Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-01-28
A REBUKE BY POLK
1t Effected a Reform In the House
of Representatives.
BAD MANNERS IN CONGRESS.
In the Early Days Dur Lawmakers at
Washington Were Addicted to Indul-
fences and Free and Easy Customs
That No Longer Survive.

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In the early days the senators at
Washington were noted for their rich
attire and their great gravity Of man.
ner, whereas most of the representa-
tives persisted while being in the house
during debates In wearing their big
cooked hats set fore and aft" on their
heads. The custom of wearing their
hats while transacting business was
continued by the representatives for
fifty years or more.
The senators, however, always sat
with barred heads. They also avoided
the habit, common in the house, Of
putting their feet up on the nearest
elevated object, usually a desk lid, and
lolling on their spines. English visit
ors, though accustomed to the wearing
of hats in their own house of commons,
nevertheless found a text for criticism
In the way the American representa-
tives did 1t, and they all had some
thing ver to say Of the prevalence
Of tobacco chewing in the house. Thus
writes Francis e. Leupp in his book,
"Walks About Washington"
Less offensive to the taste of our WIS.,
ftors from abroad, continues the writ
er, was the indulgence In snuff taking,
which was SO general that boxes or
jars were set up in convenient places
inside of both halls, and 1t was made
the duty of certain employees to keep
these always filled with a fine brand
of snuff. Any of the most eloquent
orators In congress was liable to stop
at regular intervals In a speech to help
himself to a large pinch, bury his face
in a bandanna handkerchief and have
1t out with nature.
While we are on the subject of In
%dulgences we must not overlook a
drink called switched, which was very
popular. being compounded Of rum,
ginger. molasses and water. Every
member was allowed then, as now In
addition to his salary and travelling
expenses, a fixed supply of station
cry" and this term, which was elias
tic enough to include everything from
pens and paper to jackknives and ra-
Zors, vas stretched to cover the de-
lectable switched under the thin guise
Of "sirup."
In later years, when a wave of tee
totalism had swept owe Washington
in the restaurants of the capitol was
under a temporary ban, any member
who wished a drink of whisky ordered
1t as cold tea," and 1t was served to
him in a china cup. This strategem
fell into marked discredit when one of
the most respectable and abstemious
members of the house, who had never
tasted intoxicating liquor of any sort.
ordered cold tea in entirely good faith
to clear his throat In the midst Of a
speech and became maudlin before he
was aware that anything was amiss.
Many old time representatives felt
free to read newspapers while debates
were going on around them, Indifferent
to their disturbance of both orators
and audience. The first pointed re-
buke of this practice was administer
ed by James *. Polk when speaker of
the house. He noticed one morning
that substantially every representa-
tive had a newspaper in hand when
the gavel fell for beginning the days
session. The journal was read, but
nobody paid any attention to it, and
then the speaker made his usual an
nouncement that the house was ready
for business. Still everybody remain
ed buried in the mornings news.
After another vain attempt to set the
machinery in motion Mr.. Polk quietly
drew a newspaper from his own peck
ct, seated himself with his back to-
ward the house, spread the sheet open
before him and ostentatiously miners
ed himself in it's printed contents.
One by one the representatives fin
ished their reading, and perhaps a
quarter of an hour passed before there
came from all sides an irregular vol
ley of calls: "Mr. Speaker Mr.. Speak
err" Mr.. Polk ignored them till n of
the baffled members moved hat the
house proceed to the election of a pre-
siding officer to take the place of the
speaker, who appeared to be absent.
This brought Mr.. Polk to his feet with
the remark that he not only was pres
emit, but had notified the house that it
was ready for business and had re-
ceived no response. The house took
the joke in good part and showed by
it's conduct thereafter that it was not
above profting by the speakers re
proof.
Although women were admitted as
chambers on the same terms as men.
there was for many years an under
current of feeling against their en-
croachments. In the house one day
John Randolph drew attention to them
by hating a debate to point a. long,