St. Paul daily globe., 1888-07-30
HOW CONGREssMEN LIVE.
Hon. John ID. Long Corrects Some
Measurements.


The North Abingdon (Mass.) Public
publishes the following letter written
to- its editor. Rev. Jesse H. Jones, by
Congressman Long, of that state:
WASHINGTON, June 4.-My Dear
Jones: L have read with interest your
editorials on the subject of my retire
ment from the house of representatives.
l beg you not to think it is matter
merely of few dollars more or less of
salary. My habits are simple, and
with me, as it ought not TO be to any
public official. His public duty turns
OH far higher consideration. And what
you say of his obligation to them, and of
the grave public responsibilities that
rest on him is true, and you can not say
it too often or too forcibly.
L do not write, however, with refer
ence to my retirement, reserving what
l have to say about that until write a
general letter to the district a little
later. ! write to correct what / infer
from your editorial to be mistaken
notion with regard to the manner in
which congressman generally live in
Washington. So far from being to
them Babylon full of ''waSteful
wantOnS" and ''laviSh luXurieS," it is
very much what Abingdon or bingham
is to your neighbors or mine. There
are few persons OF great riches who
now and then give entertainments and
live in an eXtravagant and profuSe way,
as some rich people do in every other
community. But the great bulk of the
representatives. including nOticeably
nearly all men of controlling influence,
are men of limited means, who live in
the modest and simple manner.
On the whole, l should say that the
instance of Henry Wilson, which you
cite, is type of the present majority of
members. Our Massachusetts, senators,
Dawes and Hoar, live quite as simply,
one in little tenement not better than
our ordinary New England parsonage,
and the other in a boarding house, which
YOU will not think extravagant when
tell you that, with the exception of my
self, the rest of the boarders are gov
ernment employees, whose annual sala-
ries range from perhaps $4,000 rapidly
downward. Walking out with Mrs.
Long at sundoWn last evening we
passed a modest doorstep. on which,
with his young children playing about
him, sat member, who pointed to
plain suite of rooms as his lodging,
and whose dress and manner of
living are as simple and unos-
tentatious as those of a Plymouth
county farmer, and yet he is million
aire, the richest man, / think. in the
house, Western lumberman, wise and
hard-headed, and not ashamed but proud
of the goadstick which he welded in
his youth, and with which he picked his
way to fortune. Among the leaders.
Reed lives in the fifth story of small
hotel: Randall in a house that would
perhaps Weld a rent of $500 or S4OO: Nc
Kinley in two or three chambers; Mills
in Quiet boarding house; and so Oh
through the list. The house is full of
poor men who make no show, who are
just such plain, well-behaved, temper
ate, church-gOing people as you and I
meet at home, who go afOot and drive
no fine teams, who ape no fashions, some
of whom go to the few public receptions
that occur in the winter, but few of
whom are able or care to hold recep-
tionS or give entertainments themselves.
Fine rainement is so rare among them
that an old suit which / am now wear
ing for the third summer has actually
been exploited by the newspaper re-
porterS, in the absence of any other SEN
sation, as subjecting me to the charge of
being ''well dreSSed;" and if Tom Reed
should cover his shining head with a
silk hat he would lose the Republican
leadership. The member who lives lux
! uriousiy is the exception. What is un-
doubtedly true of few officials, eSpeci-
wealth, who reside and entertain in
Washington in the winter and are ad-
vertised in the society columns of the
press, is not at all true of the great
majority of the peoples servants. Truly
yOlrS John ID. LONG