| Show WASHINGTON GOSSIP A Day With o Member of Congress SOITO of Ho Trials hich Beset His Thorny Way c E i Special Correspondence WMhIngton B C Dec loth 1897 c Fcw pcoplc > h sesn y Idea of tin I I r amount of work which deolve UIn i f a membir of Congress Tho popular p Impression is of a pampeml nml Idle Individual who Is I paid a fat salary for 1 i making n spectacular show of himself I In the Congressional amphlthonter for naylnp aye and nay at his partys call ii distributing n few sccda and docu t ci meltts sat perhaps delivering one or two spreodeagli speeches In course of I ri session Tho salary attached to rat nothing of peniuKltes Is I considered a by tie it ara much mars than i equivalent for I totem lcct pertcrmt I tnt many arc of thc opinion that the p honor of the position t coupled wIth Its Influence In securing positions for i friends and political all err nte Is I corn pnsnllon enough ant that no ulary i should be required tij To be sure the fortunate M C hast J has-t honors showered upon him und many C emoluments outside his regular hire i 4 ns n servant of tho people but ho tarns tc his 5000 > n year every cent of It The I hodcarrier would Lick with visor If compelled to ladrtr mMe than eight i tt hours per diem i > r ten at the most but i1 the nitlannl IcRlxlators hours average 3 u4 j eighteen out of the twentyfour It Indeed L In-deed his work Is I ever done for his busy brain goes on milling schemes and political po-litical problems even In the Land of Drellm Iet u rollow n nemhcr through his usual I day nnd see how l he spends the time He Uses at eight uclockwhlch Is I very early In Washington fl tP t Wash-ington where night is I turned Into day 4tiiiAc and tho hours do regcur for social plasure bgln at nine p m ted Call tlnue Into tlio wee smii hours of tic ijt morning Long before he Is nt of bed C raId have b crIme inn In and visitors 41L waltln to oe him lIla aletlf hoI irl1l iTrkhf ho-I enough to Indule jn ouch an appendage or n servant en his hotel or hoardlnghouerapA 1IerellY on hi door when the preollro Ieeome too uiMie grat 10 ho loner I wllhtnod ant nt iit once Ihp lePIIY M C in I In iiurneesaict s e his 1 wo hint day heglns 1 dupe the tceptflL llrot word ho tears Is I Lndy tesce ou ollh been waltln Ine I ebhn rcloek i oh f10 he Ire In hate but or r nurses iih the care which his pOMllIon demand and decnd break t1 ralle to the parlor whre hla tor brec menlorR await him its nnd Ihem l1 grouped near me doorn jealous t locking party each glaring nt tho r0 others as who should nut lie Is I the u mmbr from my dltrlet find very me of them plainly feels If he or she c rjw do 1 not ony It In word a claim on the 4 C nngnes mae er tees t erase nit or 1k ct hr relative hated fur him here I n u1 widow In weed and woe chnne pen c thf Ion ror the aervicrsn I her 4h44yd husband Uncle Samuel ohoul In ereo In order to add augar to tie bread and butlr or hoo hoy mut be oppolnte1 ao Ime In Ih Capitol or p who I heroel ao nppllennt ror oome vic thing oay to chin Ihelcay of the 4vc government mere is me goodlooking I t4 young woman fashonably attired and confidently smlllngor rather there tt may bo dozens of her every day She cr lias come up from his district expecting f expect-ing to bo put right Into the treasury at Mtihb4 11 alary of 11 thousand a year and oho ut u wants to consult him unLace talc particular W partic-ular place ho would better get for her or she brings him a Ietter from 001110 ci tv rorgotten arqualntaneo siding a thou and mile teen his distrIct nklng 1t him to please put her Into one of the Jl1du departments As If I thoso coveted fvlifrl n places were to be had for tho asking How little people outside of Washing I Ion oem understand that for every ti vacancy actual or prospective there arc hundreds of applications that Congress as a body egged on by 1 eager il constituents are perpetually clamoring y ut the doors of the departments for ovyOi places which they know cannot be obtained k ° tjt ob-tained and thut civil service has added a thousand fold to the dtfllcultles In tho I 10ll4v way Another caller may ba n veleran 0 member of the O A It who thinks he f ti ha s been Illegally discharged from government O4 AhP gov-ernment employ and wants to get bock again Other urn college friends or f a rout comrnde who desli a peroonal i al intioductlon to tin 1rloIenl OUler if 4l1ji ale merely istltuents uho aro In tIdt t Ult town fat n fey lain and feel fairly entitled nf en-titled to the service of the M C In showing them alound for didnt they 0 it i vote for him Sadder than all and not Icantonecena are the applicant for oharltmen and womn who came f l411V here to urge claim of appointments which they have failed to get whoo ° 41 money and hopes have both dlsap peared and now