The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-12-30
WAYS THAT ARE DARK.
Some OF the Secrets OF Contest
for the Speakership.
How New Members Arc Tempted to Cast
Their Vote for Some Particular Cam
tiidato-Dutics OF the Dress Pa
rade Committee Clerks.
Especial washington Lettcr.l

w
Some men are perpetually dissatisfied
with everything and with everybody.
All men are unsatisfed, and therefore
continually seeking the bettcrment of
their condition. In the latter category,
the unsatisfied and therefore ambitious,
the candidate for the spcallership must
be set down. The pending contest is
che most peculiar one witnessed in
generation.
There are three men in the lead, and
SO far in advance of their competitors,
that they have become conspicuous tar
gets for the shafts of the enemy. There
fore, the other candidates and their
friends are picking Messrs. Springer,
Crisp and Mills to pieces, and narrating
the alleged weaknesses of those strong
men TO the new members who have not
pledged their votes. 1t is but 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 nerv-
Gus and irascible;" that Crisp is not
partisan enough;" and that springer
is oyerrated."
presidency of n college debating society
or the secretaryship of IL village Dorcas
sewing circle. The three hundred and
thirty-thrcc statesmen conduct them
selves very much as three hundred and
thirty-three men in circumscribcd vii
lage would do. There are leaders, sub
leaders, bosses and bossed, gossipcrs
and tattlers galore. Everything that is
said at 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-bcarers is loosely called
the Nightly News" and takes the So
briquet as n compliment.
One thing is particularly noticeable
to an on-loolScr III is the temperance as
poets temperate condition of the cam
paign. There was time easily within
my memory when gallon after gallon of
whisky was nightly dispensed by the
while many n pint or half-pint flask
was given away when good-nights were
said. just about daybreak 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 few days ago ut one
of the headquarters. but it was soon
stopped by the advice of intimate
friends The time has gone by when
success can be sucked from bottle of
liquor; or when statesmen can float
into favor upon the flavor of clouds of
tobacco smoke. 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
colonies, judges, majors and other pro-
fessional dcadbcats, whom, like the
honest poor, we have with us always,
except for the fact that the iniquity yet
exists at the headquarters of the candi-
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 headuuar-
ters of these people are more quiet,
decorous and dignifed than in former
years. SO that can sec with great
pleasure the gradual Improvement
which is permeatipg the body polite
throughout the length and breadth of
this republic.
y 1t is not to be wondered ut that new
members of the house sometimes suffer
from excessive self-consciousnes Never
before in all their lives have they been SO
popular, so courted ana so sought after,
especially by gentlemen with national
regulations. IT has a tendency to ex-
pand the sensorium to an undue degree,
to have such unusual and persistent at