Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-04-24
THE NEW MEMBER.
A COUNTRY coNcREssMANs DEBUT
AT WASHINGTON.
How He Feels at First. And How Ha Feels
Subsequently

from the country town of some remote
region. He has been the leading lawyer,
manufacturer or head man of something
or other Tor the last fifteen years.
Congress has been the goal toward
which he has labOred ever since he
made enough to pay his Office rent. He
wears n suit OF broadcloth made by the
local tallor-the clothes were ordered in
the heat OF the campaign, perhaps-and
a new hat He is not very flush. as the
election expenses have about swallowed
up his ready cash. But he means to do
everything in the best possible style as
soon as he begins drawing his per diem.
Did not he keep up a fine establishment
IN Erie Greek or at Washington Cor
ners for three thousand a year? And is
not five thousand dollars big income
Tor any man2 So arrives a week or two
before the meeting of congress, puts up
at tirst-class hotel with his family
and begins to look around for quarters.
First, he aspires to house. When he
interviews the real estate men on the
price ofone for the season, it makes his
head swim. But the result OF his house
investigation is that he concludes to
take fiat, or else he negotiates with
the hotel proprietor and moves up two
flights into apartments consisting Of
two or three blind closits and a sitting
room, furnished chiefly with looking
glasses. Sometimes he puts his pride
in his pocket and comes down to a
clearinghouse pure and simple.
His public duties engross him tremen-
dously. He has crammed on the tariff,
bimetallism and few other obstruse
questions, and has at least three set
speeches, written out on the typewriter,
in the bottom of his trunk-one on the
tariff, one on the coinage of silver and
another on the improvement of Cos
hocton Creek, in his congressional
district. OF this last he intends to
have thousand copies struck for dis
tribution in his district, although he
does not expect it to make the same
sensation in the house as the tariff
speech.
He looks forward with nervousness
to the day when he is to stand up and
be sworn in. When at last the great
day comes when he finds himself one OF
squad marched up and sworn in by
the clerk in rapid monolog, ratified
off something like this : '"You-solemn-
y-swear-you-will- support-the-laws-a
constitution-of-the -and-so- forth and-so
forth, "he is annoyed at the flipancy he
sees around him. He retires to bis
seat. He has been sworn in before this
as member OF the state legislature and
it was much moreimposing ceremony
than this. He knows that new mem
Der is not expected to be on his feet
very often, and so determines to give
himself week to understand the work
lngs of the house. After that his forced
inaction will not be diverted with
something to learn. AT the end of a
month he is in a hopeless muddle.
How Is it that some members can al
ways cetch the speakers eye, and some
never can? What do members mean
by setting apart certain day for the
consideration OF particular bill, and
when it comes up the members in
charge OF it founders desperately, is
completely demorallzed by the search
ing questions asked from the other
side, has to call on some other man
who is not present and can't be found,
to explain the provisions of the bill
sees half dozen men unite in a deliber-
ate endeavor to talk it to death, and
finally vote STAYED off or taken when
the friends OF the bill are scattered
here, there, everywhere-of a truth he
has got into Chinese puzzle of legisla
ton. Then the noise and confusion
and clapping OF hands troubles him
he wonders how it will be when he
rises and begins thus "Mr. Speaker
aware of the modesty in offering hi,
opinion which new member" etc
Atlast the day arrives. He rises in hi,
seat, dressed in his best broadclotf
suit, with his roll of manuscript in hi
hand. He hears the siren sound, "The
member from Erie Creek has the floor
He expects to be badgered with ques
tions from the other side, assailed with
jokes that he can't understand, teased
in every way, the floor uproarious, the
gallaries restless. Quite the contrary
not member propounds a question
He is gratiiied-hattered by the strange
Fstillness. Presently he looks around
The house is not third full. One BY
one the members have stolen qlipti,
out. The galleries have quietly enpti
ed themselves. 1t seems to him tina
there are but two persons in the Who'll,
of that vast hall-the speaker, grave
calm and attentive, and himself, awll
ward, stammering, i'll at ease. All
This is worse than the worst h. l,a
dreamed. Presently he stumbles, 4.
up, loses his place and then his head
breaks down completely and asks leav
to print, which the speaker grant.
with suspicious alacrity. He sits dowi
determined to make a bonfire of thos
other two speeches of his, put away s.
carefully at home before the day i
done.
He has also expected his wife to b
overwhelmed with cards. He has pro
vided himself with bran new evenin,
suit to wear to the dinners-to whicl
/ he is not invited, as it afterwards turn
cut. He goes to the presidents, to tn
levees, and a few other places, but OF
the whole he finds his evenings quiete
than they were at home, except ior tn
visits of importunate constituents, wh,
want the earth and the fullness thereof
and go home and abuse him be
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