entirely destitute ij4 they must bo fed and sent homo at the Congressmans expense Disposing of nil these without once mislaying lIa I temper the V I C Ket his lirndltfilH I iff I taking his letter with him to rend and i digest along with tho chops nod eggs rint of course the homo letters to ii frolll tIte nn1 ehlhlren If they are not 1 l ecith him at Wahlngtoloand rue paratle few Congressmen can afford to keep them In this most expensive lieI j ii city fiom his aged parents breathing hi ilf plld In their distinguished son which d4f ho TOW In his sicret heart to disone and perhaps the devoted > lfe who Is I It I patiently licarlng all the homu buidens 1 while her lord Is I away has guided tho til t a hnbjs hand in some scrawllngs across 0 the page which nctinlly bring tears f 4 to the eyes of the polished irnn of thee the-e j1 world l Illght here let mn enter my tt11 emphuUc protest ngiilnst tho Impres ii Inja Ion which prevails in the rural I ills rc dl 7 Q 11 leict 1 anent Ihe lmcarIallly at the 1P l i UIJh c average Congressman Why should a i I ti t i hitherto respectable cltlren whom hIs > tt Piiie I rlend and nelghtr hnw trusled fK tJ f well lam gdIJel eL as aWe repre I ecntatle suddenly lose all Finer o 1ft t moral obllnatlon when ho COllie trent rj WahlnMon When ou IIroln Itome l < 1 t tnt l 1I ei I dh 1 I but lice Ibccnunn tlcrmselvon may be Or ili f 11 rent people Inls is I not tho wlckid eat city as many suppose not by a h tlJr r r n hrr M jdoei j very great dnnllTlccnarehligict 1Yl1 of publicity Is I tm oed too full upon j I Its high places to udmlt of thud 1 i doings nt peorles I minds are IKLU 1 1 f pled by thing of far greater Impor I 1 001cC 1 001 aware Iloat 110 foregoIng afl 0 i statement sounds a good deal like olrl t t < I placard which the good deacon roLl H j3l i In his melon patch Ilojs lot thra lol rct IJ InJh 7 j melons ulom > they aint Ipe nod Lied IfjeS4 riil sees youbut there Is I truth In It I rd f 04u I nevertheless I 1 II I c A Congressmans mall lepresents i I great ilul of his hardest labor It be 1 1 not all received at his residence bu 11001 11 the bulk of It goes to tho Capitol Fun Office and Is 1 piled upon his dck by a tl 10 page The wise I M C nnsviers all I Ills I letter If a veteran sccniicr of 110 i1 1 House he may get from scventjflv e i day < 11 r h1re the vtest affnln tnte to tho drlvclllngs of political I crank If he If I a Qrand Arm man a srnt many of hH correspondents ie ot him to look up claims I nnd use 1er nl 1 Influence In forwarding settlements f1or every day mo applications fore for-e Home ot them strong appeals l l for olhy persons from mutual friends l alI < I I endorsed by weightiest influence Should he visit the dcpirtmcnts nnd aund personally to nil thesu requests tht alone would assume his entire L etai and maps and public documents nnd goodness know what Occasion ally 11 conlltuent writes to say that tin lie InOnl < I 11 wonderful thing nnd I that he undertunda that It costs nbout 300 to get a patl Idol 05 i he Is I 11 HUH short Just now ho desIres hi member to advance the money and l so nIt the patent and he will repay him richly from the enormous Koflts I he expects ex-pects to leap And probably next day n big box exprers charges unpaid is unloaded nt the SI Cs loor nod becomes be-comes a regular white elephant on his hands Other writers plenty ot them ale grumbling about their post master and want him removed I forthwith and I teen I of them desire books printed and mailed nt government expense Now nnd then n man who would l perhaps per-haps refuse the earth aafren gift mentions lIds I titles of books enough to ofII till nnenpees cur and avInl up by addbldg nn1 all Ihe other government publlellllon Besides tho IelUia are ushels Id tncaso pert most of them containing nt tides marked for his In si ctlon tr ignore one of which might cost him his reelection Then there ore Ila I lcets full of public documents and pamphlets em all conceivable subjects sub-jects Pemilunltlcs present visionary schemes for righting all human wrong und persons Interested In private bills Hood him with circulars lIe Is I Invited to banquets and receptions galore asked to remit good sized cheiki for tickets enclosed to entertainments given for chnlliable purposes which ho cnnl10t bob telddi 01101 nmons the temer stuff aro SLentcd billetdoux from female fe-male admirers whose greatest fault Is I Inedible silliness and n few which are practically bids for favors about which the feet said the better Usually the member hurries to the Capitol as early as 10 a m although ns everybody knows tho session of Congress do not begin till 12 oclock If he is b on some important committee ho must nttend all It I Inset bans with unfailing regularity and alw the sessions ses-sions ot