The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-12
ALL THEIR TIME TAKEN
Busy Members Of Congress Who
Have Few Hours at Their
Disposal.
A Senator Whose Riches Grew
Rapidly as He Went
From Home.
Members Of the House Are Poor Men-Noe
Happy Life-An Work
Hard.

It is not often that Washington is left
to its sweet repose and is free from the cares
of congressional life for short time
as it has enjoyed this year, says the New
York Times. If eight hours sleep are
enough for man, possibly two months
rest are enough for city, but it cannot be
denied that there are many persons at the
capital who dread the rude awakening
which the city always undergoes as soon az
congress meets. Congress disinteRrated
Oct /, and Dec. l came together again. The
hotels which are usually closed all summer
were open, and the rooms of the senators
and members were ready for them, and
many more quarters awaiting the occu-
pancy of the vast swarm of persons which
buzzes around the capital, hoping to &C.
cure some of the honey that congressional
influence is supposed to make available.
In the matter of hotels it may be re-
marked in passing that the legislators
from the south and west are not 90 particuT
lar as general thing as their colleagues
from the east. The latter are more apt to
be sybarites, and they demand luxuries
that the others do not care for or cannot
0uOkOs 1AC10 04O AOu 0O many AASAA AAAOAA IA
congress. after all. The senate, it must be
admitted, is q pretty rich body, but even
there the poor men are in majority, and
the fortunes of the rich senators are largely
exaggerated. One of the senator's from q
western state who, by the accumulation OF q
lifetime, 10 the possessor OF fortune OF
about 900 picked up paper several
months ago and read in 1t that he was pos
sessed of 3,O0O, eco.
''Three millions!' he said. "Jove! I
hadn't any idea that was as rich as that.
wonder where this newspaper got its IN
formation f1om?"
The newspaper had been drawing on its
imagination, and the bank, having large
capital. had honored the draft.
The house il poorer body than the SEN
ate. Any wholesale denunciation Of its
members as plutocrats is founded upon a
very slim basis. Plutocrats are not apt to
live in cheap boarding houses and wear
shabby clothes, AID many of the members
of congress do both. OF the speakers of
the house during the past decade all have
been poor men. j. Warren Keifer, Of disa-
Isle, now senator from Kentucky. has al
wavs lived with great naodesty at the Riggs
house, and is dependent to very large
extent upon his salary, and Mr.. Reed
the merry man from Maine, who went
off like cyclone and will come back like
JIG kcutl0Sb Ol Z0puyTS, IL a man Oh very
moderate means. The late Samuel J. Ran
dali also was poor, and of the half dozen
candidates for the speakership of the next
congress none is a rich man, unless per-
haps, Roswell p. Flower, of New York, be
considered a candidate. Mills, of Texas, is
poor; Holman, of Indiana, is poor, Springer
Is not rich, and so on thrngh the list.
The truth of the matter is that great
deal is said about the fortunes in congress
and very little 10 said nbout the poverty
that is there. It seems to be characteristic
of men to wish to hear of the vast riches of
others, and the Imagination revels in tho
pictures OF the Injuries that it paints Levi
p. Morton, the president, is one of the
favorite subjects for the exercise of this
startling imagination. He is rich, tremen-
dously rich. It is hard to remember any
man in public life in America who
he'd would need all the wealth of
the Indies to support such an establishment
as he is credited with. His wife has fifty
Worth dresses at $1,000 each, he owns
countless magnificent horses. his houses are
palaces of splendor before which the
abodes of Queen Victoria sink into insig-
nificance, and more impossible nonsense of
a similar character. He lives magnifcently.
but even his wealth has limitations.
The opening OF congress means the reviv-
lying OF Washington; but, after all. it is
not the senators and congressman that
cause the revivifcation SO much as the train
of people that follows them. It would be a
modest computation to say that each lepis-
lator represents five or six persons who
come here especially to see him or to influ.
ence him. Besides that. every piece of leg
islatlon OF any consequence to anybody
must not only go through congress, but It
must pass through the lobby. If a
man has bill that he wants oar
ried through it takes two or three lobbyists
to handle it, and a bill of widespread
Importance fills the corridors with the
agents of men whose interest it is in favor
OF or opposed to. There is a class of law
yers in Washington who were once mem.
Ders OF congress, and who have the right,
IN consequence, of admission to the floor of
congress, and they are regarded as espec-
lally enect!ve workers in behalf Of certain
classes of legislation. congressman can
not escape from them as he can from
others.
lI point OF fact, the life of a member of
congress- is not happy one in many par
t!culars. There is very general impress
sion that the lobbyist is a mere bride piyer.
but tins 10 crude idea. There are many
fective than this. Moreover, ali men are
open to some sort of influence, but the
members of our national legislature who
are open to the influence of direct bribery
are few and far between.
There is probably no man in the world
more ABUSED IMAM member OF congress.
Tor every man for whom he has obtained
an Office he has made score of enemies
among the disappointed applicants. The
man provided for, too, is disappointed, as
he has not obtained the office he desired.
He applied for tho Office of consul general
at Liverpool, let us say, and he is naturally
not oyergrateful for having been appointed
consul ut Belize. Very few persons ever
get what they ask for. If they want bread
they are offered a stone. If they apply for
fat Office they are given as slim a one as
they will accept, and their dissatisfaction
is vented upon their congressman first and
upon their appointing power afterward.
Then tho country newspaper that favored
the man who was elected holds the rod over
him, orders him about, and scolds him
when he doesn't obey, and the opposition
I, -,