The rustler., 1891-12-11
WAYS THAT ARE DARK.
Hes New Ni~mhsrs Are Tsmpt~d - Cast
Iheir Vets Zoe sasas rarticaiar Csn-
dIaats-nutie. sf the Dress fA-
rads CosnmIttes CleraA


tspceiai washiurtcn t.ettcri
some men arr perpctuaily dissatisaed |
with everything and with everybody.
All men are unsatisfcd. and therefore
continually seeking the hcttermcut of
their condition. In the latter category. |
the uusatisilcd and therefore ambitious.
the candidate for the spcakcrship must
be set down. The pending contest Is
the most peculiar one witnessed In =
generation
There are three men IN the lead. and
70 far In advance Of their competition
that they have become conspicuous tar
rets for the shafts Of the enemy. There
fore. the other candidates and their
friends are picking Messrs Springer,
Crisp aud Mills 70 pieces. and narrating
the alleged weaknesses Of those strong
men 20 the new members who have not
pledged their votes IL Is hut fair to
say. however. that the other candidates
are careful always TO mention the good
qualities of the gentlemen from Illinois,
Georgia and Texas. But, they never
forget 10 mention that mills Is ncrv-
Gus and irascihlc;" that "Crisp is not
partisan enough" and that springer
Ia ovcrrated."
In fact II Is like n contest for the
presidency OF a college debating society
or the secretaryship Of a village Dorcas
sewing circle. The three hundred and
thirty-three statesmen conduct them
selves very much as three hundred and
I thirty-thrce men I'm a circumscribed viii
lage would do There are leaders. sub
leaders. bosses and bossed. gossipers
and tattlors galore. Everything that is
said ut Mr. McMillin's or Mr.. Bynum's
headquarters Is repeated In the course
of the evening in the rooms of Hatch,
Wilson and the other candidates One
Of these tale-bearers is iocosely called
the Nightly News" and takes the so
briquct rs q compliment
One thing is particularly noticeable
TO an on-looker. II Is the temperance as
pect and temperate condition of the cam
paign- There was n time easily within
my memory when gallon after gallon of
whisky was nightly dispensed by the
colored servants OF the candidates;
while many a pint or half-pint flask
was given away when good-nights were
said. Just about dnybreak. The rooms
were constantly poisoned with the
fumes Of tobacco, which the friends of
the aspirants pulled from his strong,
choice and costly imported cigars
There was something OF this kind
started n few days ago ut one
OF the headquarters, but il was soon
stopped by the advice Of intimate
friends The time has gone by when
success can be sucked from a bottle Of
liquor: or when statesmen can float
into favor upon the flavor of clouds Of
tobacco smoke. A few cigars are given
away. Just as they are often banded
from friend to friend upon the street;
but there Is no ostentatious parading of
hospitality of that kind. This would be
very unfortunate indeed for the
colonels, judges, majors and other pro-
fessional deadbeats, whom, like the
honest poor. we have with us always,
except for the fact that the iniquity yet
exists at the headquarters Of the eandi-
dates for the clerkship, doorkeepership
postmastership and sergeant-at-arms Of
the house. Those who seek these of
fees believe In the ante bellum style Of
vote-getting. But even the headquar-
ters of these people are more quiet,
decorous and dgnified than in former
years, so that can see with great
pleasure the gradual improvement
which is permeating the body polite
throughout the length and breadth of
this republic.
II is not TO be wondered Mt that new
members of the house sometimes suffer
from excessive self-consciousnes Never
before In all their lives have they been so
popular, so courtcd and SO sought after,
especially by gentlemen with national
regulations. II has u tendency to ex.
pand the sensorium TO an undue degree,
70 have such unusual and persistent at