Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-10-11
Aanrasssr kntelltgencsr.
AruR0AY EvENyao, OCT. II. 1884.
rhe Life Of a Congressman.

We note that a Massachusetts, con.
!, ersssman who has been eight years In
! that position, with good record, de-
oIlnes reelection, believing that he has
5 done his share Of work for the country,
and considering that he has right now
10 attend to his own concerns. He GER
tainly has such right. He might have
claimed it before he accepted office, IL he
4 had chosen, as there is no absolute duty
upon q man to take Office when he does
not want 1t. There are plenty Of aspir.
ANTS for it, who are perspiringly ardent
4 ID its pursuit. This gentleman, when he
A agreed to 90 to Congress eight years ago,
probably did not do it wholly out OF a
sense Of duty. He thought 1t might be
q very nice thing to be congressman.
This IL the general opinion. 1t has not
been customary for men to decline the
honor; and probably it will never become
fashionable to do so, as the place suits
the weakness of great many men
Who love to be prominent and lazy,
conspicuous and honorable. There are
some, however, whom it does not seem
to suit, and the inclination among men
Of good sense to refuse to be congress-
men seems to be growing. The Hon.
Leopold Morse, of Massachusetts,, is not
the only one who has found the joys of
congressional life unrequiting. In the
Sixteenth congressional district in our
state the Democrats seem to be quite
..~ot.Io - G,d N ,ond;d,ta ,p,nnr fba;r
ablest men, though the prospect of elec-
tion is good. Mortimer +. Elliott, the
present representative, declines a re,
nomination in the district. having also
refused to be candidate in the state at.
large. He prefers to give his energies
play in the practice of his profession,
amid his family and among his neigh
bors and friends. Robert =. Allen, one
of the ablest men in the state, followed
him with declnation and now Walter
Sherwood comes with a positive refusal
to accept.
We do not know the motives of all
these men, but we are decidedly Of the
opinion that they show very good sense
In refusing to go to Washington when
they have business Of their own requiring
their attention at home. There is nothing
attractive ina Washington life to man
of domestic tastes, and one who is devoted
to his profession or business, as strong
men generally are. Horel or boarding
house life is not agreeable to him.
Late hours and designations are not to
10 III 70 milo ia
painful. The salary that hs gets does
not mpensate him for his broken bust
ness and the fame that is to requite
him lie cannot get in the bear garden
into which he is thrust, unless he is a
cheeky jaek-in- -the-box fellow, who Is
always scrambling to get on his legs and
acting for the reporters gallery. Con-
gressmen's instincts are not always gen.
tlemea's instincts, and the congress-
mans life is not that of the independent
self respecting citizen who goes about
his daily business with his conscience
only as his monitor.
There are many very clever men of
different kinds wh0m-.. congressional
life snita very well. It suits those who
love 9 Iiie>cof ease and like to be paid
weh1ur doing nothing it suits also the
active busiling man who is never happy
unless he attending to other peoples
business and who is particularly devoted
to saving The country. 1t suits the man
who loves notoriety. 1t suits him who
enjoys good company. 1t is JUS the
thing for soCiable man, who can alb
sorb great deal of sociability without
coming to grief but for :he "good
fellow" of limited absorbing capacity, it
is not the place.