File:Satterfield watches Congress be exciting.jpg

English: in 1904, Bob Satterfield attended a sitting of the United States Congress, which he described as having initially been uneventful:

"Even the eagle on top of the mace seemed droopy while the orator let loose. Finally he began taunting the Democrats. As a taunter he certainly was worth his wages. A couple of mean flings, and he got a rise. Two or three Democrats got back at him swift and warm. With the crossfire getting hot, members began swarming in from all sides. They gathered around the contestants and cheered them on. It looked exciting, for anywhere outside the chamber half that language would have led to a rough and tumble.

The man by the mace braced up and it looked as though the emblem would have to be carried into the middle of the fuss. It ended in words, however. The shouters exhausted their supply of taunts. The argument gradually weakened and the spectators faded away. The orator was given undisputed possession of the floor. Half an acre of mahogany was visible to the naked eye. Congress was in normal session again."