LATROBE'S CORN COLUMN. the half- cost, a practice which has been continued husked to this day. It also appears, by the accounts ears as the of the "contingent expenses" of Congress capitals early in the present century, that large quan"the corn- tities of "sirup" were purchased for consumpcob capi- tion at the Capitol; and there is a tradition tals," as that this "sirup" was French brandy, HolJohn Ran- land gin, and Jamaica rum. Each House dolphcall- had among its officials "pen-makers," who ed them. became acquainted with the exact kind of The sug- pen used by the senator or representative gestion whose goose-quills were intrusted to their of this care, making or mending pens which had "American order" "fine points" or "broad nibs." There was came from Mr. also in an anteroom of each House a "sealer," Latrobe, who also who stood behind a table on which was a designed some capi- lighted candle, and sealed with red wax packtals in a measure resem- ages or letters brought him, using the private bling the Corinthian, seal of the member sending them, or an offibut composed of the cial seal. leaves and blossoms of cotton, and of tobacco, instead of the traditional acanthus. As there were no stationery shops in the then infant city, the officers of each House of Congress used to make annual purchases in the northern cities of stocks of stationery, penknives, scissors, pocket-books, etc., which were disposed of to Congressmen at The impeachment of Judge Samuel Chase of Maryland, in 1805, marks an era in the chronicles of the Capitol. The Senate chamber was elaborately fitted up as a high court of impeachment, with the senators sitting as judges on a semicircular platform on either side of the Vice-President presiding,- Aaron Burr. Places were assigned for the members of the House, the Diplomatic Corps, and a few spectators. The trial demonstrated the violence of party feeling, and showed that while Judge Chase was an arrogant and impulsive man, with strong political prejudices, he had not rendered himself liable to dismissal from the bench. It was said of Aaron Burr at this trial, that he "presided with the dig 1. Office of the Speaker. 2. Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms. 3. Engrossing Clerks of the House. 4. Journal and Printing Clerks. Office of the Clerk. 10. Lobby. 12. Cloak-rooms. 13. 14, 15. Committee-rooms. 16. Office of the Secretary of the Senate. 17. Executive Clerk. 18. Financial Clerk. 19. Chief Clerk. 20. Engrossing and Enrolling Clerks. 21. Committee on Appropriations. 23. Committee on Enrolled Bills. 24. Cloakrooms. 25. The Room of the President of the United States. 26. The Senators' Withdrawing-room. 27. The Vice-President's Room. 28. Committee on Finance. 29. Official Reporters of Debates. 30. Reception-room. 31. Post-office. 32. Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms. 13. House Document-room. 34. House Stationery-room. 35, 36. House Committee-rooms. 37. Office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court. 38. Robing-room of the Judges. 39. Withdrawing-room of the Supreme Court. 40. Office of the Marshal of the Supreme Court. nity and the impartiality of an angel, but with the vigor of a devil." A few years later he was himself on trial for treason, while Senator John Smith, of Ohio, one of those who had sat in judgment in the Chase impeachment trial, only missed by one vote expulsion for his connection with Burr and Blennerhassett. The "War of 1812," as it was called, gave great importance to Congress, and both Houses often sat with closed doors, discussing plans submitted by the Executive for organizing success. In August, 1814, an invading force ascended Chesapeake Bay, landed without opposition, and marched on Washington. After the main body of the British troops had reached the Capitol, Admiral Cockburn (who commanded jointly with General Ross), ordered a regiment to march into the hall of the House of Representatives, the drums and fifes playing" The British Grenadiers." When the hall was filled with troops, Admiral Cockburn seated himself in the Speaker's chair and said: " Attention! Shall this harbor of Yankee Democracy be burned? All for it 66 will say Aye! Contrary opinion, No!" There was an affirmative shout, and the soldiers soon scattered themselves through the building, firing army rockets through the roof and building fires on the floors with the books, papers, and furniture. Much of the lumber which had been used in the interior construction was pitch-pine, which burned freely, while the columns and ornamental work of sandstone were calcined into dust. The people in every section of the United States appeared to feel deeply the wanton and barbarous destruction of the Capitol and other public buildings at Washington, and urged their reconstruction in accordance with the original plans. Liberal appropriations for this purpose were voted with great unanimity, and Latrobe, who had gone West, was recalled to superintend the rebuilding of the Capitol. He resigned, however, in 1817, and Charles Bulfinch, of Massachusetts, an educated and accomplished architect, was placed in charge of the work. The halls of the Senate and of