Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 April 1892 — GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY. [ARTICLE]

GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY.

Merriment in the House at the Ex- - pease of a few Members Accused of Tippling nt the Capitol Restaurant*— Tho'PonlaU or Pleas ♦x'tiullty. Th® Hous® had some fun on Thursday, Mr. Kansas, rising jo a qncsUen of privilege. se.nt to th«d«sk and had read an article published in the New York Voice, whicta . for ten minutes kept the House iff a whirlwind of laughter and taerrlment. The article was headed, “A Few.of the Congressional Tipplers, - ’and went on to mention the naniesjof a dozen rs more Senators and an equal number of Representatives who. at the Senate and (louse been seen indulging In intoxicating liquors. His [Mr. Funston's] name Kas one of those inenioned, and he believed tliut the article was intended to primaries in his district. [Laughter.] He denied that ho •had ever drank intoxicants within th Capitol, produced tWaffidavit of the proietor of the House restaurant to that effect, and denounced the correspondent of the Voice as a liar. “Mr. Cummings of New York. whose name was also published, said that at the time the article was written he was sick in his room. Undoubtedly at some time the correspondent had seen him drinking a decoction kndwn as “cold tea,” to which

he had been introduced by Senator Edmunds. s Mr. Fellows of New York—l wish to lay on behalf of the correspondent ol the Voice that he Is right in one instance; I am guilty. [Laughton] Mr. Fitch—l declare myself guilty with Colonel Fellows. t*" ®-' Mr. Burrows moved to expunge the whole matter frOiu the record, and despite Mr. Funston’s protest this motion was carried. Then Mr. Funston, rising to a question of privilege, said the action of the House left his remarks without any - thing to rest upon. In unmeasurable terms and in language more forcible than polite, hedenounced the Voice correspondent and called on decent correspondents to kick him out of town. Mr. Lewis of Mississippi suggested that the correspondent was a woman. Mr. Funston—lt makes no differenc c whether she is a lady or a street walker. lam standing here in my own defense[Hisses in the gallery.] Mt, Wheeler, of Alabama, made the point of order that the gentleman should not use such language on the floor of the House. Mr. Funston said that he was informed that the correspondent was not a woman. He had been told of the name of the man who wrote the artlclo. He then took his seat amid more hisses. Mr. Wheeler, of Alabama, rising to a question of privilege, offered a resolution declaring that it was due to the dignity and good name of the House that the remarks made by Mr. Funstou relative to a woman should be expunged from the Record. Mr. Burrows asked the gentleman to withhold his resolution. He was assured by the gentleman from Kansas that anything that'could be criticised would be eliminated from the Record. -MfrWheeler said that with that assurance he would-allow the resolution to ile upon tli£_ table for the present.