of a |
good many other things connected with |
the incident were found to be untrue. |
Every time anything happens at West |
Point which is enlarged in the telling |
there are limitations that congress |
will start investigating, but the |
chances are that congress in this case |
will have nothing TO do.
How Things Are Started.
To give an idea of how attempts are
made frequently to start the war de-
partment going" with stories about |
West Point, 1t should be said that In
connection with this General Barry |
matter, which was trivialty in itself, /
II was said the affair at the academy |
was the most tremendous disciplinary |
breach in a quarter Of century and
. n AZ tho oplv thing which Huualed IL in