The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-21
ALLABOUTTHEMEMBER
WALTER WELlMAk sstELDs A KEEN
DtsSsCTiNo KNIFE.
Beth Senators and Representatives Are
Subjects - Legislators Who sOsttes la
Their Tall. Lie and Erroneously Think
They Are Story TezlArs.


Subjects - Legislators Who sosttes la
Their Talk. Lie ead Erroneously Think
They Are Story Te1lers.
Especial Correspeadeoee.1
WASHINGTON, June 12-When the
business Of the house of representatives Is
duh and unintereSting, as it often is, we
who sit up in the gallery to watch for
things worth writing about must tnrn
our attention from legislation to legisla-
tors. For this there is good precedent,
furnished by the legislators themselves.
No other topic interests the average
member of congress as much as himself.
The dangers Of the country which he
pirates 80 much of in his speeches, the
odious acts Of the opposition party which
be is SO fond OF deaoundng, are quick
ly lost sight of when the conversation
becomes personal Statesmen love to
talk Of themselves, especially to newsr
paper ears. They Ike to be written
about in complimentary manner if pos
Gble, but In some way at any rate.
Smart statesmen endeayor to make
friends Of newspaper men, but when
they can't make friends tho axiom is that
they had better make enemies Abuse
sometimes does a man more good than
praise. Your average congressman is
very conceited person. His bills and his
reports and his speeches are the greatest
things in the annals Of congress. "What,
you have not watched my efforts to do so
and sos You don't know what am doingi
Young man, go read the history Of your
country Some congressman imagine
the people of the provinces are thirstng
for information concerning their health.
One man, who has been sick, walked
down to my Office every day for week
during his convalsscenee to infoTmme,
SO that might inform my readers, thas
he was gradually recovering.
Another thing which Is most notice
able about these public men, particularly
those who have been long time in tho
harness, is their tendency to scatter In
private conversation. Men who can get
up in the house or senate and deliver3m-
promptu speeches of force and good con-
struction, wabble all about subject in
the ordinary casual conversation. They
wander from one subject to another, and
never wait to have anything settled Or
agreed upon. Probably this ia the result
of their training on the floor, where
nothing ever is settled by argument. A
man gets few minutes and makes
sally at topic and then drops il.
Nothing is talked out"
Five minutes later all hands turn to
and talk over a new proposition, justas
the layman Is becoming interested In ths
first. Thus, in private conversation the
statesman has tendency to shift and
tack, and cover a great deal of water.
1t keeps one busy to stay with him Fec
instance, there rs Ben Butterworth, the
brilliant member from Ohio. He is enc
of the best takers in congress or out Of
it, but if you can keep him on one sub
ject for five minutes you are more fortu-
nate than most of the men who know
him. ia walk from the senate cham |
Der to the house of representatives
have heard the witty Butterworth d. |
course on such topics as the tariff bill, |
with Canada, universal peace |
between nations, the new navy, the |
Farmers Alliance movement, original |
packages and pension legislation. Here
IS man worth following as the winds
Of his fancy watt him from subject to |
subject, for he rarely opens his mouth |
without saying something. But think |
IF stupid fellow, like the average con-
gresham, wobbling about in this man
her and asking you to go with him and
Ty to be interested in all he is ssyingi
Joe Cannon, of Illinois, who is him
'elf sort of original package, is an
,ther man who scatters his fire in priveks
Cannon in his quaint way
likes to run the gaIaut Of topics which
TIE in the public mind. There appears
% be a sort Of procession of thoughts
soing through his brain, and he is never
,ontsat til the whole troop has been
brought MP for review. In his work al
chairman Of the committee on Gppro-
,riations he has constantly before him
he whole United States, and it seems
hat his mind is equally geographical
md comprehensive Still, if you get the
nance to accompany Mr.. Cannon on
me of his intellectual rambles you viii
lot regret it. Here and there it will not
10 easy to keep pace with him, for OIL
ertain parts of the read he travels like
! limited train, but he has faculty Of
llunining his pathway so that even the
fullest man may learn httls as he runs.
No one would suspect such a brainy
ma well organized intellectual giant az
speaker Reed Of scattering. But, if the
ruth must be told-and don't see why
t shouIdn' tho scatters like an old shot
'un; or, to use better Illustration, he
) Like an amateur sportsman with new
pesoh loader-he salhes out and IN his
agerness and fondness for shooting
axes crack at everything he sees.
When Reed draws his long gun it is a
God time TO take to the woods.
Another thing which l have noticed
bout congressman is that many of them
re liars. This does not sound pleasant,
ut it is true. make the assertion with
full realization OF its import, and, as
le members themselves sometimes say
] warm debate, with willingness to as
ume responsibility therefor, thata large
or cent. Of the members OF congress
abitually tell falsehoods. OF course
here are many honorable exceptions,
nd every reader has the right to include
Is friends in the latter category. But
ie liars are not much to BE- blamed
!