Wichita eagle., 1890-02-25
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WASHINGTON CONTRASTS.
UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE AT THs
CAPITAL CITY.

beSSars VINO nave Held High Official
Positions-Expense of Keeping House.
No Money In Congressional Membership.
"Rising Sun" Morse and His Fortune.
Especial Correspondencel
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10.-The capital of the
nation is city full of contrasts Here we
See living examples of the mutability of hui
man affairs. On every hand are men who
have gone up like rockets into the blue en-
pyrean of fame, and men who have descend
ed therefrom like sticks. Among the beg
gars who haunt the corridors of the Capitol
and lnfest the streets of the city are et-con-
gressInen. ex-Judges, men who once were ia
NOUS and prosperous. 1t is only in Washing
ton that one may give dime for nights
lodging, or perchance drink of liquor to a
poor fellow whose friends once envied his
high official station, and thought him likely
TO win still higher place, even the presidency
itself | was walking through the rotunda
one day last week with well known west
ern statesman, when a forlorn, unhappy per
son accosted my companion He was un-
steady of gait and hand, his clothing was
seedy, his face bore the marks of dissipation
and yet he looked like one who might have
been gentleman in his day. NY friend
greeted him warmly, talked to him earnestly
in an aside, and at the close of the interview
placed in his hand bank note
''Do you know that mans' nv friend asked
me we resumed our walk to the senate
chamber. "No? Well, he was once noted
man in our state No man in Iowa appeared
TO have brighter prospects. He was an able
lawyer, eloquent. popular. All roads to fame
appeared open to him. We expected to see
him governor, senator, anything He was a
warm friend of Senator Conkling and of
Secretary Chase, and through their influence
became solicitor of the state department
There he was a brilliant public servant
Secretary Seward relied on him for the
preparation of many important state papers.
But Henry O'Connor was addicted TO drink,
and he is now polite, gentlenanly unfortu-
nate of the Streets
As we walked to the senate Mr.. Allison
passed by.
Another case of much the same sort is re-
called to my mind by seeing Senator ALI
son" said my friend. Zone of his predeces-
sors in the senate from Iowa was Senator
Jones, now living in distressing poverty at
Dubuque, think it is. Some years ago his
friends raised purse of several thousand dol
lars for him, and for long time this kept
him from want He was one of the seconds
in the famous Cilley duel Two or three
weeks ago, you viii remember, there was a
sensational publication in the local papers
about the hardships endured by women and
girls In the mail bag repairing shops. Their
work is irksome and trying in the extreme,
and the rooms which they occupy are dark,
noisome, Iinhealthfu In this hole First As
sistant Postmaster General Clarkson recent
wearing her fingers off and her life away in
the support of herself and little daughter 1t
is TO Mr.. Clarkson's credit that she is there
no longer, for it was no place for beautiful,
refined, cultured woman who had once lived
in luxury"
Examples of this sort are by no means IN
common in Washington. The government
departments are full of the wives, sons and
daughters of men who were once famons
Ex-senator Spencer, of Alabama, is the only
former member of that body | know of in
the departments, and he is 81 500 clerk; but
there is great number of ex-congressmen.
Ii IS really surprising how many ex-congress-
mer there are in Washington, any way The
woods are full of them. They are lawyers
claim agents, pension attorneys, clerks, every
thing. Many are retired On any day of
which we have had within the last TWO weeks,
a large number of old fellows may be seen
walking around in the rear of the hall
Nobody knows them and they no not seem
to know anybody. They are gray, bald, old
fashioned old fellows, the "exes." About the
only fun some of these ancient statesmen get
out of life is in the exercise of their privilege
of going upon the floor OF the house of which
HOY ADD
tells me that his assistants have no end of
trouble with these former members Their
faces are, of course. unknown to the door
keepers, and when respectable, dignified old
man presents himself at the door and SAYS he
is an ex-member of the house, it is pretty
hard to require him to prove his identity, and
i naturally follows that once in awhile a
man not entitled to the door gains admission.
A queer story was told me the other day
by Commissioner Hine, of the District of Co
iumbia The three district commissioners, the
reader should know, are appointed by the
president, and are the government of the dis
trict. Mr.. Hines special field is the police
department. Washington has not a very
large police force, and one of the things with
which visitors from foreign lands first be-
come impressed in this city is the absence OF |
formed officers Of the law Knowing this TO |
be federal city, completely under control |
of the national government, visitors natu-
rally expect to see display of the federal |
authority. They are disappointed. One may
wall; half mile along the great thorough |
fare of the capital, Pennsylvania avenue, |
without seeing a policeman.
Probably Washington is the only large city |
in the country which is unable TO keep up TO |
the maximum number its quota Of policemen. |
This difficulty arises IL the conditions imposed |
by law, which are that every mem5er of the |
force must be an honorably discharged sol /
der of tne regular army. The idea of the
lawmakers was THAI old soldiers would pos
ssss better rotions of discipline than a con-
sr2buiary selected from civil life, snd be
More adapted TO drill and display en- masSe.
Ali this may he true, but the trouble is in
finding men. There is always a large num-
her Of vacancies in the force, notWithstand-
ao that the commissioners Of tho District oc-
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