Evening star., 1915-02-12
HOUSE SEXTET DEFEATS
PRESS CLUB SINGERS
Politicians 0utgeneral Newspaper
Men by Selecting Popular,
Sentimental Airs.
Guests at Ladies' Night Entertain
ment Sustain Decision of Judges
Upon Appeal.

Congress won in the great tussle with
the press for musical supremacy at
the National Press Club last night. 1t
was a great struggle, with a sextet of
statesmen from all parts of the coun
try vying with a sextet from the Ma
tional Press Club Glee Club, and the
contest was the real piece de resistance
of the ladies' night entertainment.
The winning House of Represent
atiVes SeXtet was composed of Repre-
sentatives Pat Harrison of Mississippi.
Benjamin g. Humphreys of Mississippi,
Thomas L. Reilly of Connecticut. Ed
mund Platt of New York, Henderson
NJ. Jacoway of Arkansas and John w.
Langley of Kentucky. Mr.. Harrison
was the organizer, Mr.. Reilly the
musical leader.
Their rivals. who put up a brave
front, but lost on the popularity of the
airs concocted by the Capitol folks
and the manner of expression that con-
vulsed the audience, were: Edwin Cal
low. Otto Luebkert, Oliver A. Phelps,
George F. D. Rollings, Clarence Sor-
rell and Raymond B. Morgan. MT
Callow was the organizer, Charles h
Bartlett the conductor and EDWIN A
Balinger was the accompanlst.
The judges were: ]. Harry Coving.
ton, chief justice of the Supreme Court
of the District of Columbia, presiding
Judge; Representative John j. F1tzger-
aid of New York. chairman OF the
House committee on appropriations,
and Ralph A. Graves, dramatic editor
of the Washington Post
Each sextet was kept in ignorance
the Press Club sextet was busted with
rehearsals of the classic selections
which they gave last night the con-
eressmen were stealing away to the
tesy of Elliott Woods, where they
practiced for the old songs that reign
ed generations ago.
Songs That Won.
The songs that the House sextet won
on. amid rounds of applause, were
sweet Evelina,'' Little Annie Rooney
and Push Dem Clouds Away" When
the crowd demanded more the House
seXtet sang this impromptu. written
for the occasion by Edwin A. Bal
niger:
We are the boys that get up and warble;
Callow and Caruso have nothing on We:
Our rivals get up and just sputter and garsle
But we sing as sweet as the birds In the tree
List 10 singing.
Hear songs ringing.
While SO Justify warblc and shout.
We need training,
No vocal strainnc:
We have the voices that never wear out.
. The sextets sang alternately. the club
members classic selections, the House
acoustic capacity of the assembly hall
of the club. While the applause that
greeted the last round was dying away,
James Gray Of the Minneapolis Journal,
introduced as the former mayor of
Minneapolis, delivered a charge to the
judges in the way in which lawyers
charge the jury, advising the judges
what in his opinion should be taken
into account in the verdict.
House Sextet Wins.
The judges. advised that the slogan
publicity, held their consultation on
the platform in the full view Of the
audience and soon announced their
verdict.
Chief Justice Covington and Repre-
sentative Fitzgerald agreed that the
House members had fairly won the de-
cision.
Justice Covington went over all the
phases of the contest in judicial way
been made to suborn the judiciary by
one of the contestants who was chair
man of the patronage committee of the
House of Representatives, (Represen-
VINO rem nQed MIN,
he said, that Judge Covington had
patronage interests remaining in the
House that might be unfavorably
affected by an adverse decision.
Fines Press Singers $50, 1000, 900.
Judge" Fitzgerald pointed out that
the largest fine ever imposed by a
United States court was that Of s29,-
0o0.ooo against the Standard Oil Com
no
the threatened necessity of $50 900 900
IN the federal Treasury he would raise
that record fine by 81 900, 900 to boost
the revenues, and would impose on the
Press Club seXtet fine of $50 900 600
not to be paid until the Senate shall
have passed unanimously the ship pur-
chase bill.
Mr.. Fitzgerald said that in both the
Congressional and Press Club sextets
there was a grating sound in the sing
ing. which, he said, was due to the fact
that the leaders of both sextets came
from Connecticut. the Nutmeg state
to the House seXtet because 1t was
able to sway the audience. the music
being so charming that the great
crowd Joined in.
Another reason for the award. he
said, was that five of the House sextet
were clean shaven and only one wore
beard. while the club sextet had only
four clean-shaven members and two
Club sextet. he added, had attempted
to influence him by wearing a cord on
their glasses similar to the one at
tached to the glasses he wore
Mr. Fitzgerald commented on the fact
that the club seXtet had an indepen-
dent leader advantage, told of
various things at the expense of the
club sextet, and made a profound re-
view of the reasons favoring the House
members. Mr.. Graves dissented strong
ly, indicating that the decision had
been stacked"
Claude y. Bennett, a member of the
club, instantly appealed. insisting that
the verdict was an outrage on fairness
and Justice. and Representative Smith
OF Minnesota protested in the name of
the House against the appeal. Finally
III the interest of harmony, there was a
popular referendum in which the audi-
ence sustained the judges
Other Features.
Among the other notable features of
the ladies' night were these:
Representative Edward w Townss,d
of New Jersey. author of "Chimmie
F'adden," readings from that work. for
mer Representative ]. Adam Rede Of
Minnesota. who exhausted the diction-
ary in his tributes to everything in
!