Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-02-26
A SAD CONGRESSMAN.
He Is Slowly Writing Himself to Death
for His Consfituents


lie Is slowly Writing Hinseif to Death
for His Constituents.
1T isn't all the perfume of flowers
and the smiles of fair women to be a
member of congress. We dom t feed on
locusts and wild honey and sleep on
down. said weary member as he
tilted back in his chair and brushed
aside the heap of letters piled upon his
desk. lie had a haggard look in his
eye, and his right hand hung limp at
his side with pin between his fingers.
IF anybody thinks it's clover. let him
try it, | started out with the idea that
1t was my duty to answer every letter /
got. Well have involved myself in a
problem Of gcomctrical progression. =
and he ioinicd in despairing sort of
way at the desk before him, tho ample
waste basket by his side and the floor
about him all full of letters. .sThey
are aecumulating every day. Every
one | answer brings two more, and
answer them all. just think of il! 1t
makes my head swim. When | first
came here ! used TO go out little |
went to the thcater occasionally. or to
an entertainment. or TO n reception. or
to see q friend. Now | go nowhere.
Each year | am more closely confined.
The walls are closing in around me,
and, like the man in the Iron Shroud,'
l am waiting for them to close and crush
me. I've stopped going out. | leave
my committee-room at the capitol only
to go to my desk at home | swallow
my dinner whole. as it were. / write
late at night later each night The
progression is working out, and nv
mails bigger each day. Presently ]
shall have to sit up all night; then re-
duce my meal, to five minutes; give up
smoking. Write, write, writei Oh
we'll think! lis a terrible doom;
slowly 10 write ones self TO death.
The pile of letters is up to my neck.
Soon it'll be over my head daylight
viii be shut out--and- them!
y NO, sir; we don't live in clover
And he drew in a long breath and
settled himself down in his chair as if
resigned to his impending doom.
why. it started this way it always.
has a start; any member will tell YOU
it started this way: As soon as / rot
to congress j got letter from one of
my constituents congratulating me
upon my election, and saying that he
knew now there would be some leuis-
lation; the constitution should not be
violated; | must introduce bill in the
house to prohibit fishing in my dis
trlct with three hooks to one line
twas unconstitutional. / ans yered
that letter. bcwaling The utter disre-
gard OF congress for The national fish
cries. and explaining he utter useless
ness of attempting class legislation.
got four letters from that neighbor-
hood by returning mail, and they kept
on increasing until the entire popula-
ton was represented by autograph let
tiers. My promptness TO answer any
and all letters was heralded all over
the country, and | was asked TO pass
all sorts of bills, from one to regulate
the length of prayers TO one for the
suppression Of kissing at pound parties
One man wanted to know whether the
rope Guiteau was Lung with was hemp
or cotton. i referred this letter to the
department of justice The attorney
general Endorsed it 10 the warden of
the jail, who returned it to me with
minute official description of tiie rope
the material, length, and manner of
make. This contributed largely to in
crease my correspondence. Everybody
who had something to write about
that no one else would notice was told
my address, with the assurance that /
loved to write letters. A large num-
Der of my letters now are applicants
for places under the new adninistra-
ton. One man want d a place that
would take him 10 Canada. He did
not know what particular place. His
doctor told him that it would benefit
his health TO live there. aud ii would
just look around and find place there
for him with Il pretty good salary at
tachcd he would like it. But, by tho
way he had children just growing up.
| might take this into consideration,
and get him ocated where there were
good free schools.
Another fellow wrote that he would
leave it to me to pick out his place for
him, but mustn't get the salary be-
low $1,000. He thought I'd be bet
ter judge of good places than he was.
oOiiS hiSh AOici shNsS 'SeeNAo
to the waste basket, but it don't do.
They must be answered. ! must write;
good by. ! mustn't waste more time
talking. I'll have 10 sit mp late to
m;tke up for it. / must write. The
walls are closing around me.
well, my good fellow, what can |
do for you?n and he turned to sup
plant in soldier clothes, who stood at
his elbow with persistence in his face
and glazed cap in his hand.
I'm an American by adoption. In
80 | married an American woman with
a mule--her grandfather left it To-
But at this point the petitioner was
thrust aside by Mexican pensioner,
who wore three medals and had been
personal friend of Win Scott's, and
wanted his pension increased. = Wash
ington Star.
.