the House of Representatives were immediately rebuilt, Congress meanwhile occupying a structure public. Idolized by the Whig party, his wonerected by the citizens of Washington for their temporary use. The Senate chamber, now the Supreme Court room, was the first portion of the Capitol reconstructed, and it became the scene of the famous oratorical contests that took place between the intellectual giants who occupied its curule chairs, whose memories, like the remains of the mastodon, will long excite the wonder and admiration of posterity. Generally speaking, the proceedings in the Senate were colloquial, resembling the meetings of boards of directors of banks or similar institutions. A resolution would be offered, amended, discussed, and passed, within a quarter of an hour; and the Senate, with an occasional day for set speeches, managed to transact its business between twelve and three o'clock, invariably adjourning over from Thursday until the following Monday. This dispatch of the real business of the session was ended when the proceedings were reported verbatim by stenographers. When every word was recorded, to be printed and distributed over the land at public expense, senators became prolix. This was the beginning of the period of great constitutional debates, in which the prominent figure was Daniel Webster. When it was known that he was to have the floor in the Senate chamber, it would be crowded by people who often cared but little for the subject under discussion, but wanted to see and to hear Webster. Nor were they ever disappointed, either in the personal appearance of the orator or the intellectual banquet which he provided. His stalwart figure was always arrayed in the old Whig colors of "blue and buff"; his massive head was firmly set on his square shoulders; his swarthy complexion was at times radiant with smiles, displaying his excellent teeth; his black, wily eyes gleamed in cavernous recesses beneath shaggy eyebrows, and his firm jaws showed his mastiff-like grip on whatever question he took hold of. He rarely spoke in the Senate without preparation, and he would never permit the publication of the reports made of his remarks by the stenographers until he had carefully revised them, often rejecting pages and substituting new sentences. His genial and liberal nature made him a great favorite among the senators, who were always ready to enjoy his hospitality, either at Washington or at Marshfield. Henry Clay, who left a seat in the Senate for one in the House, but after many years' service at the other end of the Capitol returned to the Senate chamber, exercised a powerful control over the politics of the re derful powers of personal magnetism, and his rich, manly voice would enable him to hold an audience for hours. He made but little preparation, and used but few notes in speaking; but when he wrote out his remarks for the press, his manuscript was remarkably neat, without interlineations or blots. He seldom indulged in classical allusions, and his occasional attempts to make quotations of English poetry were generally failures. On one occasion, he used the wellknown phrase from Hamlet, "Let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung." but misquoted the last syllable, calling it "un-strung." The gentlemen who sat on either side of him noticed the error, and simultaneously whispered "unwrung." This double prompting confused "Young Harry of the West," who straightened himself, and with stronger emphasis repeated "unhung." This raised a general laugh, at the close of which Clay, who had meanwhile ascertained his mistake, shook his head, and said with one of his inimitable smiles: "Ah! murder will out! Unwrung's the word." The fascination which he exercised over all with whom he had personal intercourse,—even his political adversaries, was remarkable; but he was imperious and domineering, exacting unconditional and unqualified support as the price of his friendship. John C. Calhoun was among the purest of American statesmen. His political enemies could find no opprobrious epithet for him but "Catiline," and could accuse him of no crime but an inordinate political ambition. As Webster said, when pronouncing his eulogy: "He had no recreations, and he never seemed to feel the necessity for amusements." He never was subjected to that ordeal of newspaper slander through which nearly all of our public men have had to pass, and his only fault was a thirst for political power, to gratify which he would rather "reign in hell than serve in heaven." When he last entered the Senate chamber, during the discussion of the compromise measures of 1850, he looked like a skeleton summoned from the tomb and inspired by indomitable zeal. Unable to speak audibly, he gave the argument which he had prepared to Senator Mason to read, but his eagle eyes followed the utterance of every word, occasionally glancing at Clay and Webster as if to note the effect produced on them. Not many days had elapsed before they were called upon to eulogize him in the Capitol. Inferior in intellectual ability to Webster, Clay, or Calhoun, Thomas Hart Benton had no superior as a man of iron will and haughty |