National Republican., 1880-06-18
THE SUMMER EXODUS.
Congressman Folding Their Tents and steal
ing Away.

ing Away.
The time of the summer exodus has again
arrived and tho voice of the statesman is
hushed in tho land. With the sound Of Tho
falling gavcl ringing in his ears the average
congressman hed him away to fresh fields and
pastures new,- The lobby is ss neglected as
passes beauty amid a host of fresh bellies, aud
ho who peeps inside its corridors or enters its
lonely alcovos feels like one who treads alone
some banquet hall deserted. Although tho
weather is growing warmer with each sue
ceedng day, tue demand for cold tea" at the
capitol is not equal to the supply, and the
solitary waiter at tho door of tho basement
restaurant looks without the drcary waste Of
those abandoned vault.liko balls, liko Marian.
na in the moatcd grange, and night and noon
makes his moan that the congressman cometh
not for hisdrinks. Even tho reporter has closed
his te-book, thrown down his poncil and be-
taken himself to other and livolier scenes
The exodus of the long session Is upon us, and
the congressman Is fleeing from tile flesh-p pots
of this political Egypt as If the pursuing
Pharoah of defeated nomination for another
torn wero close upon his heels.
At the other ond Of tho Avenue tho same
spell is shadowing departmental chiefs aud
society leaders under its sheltering wings
They long to cast their lines in pcasanter
places than their present abodes. The white
walls of that city by tho sea, which every
coast from the Chesapeake capes to Mount
Desert, rise up from tho cool waves, like the
Loreloi of the German legend, and bccko
with an irresistible spell to plunge in the
blue waters. Visions of the breezy mountain
tops dispute for pro eminonce with the surge
of the sounding sea. Soon the city will be left
to the Can't-get.away club, whose members
will take tho shady side of the street. and
sweltor III the burning pauses of the long dry
| moons, and contcmpuousy deride the seaside
| and the hilltop MS sour grapes. And tho
ubiquitous newspaper men, "ye gontle BOhe-
man." will bo soOn the only cheerful and con-
tented mortal in the wilderness of the great
| city's dusty streets and bricks.
| Whother 1t was the unusual and unexpected
hot wave that passed over MS in May, or that
they heard voice from their political hopes
and fears, so to speak, none others could hear
| which said they must not stay, Ii is sure that
! congressman nj the close of this session stayed
not on the order of their going but got NJ
aud gop at once. With all the dispatch of Mr.
I.ongtclows much.quotcd "Arah," they folded
| their tents aud silently stole away. The usua
after.adjournmcnt exercises OF invading tbs
departments aud attending to the wants o
their constituents had oil been carefully at
tended to beforehand. And q congressman 10
day in Washington Is as rare as a daisy in De
| comber and as uneasy as pig in strang,
cornfeld. The adjournment was the prelude
OF an exodus. washington is deserted CltN
so far as tho national legislator is concerned
BE does well, however, to be active in hi
movements. His haste is not an unsocmlN
one, for there is much work to be done beior,
tho winters frosts shall again enivcn Capto
hill, and there is not much time to be wastct
in doing it. When the clans now gatheIin,
at Cincinnati shall have wrapped the tartar
around them, and sounded the pibroch OF thc
raid upon tho offices of the country, then th
democratic congressman will be expected t,
do with all his might what his hands find h
do, and the republican congressman will b.
busy in keeping his democratic brother out 0
mischief. 1t is strange to reflect what pen
chant tho average democratic congressman ha
for getting into mischief. In fact, he is in
curablo of that disease unless the Irishman'
romedy for his truant pig be applied-thc cut
ting Off tho tail just behind the cars. Eve
then the tail woud wag. But when the idc
of November bring to pass the election q
General Garfield, and the democratic con
gressman's stomach for mischief is thus TEN
porarily upset. tho exodus will have rcadjusl
cd itself, the lobby will again blossom like
garden in the wilderness, and then some oil
cycle of Buncombe once more begin to en-
OIL its appointed time with another exodus.