Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-01-17
The North Dakota Senator's Story of
a Dangerous Woman" and
Trials of an Office
Seeker.
Waiting YEARLY For the Reward
That Never Came. Adven-
lures of the Hon. John
Billings, NJ. G.
Washington Post: Is truth stranger than

ocIldtOI UllDeIt ~. ilcrCe OF NOrCn Ia
kota, will have a pretty good chance to
answer the question to his own s~atisfac-
ton. Years ago, before the new senator
even dreamed of his present political emf
hence, he wrote a number of interesting
romances. One of thesc--said to he some
what photographer in its character
was entitled "a Dangerous Woman: Be
ing the experiences of Hon. John Billings,
NJ. c. 1t was a story of Washington
social and political life, and in its plot the
fortunes of John Billings were interviewer
with those of a brilliant, beautiful and base
adventures named Mrs. Richard Trevell-
lex. Of course the senatorial novelist
brought his hero out of her snares all right
and gave virtue its accustomed reward.
But it is not the plot that is most inter
eSting viewed in connection with the pres
ent position OF the author, but some of the
experiences that the present senator had
IN Understanding, it the book is real y auto
biographical. Gil. Pierce thus assured the
readers OF "a Dangerous Woman in a
%fOOt-nOte:
"Although some of the inclde..ts of this
story may appear improbable, | wish to
say III advance that those most strange are
the narration OF actual occurrences, the
whole story being a substantial relation OF
facts"
The story the senator tells of weary
waiting for recognition while an applicant
for federal office may find reproduction in
the cases of some of his constituents in
OF his coming to Washington as follows:
"Ihe election came Off and our favoriteS
We're triumphant, and we sat down with
millions more to rejoice over the victory.
-Four months afterward, the general and l,
keeping our W counsels, left F. for
our claims for office, and rely upona CRATE.
full party to reward lis with its patronage.
We went down a week after the Inaugural
alton contidentially expecting to sail into
consu!ships without difficulty. We had
splendid recommendations, and-we flat
tered ourselves-iirst rate wal records.
Our papers were tilsd; we had al interview
with the president, and our members
spoke ellcourasingly. The general lad
$50 and | had $72. We stopped at the
metropolitan; then we went over to the st.
James; then we went to the Washington;
then we boarded at a private house, "be.
cause it was more quiet, you know" Then
the appointments were made. Our names
did not appear in the lists as they were
published day after day. and we grew
into the habit of reading the morning pa.
pcrs, and sitting a good ways apart, and
pretending to be deeply interested in the
market reports, while in reality we were
gazing distractedly and dlsconsolately over
the tops. At Hast one morning the general
heaved a sigh and said:
"lI's all up. What's the use of our max
ing fools OF ourselves"
"Of course it is all up" said |.
I've known it for a fortnight" said the
general.
"Ive] suspected it for a month";" said |.
ITS too bad" said the general.
The two men concluded hat there was
nothing for them to do if they went back
to their state, and they must remain in
Washington and 90 into business of some
kind. The morning they reached this
dolorous conclusion they counted their
joint capital and found $5l.82. They were
paying SIP a week for board, and cOnclud.
ed to give it up at once. They tried writ
ing Tor the newspapers and magazines, but
they got left. No one would buy what
they had to sell. The Washington papers
each declined to print the first sketch-a
senator's story, and entitled 1.-The MySteri'
Gus Cof1in"-eXcept they were paid adver'
Using rates.
Meantime the couple became poorer and
poorer. They settled down "on a place in
a quiet street in the family of a brick
room in an old story Frame"
They had money enough to last three
weeks here. and they started in for an Of
flee again. During this time they found q
paper that would print some of their arti'
cles. 1t was the party organ in the home
the literary work the couple did on it wa
to copy a windy puff furnished by the M
G. himself. After they had secured the
publication of this article they felt better,
The story proceeds as follows:
"Then we took up our old trade of wait
ing l doubt whether there is a word in
the English language which covers sc
much misery, bitterness, and despair as
this simple word waiting Waiting for the
dawn, waiting for the verdict. waiting in
anxious hope for the coming of the wan
derer who never comes, waiting while the
heart OF the watcher almost stops its beat
ing, for the last struggle-the last sigh, the
little folding of the hands to slumber
when the earthly journey is done. Wash
ingtOn is plethOric with the misery thai
comes from waiting. There are hundreds
in that city to-day who are waiting for &
word which shall save them from ruin
While you, my honorable friend, are ming
ling in the gay throng to. night, all smiles
and complacency, there are those who are
waiting in an agony of hope for the one
little sentence that shall grant them work
and save them from beggary.
"Why are they there :" says one, or "why
do they not seek other business ?" This is
INV"
the story of 100 of these people to-day you
would admit that ninety-nine OF them went
there under circumstances that would have
attracted any one in their position in life
and the trouble is not so much that the
person to whom they apply says no, and sc
settles the matter at once, as that false
hopes and indirect promises and encour'
agement are given them, and there they
stay until their little purse strings are eX
hausted and their spirits are broken. There
Is room in this for a civil service reform
that would be a blessing, and one, too,
which needs no law but that of humanity,
and no expenditure save that of reason
and common sense to put it in operation.
II 90 not know Of a more humiliating
position in which to place a man or wO-
mar of any self-respect or refinement than
that of a supplicant for office, waiting on
the outside of some Of our marble palaces
with a bored and unwilling official. If
you are too much mortified. nd hurt to
wait you can 20, and some one less SenSi-
tive will get the prize. l think it time to
put aside the gentleman when you don the
office. seeker. If you nave the faculty of
becoming a brawler and a swaggerer by
all means avail yourself of that transform
alton. There is nothing like impotence
or cheek" in public affairs"
A little latter in his story the senator's
hero makes some very bitter observations
concerning the senators, Representatives and
other public men he met in Washington