Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-21
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
A WOman's Opinion Of OAee-Seekers
and COpxressmen

o@N4 1O08ACS7A.ANA4s
Mrs. Ames writes in one of her
letters to the New York Independ-
ent as follows
If l were a man and could earn
an honest living with my hands, l |
should certainly do it, instead of |
coming to Washington in search of |
Office. I'd rather eat the bread of |
Spontaneous toll, though earned by
sweat of brow and WEAKNESS Of
brain, than to grind it out as a ma
chine in the government employ
Yet see many faces to sympathize
with in these lobbies-honest
country faces, eareworn sickly ones,
who really look as if they had the
right to whatever they may have
come to ask for. OF course, some4
body has a right to this government
patronage; perhaps those who come
after it have as good right as any
body. But it strikes me very oddly
when hear members of Congress
and their wives speaking loftily and
CONTEMPORARY Of ''Ofiee-seekers,
as if belonging to totally different
genus from themselves. My opinion
is that they are all Office seekers
together; the difference being only
in degree, in the fairness of the prizes
which they seek after. L don't
know why it is not as honorable
and as modest for man to try to
get a postofice, a consulate or
clerkship, as for man to spend
half his fortune, and sell his soul
perhaps in the bargain, to get to
Congress. Looking down on this
luxurious Senate chamber, on those
back-coated, high chokered gentle
men, spreading about so utterly at
ease, it is difficult to realize that they
are not to the Senate born, that
they did not glide into these
cushioned chairs by the graceful
grooves of o natural birthright.
But there is not a man here who
has not worked hard, or hired other
men to work hard, for this legisla-
tive chair-hoW hard many would
not care to tell. The heart burn
ings, the jealousies, the hates, the
lavished fortunes, the bartered
honor which bought some of these
seats, their occupants would not
dare to have known. There are
men sitting here for whom thou
sands of other men have worked
as for themselves to place them
where they are. Before their tri-
umph they did not feel at all de.
meaned to ask a poor man to vote
for them; they deemed no man too
lowly to work for them; they them
selves, "stumped," "canvassed, .
"electioaeered, till they were hoarse
and sick, and thought the office
they wanted we'll worth the trouble.
But the honor once won, it is easy
to forget the tug and the turmoil
! that brought it {; so easy to forget
the poor man in the shabby coat
who voted for you; so easy to snub
the poor man in the ante-room who
ventures to stammer: "Sir, l worked
for you; will you do what you can
for me?" so grand to play the great
Senator, by waving your hand
majestically toward a guarded door,
and exclaiming in an awe inspiring
voice, II have no time to attend to
you. My duties are in the Senate
chamber" All this is so easy
and so mean The Senate is
the nations guard of honor If l
were a man | would not stop short
of being a Senator myself; but,
having gained that high estate, /
hope that / should have grace to re-
member that it was the people quite
as much as myself who had made
me one, and when / complained to
my wife that l was "almost bored
to death by officeseekers, /" l hope she
would reply, in a wife's most ag-
| gravating tones, "My dear, when
| you wanted an office, remember
how dreadfully you bored other
people" l have seen some fearful
taking on of airs of late on the
feminine side of official life by wo-
men in themselves ordinary to tht
verge of stupidity, whom the PEG.
pie have elevated as so many dead
weights appended to their husband'
honors. 1t would be amusing Il
: see them avert their eyes and snii
their noses at "Offiee- seekers ant
at common people" if their neV
, places did not give them the powe
! to wound the feelings Of strangers