The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-05-22
BY GEORGE CLINTON.


OF visitors in Washington and other
thousands of residents who, working
ell 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. T..
This winter the senate, because of
a change which was suggested by Sen
ator Bailey of Texas and acquiesced in
by the other senators, has not been
meeting until o'clock in the after
noon. The plea for the change was
that with the session beginning at
noon the senators had little oppor-
tunity to get their committee work up
and that with well prepared commit
tee work just as much business could
be transacted in the afternoon with
the session beginning at o'clock as
could be transacted under the old
hours
The house always meets at noon un-
less the pressure of business demands
earlier sittings and then the session
rarely begins earlier than II o'clock.
The representatives on an average
are younger men than the senators
and they show more vim and fire at
their work. -..
Ez Debates LiveIier at Night.
Night sessions, especially when the
day sessions have begun at II o'clock,
seem to get on the nerves of the mem
bers of both houses and one is much
more apt to hear vitriolic debate
and to witness the losing of tempers
1t night than he is in the daytime
The night before the day of adjourn
ment is always gala time in the low
or: house. As a rule then the house is
through with it's business for the SEES
sion and is simply waiting on the SEN
lte to catch up The senators work
away the last night harder than they
have worked at any other night of the
Bession, while the house members fire.
quently give themselves over to play.
It Is rather sad to relate, but occa-
pionally the play in the house becomes
something more serious than play If
debates have been sharp and bitter,
Ind 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 tho
pession of the house has developed
healthy rows. ~ z.~
One Famous Closing Night.
It is probable that the most pic
kuresque of night sessions Of congress
In many years was that which wound
up the long session of the year 1904
The adjournment was we'll 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. bid
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
It there was handed to him a song
book. The night was spent in flag
waving, in singing and in telling sto-
ries
On tho Republican side four mem
bers, two of whom were James A.
Tawney of Minnesota and Charles d.
Hamilton Of Michigan, formed them
selves into a volunteer quartet. The
choruses, in which all the members
Joined, were alternated with songs
from the quartet, while now and then
there would be sandwiched in solo
from some Democratic member who
had a good voice. On this night the
galleries were simply jammed while
the corridors were just about az
crowded. When q popular song was
started on the floor Of the house tho
music passed out into the corridors to
be caught up by the thousands of Wis
itors.
It Is believed that more deeply in
teresting night sessions have been
held in the senate than In the house.
When the night sessions come on az
has been said the house is apt to be
pretty nearly through with its work
while the senate Ii just getting down
to hard ticks" The most interesting
Of the senate night sessions of recent
years perhaps was that in which Seh-
ator La Toilette OF Wisconsin, Repuh-
lican, and Senators Stone Of Missouri
and Gore OF Oklahoma, Democrats, I'M
dertook to talk to death what was
known az the Aldrich currency bill.
Another Precious Child.
. a director Of one Of the great trans.
continental railroads was showing his
three-year-old daughter the pictures in
a work on natural history. Pointing
to picture Of i zebra, he asked the
baby to tell him what It represented.
Baby answered "Colty." Pointing to
q picture Of q tiger IN the same way.
she answered kitty. : Then q lion,i
and she answered Doggy. Elatedi
With her seeming quick perception, he,
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