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Show WAITING FOR. A JOB IN WASHINGTON. A TELEGRAM to go to Washington in the interest of a friend's candidacy candi-dacy for an appointment shared a coat pocket with the morning paper announcing the prospective departure from Washington of some of the powers pow-ers that be. They were going on a hunting hunt-ing trip for a week. Two stogies farther far-ther along the line and other dailies purchased through the car window re- peated the same, adding that the hunt- ing party would leave the next day. Much depended upon seeing them before be-fore they, left Washington. The time table held out hope of an hour's chance for an interview. Nothing remained but to loathe the Louis XVI hunt, burn a stogie in the fire of another revolution revolu-tion and trust to getting that one hour's chance by the grace of Providence and the Pennsylvania railroad. It pleased the gods just once to expedite expe-dite the course of the stranger within the gates of Washington, even to breaking clown the hauteur of the colored col-ored gentlemen who Kiep guard at the doors of the great n.en. The miracle which obtained this prompt audience with a senator must raw been wrought by the incantation on the calling card that the visitor was from a somebody related in some way to the senator's wife's sister's husband somewhere. 1 Subsequent developments furnished '. further proof of ch? potency of rela- ; tlonship. the talismar. which swings i open the political portals while plain patriots without connections are left to drape theme''ec ovr the reception ; room furniture. AVhat boots it to bear I a message that the press, the pulpit, j the bench, the bar and senators from ; Maine to California indorse a candidate j in letters, petitions and telegrams jacketed jack-eted in a departmental file while a statesman's wife's cousin knocks the persimmon? This senatorial wire forthwith pulled another wire at a department, and the head thereat telephoned back that the case in particular would '"be kept open, certainly, senator," pending the return of the powers from the hunting trip. And this closed the incident of quick action. Triere was no relationship button but-ton to press at the doors of those who came after. The experience at those doors is the common experience of him, in AA'ash-ington AA'ash-ington on a political mission the story of the waiting side of Washington. Thjs business leads you for wandering wander-ing days through the rorridors of the capitol; it holds you in hours of suspense sus-pense in committee rooms: it compels you to sit for your turn among a dozen other sitters in department offices: it lolls you around hotel lobbies and it twirls your thumbs in reception rooms for heaven knows how long. Be it known, of course, that this befalls be-falls you when you seek the busy statesman. The new member is found readily enough. Indeed, your visit electrifies him with a. realization that his presence in congress has been discovered. dis-covered. Before your arrival his meditations medi-tations probably were confined to a change in lifelong views concerning I trousers and boots. .He is reaching the t point of cheerfully sacrificing a Prince 1 Albert coat made by the best tailor In i his home town. He has already given ! away a silk hat which, when he bought it at the leading store in Squashtown. was the pride and wonder of hi; heart, j and he Is coming to be faintly conscious of the fact that the wearing of white i cambric neckties during the day is cal- f culated to cause misunderstanding. I "Why, my dear fellow: Gld to see you!" Certainly he is, anppress'es you into the Capitol cafe to beam hfs joy upon you over a friendly glass. "Do anything in my power to help you. of course." He has sent out garden seed by the carload, distributed stacks of literature about potato bugs and grub worms and is only waiting for Providence to speed the apotheosis of the elect. But it's another proposition to get the attention of the working members, the floor leaders and the wheel horses, who wade through papers and figures in the night hours, bury themselves in committee com-mittee rooms with heavy black cigars through the day, attend formal dinners in the evening and drop into poker games not big and sensational, but quiet and persistent.. And for these you lie in wait. Mayhap your mission sends you on the trail of that worker. General Dick. Day after day of repeated calls upon Ihe general elicit the information that other affairs have engaged his attention, atten-tion, and he has been unable to act in this particular case, but will do so yet. Tes, he still has the brief of your friend's case with which you supplied him on the occasion cf a former visit, cataloguing the indorsement filed at the department. You go away, offering up a prayer of gratitude