Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-02-27
INTER-OCEAN.
BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.
The Importunate Visitors at the
National CAPITAL.

National Capital.
Special Correspondents Of the Is7sR.ocHAN.l
WASHINGTON Feb. l9.-All sorts Of
people with all sorts of tempers are en-.
countered in the corridors of the CAPT.
.tol. MANY Of them are transient sight
seers, but most of them are tho con.
gressmen's callers. The Maryland sen
ators and representatives r most in de.
mand because their constituencies are
near at hand, and the congressional del
egation from the Pacific coast are freest
from this kind of persecution. But
even they, in common with all other
congressman, think they have a hard
time in this respect.
The eastern door Of the house of rep.
resentatives is one Of the busiest places
in the capitol. 1t keeps two men run
ming constantly to carry in cards to
members from the anxious people out
side. 1t is interesting to stand in the
corridor and hear the demands of i'm.
Fortunate visitors, and watch the faces
Of the people standing around there.
Ayoung man from the way.back dis
trict comes in. He wants to see his
member about o clerkship, but he is
modest and stands back lingering his
card, and hesitating whether to push
into the crowd or not. Then q veteran
ofice.seeker steps up to the door keeper
in a business like way and says, "smith,
Rhode Island"
The ladies waiting room is always
crowded. There is o woman from the
south with her little claim against the
government for cotton destroyed. An
other wants to have her little son ap.
pointed a page in the house, and she is
waiting to see the sergeant-at.arms.
There are young women and old women
who are trying to get places in tho de.
partments and female lobbyists who are
to gel 70 many hundred dollars for push
ing such and such a bill through. Then
just outside in the corridor again are
scores ofmen who want office. Some Of
them came here last March expecting
to get a consulship, who would now be
thankful for n nine hundred dollar
iclerkship.
Be thankful, dear reader, that you
are not dependent on the government
tor support. There has just been a
competitive examination here for post
Office inspectorships. There were only
twenty five vacancies to be filed, and
eight hundred candidates, ~yearning for
the places, presented themselves. Sew.
eral hundred who passed had no pos
sible chance of getting appointments,
50 really those who passed were not
much better off than those who failed
in the examination.
All the week, SO far, tho senate has
been unfolding the criticism against
the educational bill that passed that
body last session. and the house of rep.
resentatives has been defending and DO.
~nouncing Fitz John Porter as it has
done biennially in every congress fol
twenty years. Tho same old evidence
and arguments are being repeated in
both houses over every measure. Moth.
ing seems to have occurred in the in,
term to change the views Of tho friends
Of either question or to modify the OBJ.
jections Of opponents. AS to tho edu.
cat,onal bill, it cannot DO said that the
southern senators are disposed TO give
their section the benefit Of the doubt
on the question. The strongest opposi,
ton to the measure comes from that
section, notably, from Senator Morgan,
Of Alabama, although the south would
receive the bulk Of tho proposed appro'
priation of s77,000,Oo0.
The woman snffragists are here again
holding their convention. The repre-
s~entation is fully as large as at any for
mer gathering. In their speeches
they tell the same old story. They rant
Of their wrongs, demand their rights
and declare they will get them vet
They dwell with elatlon on what they
call their victories Of the past year, and
one Of their ablest champions, Mrs,
Merriweather. proposes to make an ad'
dress In reply to Senator Vests lette,
stating that ho is an Incorporating
opponent" The women say their fai,
orator is going to annihilate this senator
from Missouri.
Apropos Of this convention, which is
being held in All Souls Church, the pas,
tor preached q sermon on woman suiE:
rage. He eaid the question had mar.
rowed down to q single issue, the right
to the ballot. He was still in doubt,
but 1t was hard not to favor it when the
appeal came from women He had
drawn nea the fence, and was looking
over, but this fence was one that
thoughtful people could not clear at
bound. It was at least q six rail fence.
Speaking Of women in congress, he said
the morals Of congressman were much
better when they brought their wives tc
Washington with them than when they
left them at home. "lf good women
should be elected to congress, "he added
ut is to be hoped they will bring thei,