Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-12-31
WASHINGTON'S CHARM.
IT'S GRIP ON OUR STATESMEN AND
IT'S eaeRvATHsG EFFECTS.
How a Man Who Spends . Year or So al
the National Capital Feels Los, When
He Has tn Leave It-wAas become. Of
Er-stafesmen.


fspeciAi Correxpordence-
WAsHrSGTos, Dec Is. There Is some
strange and r4btle fascinaticu about public
life in the capital -tish il not easy To dis
eovsr a1TIrlI5s Many public men will say,
when y.sa talk 70 thena On be suhi-ct- tilot
they ri q - rad remained az home and
given aftzs.sl 70 their btlsssess or profssL
sion, and yet very few senators or repre-
sftatives fail 70 seek reelection U! -
nernbcrs u this C0agrsss all but about
twenty five cone back 10 the next, and Of
tue seveuty-age who failed Of reelection
oearfy all died a-tryinS, either N tho no'sa-
mating conventions of tle.r parties or at tle
polla Probably 10 Il ambition which at hFzt
prompts man in public Life % use every
Mort 10 extend hss career. and after the
prompting Of ambition bessgnne less and los
,troug. a. they do 70 a large ma lority u alen
tn rubisc lie. habit stefs in aud carries
thetu on In the channel IN which
'ate has rat them They becope less
and lezz Interested Ia the voc1t4oas which
they we're following when called 70 public
.crtice, their business Ia SOIL or merged With
,tner interests. tbeir la practice has dFiltsd
away from them, aud tue speud.n. u the
grsater part q every year Ia Washington he
comes more and more a rart Of their iiTss,
hstss|AAHeH+s-N'
plenty II concresslncp who feel as Sunset
Cor feels lie has now been Ia con ',ress more
than thirty years and as sat Ly tie Llazing
log IN his handsome Losne on New Hampshire
nveuuo onn recent night Mr. Cox declared
that Ia MS case ambition had long since
erased 10 play part IN bis public career
81 am ike the man friend u nine from
Delaware used to tell about said the con
gr.ssman This man committed a crtno OK
sorne sort ADD was condemned to tue tread
mil Tor a long term Uf years Day after day
for seventeen long aud weary years. b" troll
the niil, aud when at Lat la. term expired
and no caine home be was - miScrable aud
discuutenicd that he wsat aud bought a
treadiniil of his own aud continued H. walk
IL daq after day TIL ne died have teen In
congress W .Ong that II | were now to lie
taken out INA afraid III have H. 50 and buy
a Little congress 81 my own and continue To
tread the ma tiil death should come 10 my
rod-t
Ambition and vanity Rre usually strong in
men who aru just getting nicely started On
puhlir careers. but both gradually disappear
as the years roll by With most ucu who
ha @ teen long 80 public lfs-aud tucrr are
plenty " senator's GId representatives. y 40
ha' g teen nero all tie wa from = dozen TO
twenty-five yeary-va1ity plays n uorr I'm
poftaut part nj homo tnaa hereat tlH capitol.
Here their rosnd Of ife becomes more or Irfs
nttehdmll. They are ouishono IA most casrs
by H.ore favored sons 81 fortune Ambition
hns almost ceased 10 Tickle them WITH Is
pleasant dreams and phautslsicS- Many II
them arc not much looked up % Ut sought
after, aud they go their rounds IA the dull,
spirite smanner u Old horses or government
clerks. But at homo the scene changes. There
they arc ponted out on the streets Society
IA eager u honor them. Prominent citizens
are anxious 10 gain thor good will In all
this the congressmans amour propre IS grasI-
hrd, AMI IT. IA this very thing that consoles
many ~ them flr tho d,saplolntments aud
vcxatious 81 IL public career and stimulates
them into making the constantly recurring
striggles Tor reelection