Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-01-05
Personal. ]
WASHINGTON. ID. G.

- ~ ~ ,U'NN' %'Nt" NN''''
My DEAR SIR: You will doubtless
be surprised to hear from me so soon.
rs / did not promise when l left New
York that l would write you ut all
while here. But l now take pen in
hand TO say that the Senate and House
of Representatives are having a good
deal of fun with me. and hope you are
enjoying the same great blessing You
will wonder at first why send in my
expense account before l send in any
thing for the paper, but will explain
that to you when | get back. At first
| thought would not bother with the
expense account till / got to your Of
| flee, but | can now see that it is going
to worry me TO get there unless l hear
from you favorabl1 by return mail.
When | came here / fell into the
mad whirl of society. and attracted n
good deal of attention by my cultivated
ways and JetlorsOnian method of Sleep
ing with llcrent member of Con-
gress every night.
have not written anything for pub
lication yet, bat am getting material
that will make people throughout our
broad land open their eyes in astonish-
mcnt. | shall deal fairly and openly
with these great national questions and
frankly hew to the line, let the chips
fall where they may, rs | heard a man
say to-day on the floor of the house.
tho Willard House, mean But be-
lioye in handling great political mat
ter without gloves, as You will remem-
Dor if you watched my course as JUS
tice Of the Peace and NteratcW. Can
dor is ny leading characteristic. and
| if you Will pardon me for saving so in
| the first letter YOU ever received from
me believe there is nothing about my
whole character which seems TO chal-
lemge my admiration for myself any
more than that.
Congressman and their wives are
daily landing ut the great national
Castle Garden and looking wildly
around for the place where they are
told they will get their mileage. On
every land all is hurry and excitement.
Bills are being introduced acquaint-
ancc3 renewed and punch-bowls are be-
ginning to wear Il prcoccupicd air
] have been m ngl.ng with society
ever since came here, ard that is one
reason | nave written very little for
publication and did not send what |
did write
Yesterday afternoon my money gave
out ut 3:2O and since that my mind
has been clearer aud society has made
| fewer demands on me. At first |
thought | would obtain employment at
the Treasury Department rs exchange
| editor in the grrenback room. Then
remembered that | would get very
| FAINT before | could go through a COM
pcttive examination. and, in the mean
! time. | might lose social caste b. wear
ng my person on the outside of my
| clothes. SO have resolved TO write you
+ a chatly letter about Washington,
assuring YOU that am well and ask
iug You to kindly consider the mcloscd
taDulated b II of expenses. as | need
the money for Christmas presents and
get home with.
! Poker is one Of the national curses of
! legislation. have several times heard
prominent foreigners say. in their own
anguagc-thinking no doubt, that |
could not understand them-that the
members Of the American congress did
not betray any emotion on their
countenanccs One foreigner from
! Liverpool, who thought ! could not
understand his language. said that our
Congressman had II way of look Nc
rs though they did not know very
much When he afterwards PLAYED
with those same men he saw that the
look was acquired. One man told me
that his vacant look had been as good
rs $50, coo TO h m. whether he stood
pat or drew to0n OStcns,blc flush while
really holding four bullets.
So far | have not been over to the
Capital, PREFER ng to have Congress
k nd OF percolate into my room, two or
three at Time; but unless you can
honor the inclosed way-biIl | shall be
forced to 20 over to the House to-mor-
row and write something for the paper.
Since | have been writing this | have
been led to Inquire whether it would be
| al ~ la for tn ~ a ~, tbrnIorl tho
entire session or not. 1t will be un-
usually long. lasting perhaps clear into
Jull, and find that the stenographers
as a general thing get a pretty accurate
and sp cy account of the proceedings,
much more so than can, and rs you
W Il see by incloscd statement it is 60
ing TO cost more TO keep ME here than
figured on.
My idea was that board and lodg-
ings would be the main items of ex-
pcmsc, but ! struck II low priced place
where, by Club nc together with some
plain gentleman from distance who
have been waiting here three years for
polit cal recognition, and who do not
feel like surrounding themselves with
n hotel, we get plain room with six
beds in it. The room overlooks the
District of Columbia, and the first man
in has the choice of beds, with the
pr vilegc of inv ting friends to limited
number We lunch plainly.in the low
er part of the Luilding in a standing
position without restraint or finger
bowls. So board is not the principal
item Of expense, though Of course do
not wish to put mp at a place where l
will be disgrace to the paper.
wish that you would. when you
send my check, write me frankly
whether on think had better remain
here during the entire session or not.
Ike the place first rate, but my duties
keep me up nights TIL a late hour, and
cannot sleep during the day, because
my room-matcs annoy me by doing