Whenever I enquired the name of one of
these exceptions, I was told that it was Mr. This, or Mr. That,
_of Virginia_.
One day we were fortunate enough to get placed on the sofas
between the pillars, on the floor of the House; the galleries
being shut up, for the purpose of making some alterations, which
it was hoped might improve the hearing in that part of the House
occupied by the members, and which is universally complained of,
as being very defective.* But in our places on the sofas we
found we heard very much better than up stairs, and well enough
to be extremely amused by the rude eloquence of a thorough horse
and alligator orator from Kentucky, who entreated the house
repeatedly to "go the whole hog."
*(As a proof of this defective hearing in the Hall of
(Congress, I may quote a passage from a newspaper report of
(a debate on improvements. It was proposed to suspend a
(ceiling of glass fifteen feet above the heads of the
(members. A member, speaking in favour of this proposal,
(said, "Members would then, at least, be able to understand
(what was the question before the House, an advantage which
(most of them did not now possess, respecting more than
(half the propositions upon which they voted."
If I mistake not, every debate I listened to in the American
Congress was upon one and the same subject, namely, the entire
independence of each individual state, with regard to the federal
government.
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