The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-16
Oh THE DAT OF DAYS.
ROBERT GRAVES WRITES OF THE
UPS AND DOWNS OF ELECTION.
It Is Followed by Heartburnings and
Rejoicings, by Tears and the Strains of
Brass Bands-How the Newly Elected
Will Be Received in Washington.
SPECIAL Correspondence.l


be the day our friends the congressman
have long dreaded. 1t will be the day
which decides whether about Two hundred
of the three hundred and odd members of
the house are to return TO their seats. A
general election day is drama of real life.
| Think of the am billions at stake, of the
| promising careers that are likely to be cut
short, of the efforts and sacrifices which
| suddenly are to come to naught. Think,
also, OF the hearts that viii ache, for
4 wherever one family or one coterie of
! personal friends is gladdened by victory
another is sure to suffer the qualms of de-
| feat. Wives will weep and disappointed
men will curse the evil day that set their
ambitions in the direction of congressional
! service. Bands will play and kilograms Of
congratulations move along the wires for
! the victors; and out of it all we shall have
! a new congress, with perhaps hundred
/ and twenty-five or hundred and fifty new
/ faces. Popular favor, or the luck of poll
| tics, will play it's usual pranks. Orators
! of national reputation viii be succeeded
/ by men who never made a speech in their
! lives Wits will give place TO billiards,
/ and billiards TO wits. A few really great
! and able men will hand their congressional
| chairs over to chaps who were never before
/ heard of outside the borders of the coun-
/ ties in which they live, and who are likely
to attract attention. as some men do who
marry widows solely as the successors of
! their betters
1t is as yet too early to talk of men by
! their names. All day to morrow the mill
| ions Of ballots will fall into the boxes
ha1
for future letters As soon as these new
men reach Washington we Philistines OF
the capital begin sizing them up. We take
their measure, note their peculiarities,
their bumps, their strong points and their
weak ones; all fall under our scrutinizing
gaze.
We shall be in hard luck indeed IL we do
not get some interesting figures out of this
biennial grab bag Doubtless we shall
discover more than one Tom VIM. Tom
VIM, it should be known, is pretty sure
to be one of the new congressman from
Georgia. They say he is as green as one of
the pumpkin vines that grow on his farm
and yet as smart as new gown. As the
story goes, he is a countryman who has
never yet been in large city, and who has
had but two or three rides on railroad cars.
All he knows about the electric light, the
telephone and other modem inventions is
what he has read, and / wish in a kindly
way to serve notice on Mr. Vim that the
practical jokers of the capital are already
laying plans for his entertainment and
edification. 1t is a dull congress that does
not afford butt for the practica, jOkers.
A few years ago it was Frank Iawler, and
then it was poor Maj. Martin, Of Texas.
Everybody Will remember the story Of how
Lawler was induced to order a dozen broiled
Holsters for himself in a Washington res
taurant, but every one does not know that
the story is literally true. Last summer
LAWYERS health was poor, and he asked
his friends for some advice as to how he
could best relieve himself of the drudgery
of writing forty or fifty letters a day.
you'd better hire typewriter opera
tor" said one.
eyes; that's it" replied Frank; II have
been thinking for some time that l needed
a dictator"
Lawler was by no means a stupid man.
On the contrary, he was in many ways as
bright as a dollar. He made a good con-
gresham, and / see no reason why Tom
VIM. of Georgia, green as he is, should
not make good congre isman. too. Law
Ter hopes to be elected sheriff Of Chicago.
He retired from congress because he
was too poor TO remain in il. There are
plenty of other congressman too poor TO
continue in public service, but who haven't
sense enough to know it. The people out
in the country cannot understand why
congressman fail to save up money out Of
their salaries. In their eyes $50 - a week
is princely. 1t would be princely out in
I'Isey county, but in Washington it is a
pretty small sum to support a family and
keep up appearances on. The worst of it
is, congressman say. that even If by prac-
ticing rigid economy they are able to save
a little out of their salary, pretty soon the
dreaded campaign year comes on and
sweeps it all away. First the nomination
must be struggled for, at more or less eX-
pense, and when that has been secured the
battle is only begun. In the north a can
didate for congress Is rarely assessed less
than 1900 by his campaign committee,
and the member of the house who retains
his seat without spending from two to
three thousand dollars is lucky indeed
Probably there are not dozen men in
the present house who save anything worth
speaking of out of their salaries. One of
the most economical statesmen | know is
Judge PaySou, Of Illinois He said to me
recently: Il have been in congress now
nine years In all that time | have not
been able to save anything, though l live
in one-half OF a modest house in an I'M
fashionable part Of town. neither smoke
nor drink. and keep no carriage. Last
year find we did save 500 out of my sal
arv. but this year the campaign will take
81. /
standing that my district is a COMPARE
lively easy one" Judge Payson added that
but for the expense and bother of going be-
Iore the people every other year for re-
election he would infinitely prefer the
house TO the senate. and l find many Of
the more prominent men OF the lower
branch saying the same thing-that the
house Is the ideal place for work. for a
public career, but that the bsne Of il i the
necessity of concentrating ones energies
and expendinS ones resources in the b.
ennial struggle for popular favor.
Many Of the new men who come into
congressional service are surprised TO find
how ditfcult il Is 20 make a reputation
here. Having as a rule plenty OF self es-
teen, they imagine all they have TO do is
20 come 10 the capital. write few bills. de-
liver 4 speech or two and awake next
morning famous. II IS. however, sur
prisiuG fact that there are less than half a
dozen men in the present house who have
"a truly national reputation. The fame Of
he others is local or scattering. Popular
favor and the accidents OF politics BRING
many ambitious men into the legislative
halls, but only long service combined with
great ability and striking individuality
can win genuine success. The hardest part
Of il i that much OF tie best work done
10y members " congress wins them little