Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-07-29
lFrom feok's sun.l
Goingto Congress.

Oh as tue man VINO OugnJ LO 20 10 COn-
gress from his district, and the con-
gressional bee Is buzzing in thousands
Of bonnets all over the country. Men
there are, who think the world would
have no further ambitions for them, if
they could once go to congress, and
they will work and wait, and
plan, and humilate themselves, and
bargain and sell and buy, until finally,
after years of the dirtiest and most de-
testable work they will get the nomina-
tion, when they will work night and
day, and lie, cheat, steal, get drunk and
debase themselves, and be elected.
Then they think the trouble is over,
and they will have two years of peace,
assOciating with the great men of the
nation. A few days since paper pub
lished long list of members of congress
who had positively asserted that they
would not under any circumstances be
reelected, and that money could not
hire them to serve another term in con-
gress. Many who have not investiga-
ted the annoyances of congressman,
wonder why men who have been there
should not have the same desire to go
again. 1t looks as though congress
would be splendid place for a man to
go, who wanted to amount to some
thing. It seems as If wealthy man who
wanted to retire from business, could be
elected to congress and be perfectly
happy. Well, the happy member of
congress is one that is dead. There is
no position more trying to man. He is
the body servant of any man in his dis
trict who wants anything at Washing
ton, from a post-office to package of
pumpkin seeds. The congressman nec-
essarily make many promises of atten-
tiOn to his constituents, and he goes to
Washington hoping that the constitu-
ent has forgotten about it, but the con-
stituent never forgets. If he does not
want anything himself he hunts up
some one who does, so that he may
bring it before the congressman, and
show his influence with the great man.
If told that the matter is not worth TAX
ing the time of the congressman, he
will say, "Gosh, our congressman will
do anything for me. ! don't want it
to get out, but confidentially, if it
hadn't been for me, he would have
been beaten. He told me after election,
says he, Jim, 1 lay the success to you,
and you can draw on me at sight, for
anything!" There may be a hundred
such friends that the congressman has
made in his district, and he knows that
on the least appearance of lukewarm-
ness on his part, they will go back on
him, and talk it over at the corner gro
Gerry, how he has got too big for his
boots. Men get mad at their congress
man because he does not write to them,
whether he has any business with them
or not. They remember that he used
to write to them when he wanted work
done. Then if he writes to them, by
the aid of secretary, they say he is
getting above his business. If he sends
a letter to constituent, printed with
type writer, they get mad and say they
want him to understand they can read
'writin', " and it isn't necessary for
him to print his letters to them. If he
sends package of garden seeds to one,
and another hears of it, and none came
to him, he is mad, and says they will
teach the congressman lesson next
time. His votes are watched closely,
and q congressman can make life long
enemies of his friends by votes that are
of no importance at all. One member
tried for q week to explain how it was
that he voted to adjourn at two o'clock
in the afternoon, when he ought to
work till supper time. The fact that he
worked until after midnight on COM
mittee, had nothing to do with the
case, and the constituent voted for the
opposing candidate, because he believed
the old congressman was a shirk. Be-
cabbage seed from the agricultural de-
/ - kho fnIs Mt o4nCkstvr
ent had not received any. A man, with
q million dollars, who need never let
business bother him any more, who has
o lovely home, surrounded by every
comfort, and friends innumerable, and
who is perfectly happy, allows himself
to be elected to congress, and he takes
his wife and goes to Washington, and
they take rooms at hotel. At home
the wife is loved and respected by all
who know her, and her house is the
center of social affairs. After living in
Washington month she has four calls
from persons she never heard of before,
who are wives of fmembers from different
parts of the country. She has made
the acquaintance in the hotel parlors,
of the wives of two members, and four
females, who she believes to be lobby
lists, who have designs on her husbands
votes, and she is the "homesickestn
woman on earth. In two months she has
got acquainted with the wives of three
members from her own State, two of
whom she don't like; has attended one
White House reception, and seen her
name in Washington society paper
spelled wrong, but it was announced
that she was lovely in low corsage and
diamonds, when she knows shei bony,
and never had low dress in the past
thirty years. She tries to prevent any
of the society papers going to her home,
fearing her friends will laugh at her. In
three months she is sick and dis
couraged, and the society papers an
nounce that the lovely and accom-
plished wife of Congressman So-and-so
has returned to her home to prepare for
social festivities at the Capitol later in
the season. She returns to have fit
of sickness, and wishes to heaven her
husband had never thought of going to
Congress. In the meantime the con-
gresham, whose life was so quiet at
home, and so full of enjoyment, is
humping himself night and day to
keep UP with the demands of his con-
stituents. He shadows the pension of
flee until he is called bore, he works
the post-office department for offices,
and is the tired servant of everybody,
walking miles every day, attends ses-
sions and committee meetings, introdu-
ces constituents from home to the Pfesi-
dent, though he is in doubt whetherSthe
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