The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-02-24

attractive sketch Of the life of the aver
age Congressman:
So many fine new houses in Washing
ton having been lately described in the
Times, perhaps its readers think that al
the higher officials of the Government.
including the members of both houses
of Congress, live here in sumptuouS
style. AS matter of fact, however,
comparatively few, even OF the Sena.
tors, keep house here, and fewer still OF
the Representatives.
The style, or rather lack of it in the
conventional sense, in which many or
them live while in Washington would
amaze jewellers in other cities If truth
fully depicted; so will give. by way OF
contrast to the luxurious mode OF lilo OF
the officials who are occupying the
splendid mansions, few sketches OF
she manner in which some OF their own
colleagues live while here. A member
of the House, of moderate means, was
saying piteOusly this week, in referring
to the fact that the price of board had
advanced this winter, high as were the
rates last year: 1.-THE truth Is that no.
body wants to take member OF Con-
gress for only three months. especially
when he has not been reelected"
This is his own case. / have heard
more than one landlord and landlady
here say: There's no money in taking
members of Congress to board. They
come late in the season; they rarely
bring their families until after the holt
days, and they don't expect to pay full
board during the holidays when they
are away three weeks and sometimes
more, which is u dead loss to us, and,
whether it's a long session or not, they
mostly send their families home in
March and then 90 somewhere in the
city where they can get cheap board"
They keep all sorts OF hours" (this is
the plea of q landlady who keeps %
boarding-house) ''and want their break
fast and dinner whenever they come in;
they burn more gas than anybody else
and require more attendance from ser
wants. Il takes an extra servant to an
swer the door-bell for them, as for every
Senator or member there are always at
least twenty persons coming every day
to see him about something, and the
muddy boots of their constituents and
wet umbrellas in falling weather ruin
my carpets The members themselves
mostly smoke and chew and don't stop
to use spittoons. One who can't get
board any more in any house where
he's once been | could name, who
squirts his tobacco juice to the very top
of the lace curtains in his room, and
throws his cigar and pipe ashes all over
the furniture coverings, ~ well as the
carpet"
Such are some Of the objections to
taking Senators and Representatives as
dodgers and boarders. and consequently.
even those known to be neat and in
many respects desirable inmates of q
house have to put up with very plain
and often uncomfortable lodgings and
Door fare, for which they pay far more,
generally, than the accommodations are
worth. / refer, Of course, to those who
do not live in hotels, which the majority
of them cannot afford to do. Many of
them, even those whose wives and
children are with them, lodge in one
place and 20 several squares in all kinds
of weather for their meals, which last
they take, possibly, in diningroom in
u back building on the first floor, look
ing only upon brick wall about six
feet distant, where the sun never shines
and where people are huddled together
at meal time in little better order than
animals in u pen.
The food in the place which am ac-
....I - ,,l ny -; T.; ~ a fvn ubcrn 7 Ennw
certain Representatives and their fami-
lies to have taken their meals for several
consecutive months is badly served,
sever hot and tempiiDgly cooked, is OF
medium quality, but abundant. Na,ur-
ally. eating in so cherries a place, of
so unsavory diet. is apt to SOW the
seeds of the dyspepsia which irregular
hours and even occasional drinks de-
yelop into the disease known. when
Representative has it, rs malaria, or,
when it scizcs Senator, as pneumonia |
The lodgings few blocks distant, used
by some of those who eat, as have do
scribed, are up more than one flight OF
steps in a very shabby-looking house in
side, which is poorly furnished.
lnO anu nlhittNt tit val ny
day and night, for only one gas-burner
is allowed to flicker, in dim way. dur
ing the evening in the hall on the first
floor, and there is none in the hall up
stairs through which the member and !
his wife and children stumble on return
ing from their late dinner, and he gropcs
his way through darkness even more
dense when he comes in after 10 O'Clock |
from any place. Their rooms are three,
so-called parlor and bedroom, in
which they and two children crowd, and
o ballroom, or one in the back building
for the nurse, if they indulge in such n
luxury. as some feel they cannot afford
70 do. The parlor is the members
office, the chiltlrens play-room and his
wife's sewing-room and reception-room,
where she receives visitors whenever
any find her at home.
1t bears evidence of all the purposes
10 which it is put, and its scanty, shabby
furniture and carpet are almost con-
eealed beneath newspapers, Congress
sionat Records. documents and books
and seeds from the Agricultural Depart
ment to be distributed to constituents.
The children's toys, the baby's carriage,
the nursery refrigerator in which the
baby's milk is kept, and the mothers