The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-03-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.
prom our regular Correspondent
WASH SaTpZ n T. March n

WASH HGToS, ID. C., March 3, 1885,.
The Capitol is, by far, the most pop
ular resort IN Washington this week,
and the evening sessions of Congress
are the most attractive to visitors, for
then the galleries are packed with
strangers accompanied by their CITY
friends. The house draws the largest
crowds. Buncombe and parrot speech
cS are the rule, which. with monkey
gesticulation. make so good show that
the spectators get the worth Of their
money, since The seats are free. They
enter heartily into the spirit of the
turbulence below, which has reached
its climax this week, in perfect up.
roar of noisy, stormy, wholly unintelli
gible discus ION. At times, nearly
every member will be on his feet, and
two dozen of them addressing the chair
ut the same time, amid cheers, applause
and laughter, which render not only
their own words. but the ntterances of
the chair inaudible. OF course the
chairman refuses to recognize anyone
until they can come to order, bu! no
recognition il asked for or desired. But,
in spite of all this fun and fury, these
last days Of the forty seventh Congress
will ever be remembered by the soon
departing members with unmixed plea
sure. Home, rest and relaxation will
doubtless (for time at least he boon
to all OF them, for their souls are being
sorely tried now by train Of grievances
following close upon their heels and
DIGGING every step. in the shape Of
thousands of constituents just arrived
in the city, aided by thousands of 9TH
ers already here, and all wanting
thousand little matters attended to be.
tore Congress adjourns. These pilgrims
are from every section Of the United
States. from Maine to Texas, from Flori-
ia to California; each has his pet pro.
ject. 1t may be the passage of little
bill, or the obtainment of little Office,
but no matter how small to the rest of
the world, it is life and death scheme
to him, and at this high pressure stage
of the session he asks his Congressman
to run 1t through at once. Every Sena-
tor and Member is ransacking his brain
for invention to elude this ubiquitous
mob. which in turn is manoeuvering how
to intercept him on his way from his
bedroom to his breakfast table, and at
each successive movement he makes
during the day. until lie places his dis.
tracted head upon his pillow at night
for short, disturbed repose, his stolen
slumbers even being haunted by visions
of his vIgilant pursuers. When he starts
for the Capitol he is tugged, pulled,
button holed and talked ut until con-
strained to break away by force and
take horse.car or carriage as ms case
may be. When he arrives at the Capt..
tol he has to run another gauntlet be-
tore he can reach the cloak. room. Once
upon the floor, he finds half u dozen of
the privileged class, the OK Congress
men, waiting to make other impossible
requests. Every few minutes he is
handed card from some influential
person from his own State, (perhaps his
next door neighbor when at home), for
whom he has the highest regard, and
who cannot, with politeness and safety
to his political existence, be denied the
STEW words" that invariably lengthen
into an interview of fifteen to twenty
minutes. He tries to glance at the let.
tiers on his desk, but his fellow mem
bers surround him and ask his assist.
ancc in furtherinS their projects, for
each is in turn assailed in the same way.
He is forced to listen over and over
again to the same questions, requests
and inquiries as to the probable result
of the cherished scheme, until his once
active brain is added and his clear I'M
Outstanding muddled. Truly, the last
days of the Congressman are hard.
Washington will undergo great
change in its general crowd and aspect
between the fourth and fifth days of
March. Many of the Senators and Re
representatives. will leave the city with
their families on Sunday, having Sc
cured seats and berths on the trains for
that day. Political life in Washington
is said TO exercise most dem0ralizing
influence upon the average Congressman
by destroying relish for, and adaptation
10 private life forever afterward. More
than half of the present Congress will
soon have a chance To test the truth of
this. and mediate over the ephemcral
character OF political influence. The
city now 80 abounds in greatness, that
Won rub against it at all public places,
.iostle IL on the street corners, confront
it ON the Avenue, see it.everywhere; but
much OF it is on the point of vanishing,
to return to Its original insignifcance,
and will leave no trace or footprint
here.