the subcommltteei to which he Is assigned On the way to his com ttcemom to take part In discussing some pending bill of national ronse quenco he is waylaid at every step bye by-e Importunities of visitors He la buttonholed by delegations urging him 10 usi his Influence toward changing the tarllt whedule or to txert It ogalnt a bill uilleud to bo damaging to tho commercial Interests of the mIll they represent II ho Is urged to favor thIs measure or 10 opp08e that A rrlen1 begs him to urge upon the corn mIll on claim some lOIenoal I hili nnother monte him 10 see the committee commit-tee on military affairs and use his In 110 eoeen behalf of some soldlei wrongflilty dlsgracrul Another tells a ImrrpwlnK tale or 11 poor woman who 105 lost her place In the deportment and most hne It look right nWRY Ie tore tl10 aactl at the dudr devour her 1I0ek Another Insists that a bridge must bo built oeroa the erek at lodunk lcd demando Ihat tho mmher gIve Iho meaurF hi perFonal allen lion Otl1t merelY want to cajole out of him his Iw 011 the CUban que lion or civil crlee or the annexo lion of Hawaii nowpaper mon way lay him lIumerouly for Interview amI tIde oearlt woman with pain led ehk ondl boeIng oyeo Ireent her card l to hIm on 000 s portent or another The meetIng In commltteoroom latIn till high noonwhen tho Speaker tall the House to order and like the hoolboy with shining mornIng face ho must be nt his desk to un cr rollcalland he has to run the gauollet of nil the shove menllonl mood many more to do It Then thn legislatIve mill begins Its slow and led Iou grinding In orders to vote in lllgently he mst pay close attentloi 10 all that is I going on and understan thorollghly every ubjeet under oil eulon Hilt he IInda It mot difficult 10 rrslaln In his I cent liv eroneecoen lobules I 0 n any cards i ramn In oth irgent alls tram people outoIe It tired nature demands a luneheoll and ho goes to the CongressIonal reotaurnnt to get It he la seized upon en route IIko u disabled crab 01101 figuratively devoured by Ills hungry fellows Thoe with most prcpilng cases Insist upor lunching with himlit his expense oomellme aol If claims or appoint 1 menl ire pending upon which action must l1e taken nt once they catch 11 ruble cor afleralusty meal ned hie to the treasury or come other departmen where perhaps the wait on hour or more Ioforo the aeeretary can bc en and then return no wiser than they went And l nt every step even In the depot tlncdt eorrldolo men not women sprlne up everywhere to besiege the devoted member The minute be eels foot In the Capitol his troubles are nugmnte1 a tholloand raid and to got away from tho buttonholers look like I a IhjFlcnl Impossibility 1110 it pebble dtoppcd In I a brook he finds himself tIde center of an everwidening circle and nil with axes of some sort to grin Suddenly there comes relief A page of tho Housfl scampers through the corridor ohoullng Ycdu and Otts The rnbilstlc call In I imiltratlvTnnd the CongreMman brenk ncai Hut his hata Bcil and bewildered brain has only a vaiuo Idea of what la I colng on In lIds legllalle ehnmloer no i he looks to the leaders of hlo i party 10 i roe how they nrc gelng < to coIn IInol odd his Dice to theirs The acne errors lire eenacted nntiddo thelb ColllMChS aol jou11 et howover rrhd hp mURt Pbetrpm tl1n emhlanc of rood hnmor oyen Iddliln corlInllty IowaId thoo who l1ao 110 cnrbkly claim IIpon him hat porIst In 1II0kios him ftc grlal clone noon which to skol tell tholr In dhhlllnl blare At lat ho rellrhea his prIvate olrtmcnt and seol hlmoelf logo aver 000thoraecamnlatlob or mall to tuy 000grossloonl record and omlnl1 leIlallnn or maCho to plOpllro the eomlug AIeeh hleh Ia I to make or II ran 111m pollllrolh far lIfe ills ecrrtary uttenl him If I Iecdn oToul the luxury nnd they go through a lot or bllslne tn the eourao or two or three hones At eight or nine > oclock he get Into his tlawhammr coot and goma hI din nnd thn rome soelnl < lOtlos vhlcli mOt by 1 no beans ic Ignore1 If he boo nMtUHU of his OWl ItIn en hi-s are usually Heverai aid < of an cenlnl < a-id It ho sees bed by loon m he Is il ilucky man Ien i then the oweet scobocer la har1 tn woo Toy lOon ellra old Worrle Iecoe settled oils o-ils mind to say nothing of late coins 1100 moth solnithlng ttronger on kIn tonlllehnn1 that speck like Mac beths conscience doth murder sleep This I only n ralnt lrlra1 or the Golly walk nod i eonnrsllon of the envied I en-vied menlder of Congress Hcmto Dole once sold rho preure ulon ftnator an1 neOreseutate for oe Iotanco In I ccUrlllg pllbllo omeeo 1m POII work IImt la nver bboloiuelnnd InVOIe them In n Warfare rrom which there is no discharge Their time Is c0000 med nnd their vitality is existed ex-isted In tho service of placehut t cml r ANNIE iiniaiiAir |
