The Entrance Is Made Under A Dome To A Large
Circular Hall, Which Is Hung Around With Surely The Worst Pictures
By Which A Nation Ever Sought To Glorify Its Own Deeds.
There are
yards of paintings at Versailles which are bad enough; but there is
nothing at Versailles comparable in villany to the huge daubs which
are preserved in this hall at the Capitol.
It is strange that even
self-laudatory patriotism should desire the perpetuation of such
rubbish. When I was there the new dome was still in progress; and
an ugly column of wood-work, required for internal support and
affording a staircase to the top, stood in this hall. This of
course was a temporary and necessary evil; but even this was hung
around with the vilest of portraits.
From the hall, turning to the left, if the entrance be made at the
front door, one goes to the new Chamber of Representatives, passing
through that which was the old chamber. This is now dedicated to
the exposition of various new figures by Crawford, and to the sale
of tarts and gingerbread - of very bad tarts and gingerbread. Let
that old woman look to it, or let the house dismiss her. In fact,
this chamber is now but a vestibule to a passage - a second hall, as
it were, and thus thrown away. Changes probably will be made which
will bring it into some use or some scheme of ornamentation. From
this a passage runs to the Representative Chamber, passing between
those tell-tale windows, which, looking to the right and left,
proclaim the tenuity of the building. The windows on one side - that
looking to the east or front - should, I think, be closed. The
appearance, both from the inside and from the outside, would be thus
improved.
The Representative Chamber itself - which of course answers to our
House of Commons - is a handsome, commodious room, admirably fitted
for the purposes required. It strikes one as rather low; but I
doubt, if it were higher, whether it would be better adapted for
hearing. Even at present it is not perfect in this respect as
regards the listeners in the gallery. It is a handsome, long
chamber, lighted by skylights from the roof, and is amply large
enough for the number to be accommodated. The Speaker sits opposite
to the chief entrance, his desk being fixed against the opposite
wall. He is thus brought nearer to the body of the men before him
than is the case with our Speaker. He sits at a marble table, and
the clerks below him are also accommodated with marble. Every
representative has his own arm-chair, and his own desk before it.
This may be done for a house consisting of about two hundred and
forty members, but could hardly be contrived with us. These desks
are arranged in a semicircular form, or in a broad horseshoe, and
every member as he sits faces the Speaker. A score or so of little
boys are always running about the floor ministering to the members'
wishes - carrying up petitions to the chair, bringing water to long-
winded legislators, delivering and carrying out letters, and running
with general messages. They do not seem to interrupt the course of
business, and yet they are the liveliest little boys I ever saw.
When a member claps his hands, indicating a desire for attendance,
three or four will jockey for the honor. On the whole, I thought
the little boys had a good time of it.
But not so the Speaker. It seemed to me that the amount of work
falling upon the Speaker's shoulders was cruelly heavy. His voice
was always ringing in my ears exactly as does the voice of the
croupier at a gambling-table, who goes on declaring and explaining
the results of the game, and who generally does so in sharp, loud,
ringing tones, from which all interest in the proceeding itself
seems to be excluded. It was just so with the Speaker in the House
of Representatives. The debate was always full of interruptions;
but on every interruption the Speaker asked the gentleman
interrupted whether he would consent to be so treated. "The
gentleman from Indiana has the floor." "The gentleman from Ohio
wishes to ask the gentleman from Indiana a question." "The
gentleman from Indiana gives permission." "The gentleman from
Ohio!" - these last words being a summons to him of Ohio to get up
and ask his question. "The gentleman from Pennsylvania rises to
order." "The gentleman from Pennsylvania is in order." And then
the House seems always to be voting, and the Speaker is always
putting the question. "The gentlemen who agree to the amendment
will say Aye." Not a sound is heard. "The gentlemen who oppose the
amendment will say No." Again not a sound. "The Ayes have it,"
says the Speaker, and then he goes on again. All this he does with
amazing rapidity, and is always at it with the same hard, quick,
ringing, uninterested voice. The gentleman whom I saw in the chair
was very clever, and quite up to the task. But as for dignity - !
Perhaps it might be found that any great accession of dignity would
impede the celerity of the work to be done, and that a closer copy
of the British model might not on the whole increase the efficiency
of the American machine.
When any matter of real interest occasioned a vote, the ayes and
noes would be given aloud; and then, if there were a doubt arising
from the volume of sound, the Speaker would declare that the "ayes"
or the "noes" would seem to have it! And upon this a poll would be
demanded. In such cases the Speaker calls on two members, who come
forth and stand fronting each other before the chair, making a
gangway. Through this the ayes walk like sheep, the tellers giving
them an accelerating poke when they fail to go on with rapidity.
Thus they are counted, and the noes are counted in the same way.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 12 of 140
Words from 11170 to 12185
of 142339