because, please I heaven, you have been able at least to run your man to earth: for sometimes I 'ou pass whole days waiting for him at this place or that, while he is de- : tained elsewhere. Here is the record of a typical day: At his law office at 9:30 in the morn ing; his arrival is uncertain, as he has committee affairs coming up at the capitol. . His secretary is going there. AVhither Caesar's minister goes, there must Caesar be. You go likewise. Men and women who traveled days and nights to ask this man's help are sitting sit-ting in the reception room of the law I office, living monuments of waiting, 1 some with pension claims, some with war department business, some with Ohio politics and other troubles on their mind. You twist through winding passages in the labyrinth of the capitol where the desperate hopelessness of finding your own way in is equaled only by 1 the wild impossibility of finding your j way out. The trail leads to a comnnt-; comnnt-; tee room. Secretary March attacks a I mountain of correspondence and you ( He in wait for the prey that just then is in upper regions on the senate side, j The scythe of time has a dull edge ; for him who waits. An hour is finally cut off, and you light a fresh cigar. The secretary of an organization interested interest-ed in military legislation arrives to I confer with the general, who does not appear. Another hour passes, and It is noon. ' You ha-ve had an early breakfast and begin to think of luncheon, but you can't risk leaving that committee room and missing the man you are waiting for. ; One o'clock. Two o'clock. The door-opens just enough to admit : a head. It belongs to Nevins of Ohio. He asks for Dick. '"Had an appointment appoint-ment with him at will wait for him on the house floor." Again the weary scrutiny of the dock. Finally General Dick, chewing a toothpick, strolls in from luncheon. His secretary has a hundle of letters awaiting him and a bigger bundle held back until there is more time, j The military legislation is brought up ; by the caller interested. A committee ! of opposition is to meet the following J day. The general will see what can be done in certain quarters. The bundle of mail claims his attention. atten-tion. Between readings he exchanges comment wiMi a man who has dropped in from Canton. The general calculates that he can go to the war department, census bureau bu-reau and other departments and return re-turn tc the capitol in time to vote on a bill pending. He asks for the envelope en-velope containing the papers of cases in the census bureau, the pension en- i velope and the post office envelope. These envelopes, by the way, are the size of young pillow cases. The secretary has brought the census envelope, but not the others, and proposes pro-poses telephoning that a messenger from the law office meet the general with them. Meanwhile some allusion strays in concerning the message from Nevins. "AVants to go with him to the war department," de-partment," reflects Dick. The man from Canton tells more of I his troubles. A messenger from the j waiting Nevins appears with a ridicu- j lous little strip of paper torn from a : newspaper margin and penciled with "Can't you come at once?" The blasted hope and wild despair I written on your face wring the soul of j J Dick, who declares that he will stop ! 1 that afternoon at the department relat- j ing to your case if he possibly can. 1 Groping your way out through the winding passages vou discover the gen- eral in a corridor held up in conference t with a political associate. A'isions of the impatient Nevins waiting on the house floor fill you with fiendi.sh gloat-in gloat-in z. Revived by a 4 o'clock luncheon, you trolley back to the capitol at 5:30. The quarry has returnad. No; he did not have time to go :o the department on your case. Tomorrow morning he certainly cer-tainly will. And you pass another night praying that he will. The prayer is answered. You live through the same experience with mop; of the powers. Eventually a cordon of strength Is established The influence to be brought to bear upon the appointment appoint-ment of your friend" appears irresistible. irresisti-ble. 'The week has passed and the day of the hunting party's return arrives. The vanguard of your forces moves upon the powers that be. Oh, yes; that case' musingly and j with a far-away !ooi-:. "AVhy, that ap-j ap-j pointment has been decided. The case was closed more tnan a week ago." j Back in your hotel room, packing your grip, your eye falls upon the evening even-ing paper giving the list of nominations nomina-tions sent to the senate. The name announced an-nounced for this appointment you rec-1 rec-1 ognize as that of a husband of a relative rela-tive of a wife of a cabinet member. You tear off the list and light your cigar with it. Pittsburg Dispatch. |
