The Evening post. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1888-1889, 1888-12-31

WASHINGTON, Dec. 25.--There Is some
strange and subtle fascination about pup
lie life in the Capital which is not easy
to discover and define Many public
men will say, when you talk to them on
the subject, that they wish they had re-
manned at home and given attention to
their business or profession, and yet very
| few Senators or Representatives fail to
seek reelection. OF 325 Members of
this Congress all but about seventy five
| come back TO the next, and of the sew
enty-five who failed of reelection nearly
all died a-trying," either in the nomi-
mating conventions of their parties or at
the polls.
Probably il is ambition which at first
prompts n man in public life to use
every effort to extend his career, and,
after the promptings of ambition be-
come less and less strong as they do to
a large majority of men in public life,
habit steps i'll and carries them ON in the
| channel in which fate has put them.
They become less and less interested in
the vacations which they were following
when called to public service, their bust
ness is sold or merged with other inter-
ests, their law practice has driftcd away
from them, and the spending of the
greater part Of every year in Washing
ton becomes more, and more a part of
their lives, and a requisite of content
ment. There are plenty of Congressman
who feel as Sunset" Cox feels. lie has
now been in Congress more than thirty
years and, as sat by the blazing log in
his handsome home on New Hampshire
avenue one recent night, Mr.. Cox de.
clared that, in his case, ambition had
long since ceased to play a part in his
public career.
REPRESENTATIVE coX's CONFESSION.
IL am like the man d friend of mine
from Delaware used to tell about" said
the Congressman. "This man commit
ted crime of some sort and was con-
demned to the trcadmill for u long term
OF years. Day after day. for seventeen
long and weary years, he trod the mill,
and when at last his term expired and
he come home, he was so miserable and
discontinued that he went and bought q
treadmill of his own and continued to
walk it day after day till he died. have
been in Congress so long that if | were
now to DO taken out I'm afraid I'd have
to go and buy little Congress of my own
and continue to tread the mill till death
sho uld come to my relief"
Ambition and vanity are usually strong
in men who are just getting nicely
started on public careers, but both grad
ually disappear as the years roll by
With most men who have been long in
public life-and there are plenty Of sem
ators and representatives who have been
here all the way from dozen to twenty
five years-vanity plays a more impor.
tant part at home than here at the Capt.
tai. Here their round of life becomes
more or less treadmill. They are out
shone in most cases by more favored sons
of fortune. Ambition has almost ceased
to tickle them with its pleasant dreams
and phantasies. Many of them are not
much looked up 10 or sought after, and
they go their rounds in thedull, spiritless
manner of old horses or Government
clerks.
But at home the scene changes. There
they are pointed out on the streets. So
ciety is eager to honor them. Prominent
citizens are anxious to gain tiTer good
will. In all this the Congressman s
amour propre is gratified, and it is this
very thing that consoles many of tn EN-
for the disappointments and vexations
of a public career and stimulates them
into making the constantly recurring
struggles for reelection.
And yet for the majority there is some
charm in Washington life. 1t is bless
ing that the Capitol is not situated in q
very large city where its society would
be swallowed up aud lost in vast COM
munity, having not much in common
with it. Washington is so entirely given
up to Government, and the best residence
quarter is confined within such narrow
limits that public men can and do get
much together Thus it is that one of
the great charms of public life here is its
companionship. In the House or Senate
Representatives and Senators are thrown
constantly in the society of their equals.
1t is not with them all work and no play
by any means. They tell stories, talk
politics, gossip about their fellows in the
cloak rooms, the committee rooms, on the
comfortable sofas in the rear of the halls
and even in their seats.
Representatives and Senators mingle
much together, too, though the former
make most of the calls Senators rarely
visiting the hall of the House. After the
days work is over these opportunities
for social converse are by no means at
an end. Within district three-quarters
of mile square, in the west end, reside
four tifths of the public men. Not more
than one-tenth of them keep house. The
remainder are in the hotels and large
boarding houses. Frequently large
number board in one house. In this way
they are thrown together evenings and
Sundays. They naturally and easily
resolve themselves into little coteries,
with whist, poker, billiards, the theatre,
story telling and q great variety of little
social pleasures constantly at their com
mand. This sort of thing grows on most
men; they are 10th to give it up, and if
the fates send them to their less congenial
social circles at home they suffer discon-
tent and improve every opportunity that
may bring them back into the charmed
circle
So far as society is concerned-speak-
ing of society in its fashionable aspect
the average Congressman is not much
troubled by it, He is not Gin" This
may be revelation surprising to some
people, but probably not as many a fifty
Representatives make any pretensions to
social enjoyment Of fashionable sort.
The Society" of the Capital is steadily
growing away from the popular branch
Of Congress and becoming an aristoc-
racy of the Cabinet, the Senate, the for
eign legations and the wealthy unofficial
residents. just rs it is said of more than
one Congressman, that he is "too poor
to 90 into the Cabinet" so it is said of
Congressman as q class that they are too
poor 10 go into society. The three score
| and fifteen Senators have more wealth