The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-02-11
DOWNFALL OF CoNGREssMEN.
Washington a Bad Place for Weak Wen.

1
The question is often asked. What shall be
done with our ex-Presidcuts? but it has never
| been answered in a rational way Those who
have held that exalted Office have been allowed
/ TO select their own course Of life after their
| term Of service was over, and none Of them
/ have ever brought reproach upon the high pO-
si5iOn that they have filed or caused the people
/ to regret that they had once been selected as
/ the Nations Chief Magistrate.
/ Those who have held Cabinet positions have
also generally so carried themselves after they
retired to private life as to maintain the re-
spect Of their party and their fellow citizens.
/ The men selected az the advisers of a President
/ have been Of the highest personal character, Of
| distinguished ability, and who have rendered
| valuable service 10 their party. Some have
! gone from a Secretaryship TO one or the other
/ branch Of Congress. and the country has still
/ had the advantage Of their experience in public
/ affairs while others have become private citi-
| zens resuming whatever profession or business
\ they had been engaged in before they were
\ called as members Of the Executive household.
/ The ex-senator or Member is not always so
| fortunate as to preserve an Gnsullied reputation
after the expiration Of his Congressional service.
/ Men sometimes find their way into the Senate
/ or House who are untitled either by natural
| ability or previous experience for the duties Of
legislator Fortunately eases Of this kind
are not frequent, but they have occurred, and
honorable career has proved to be the COM
mencement Of political and personal decay.
i If q Senator or Member Of Congress has any
/ weak spot it will develop in Washington very
quickly. Not that this city is any worse or so
bad as many other cities, but at the capital Of
any country there are always those who are
| looking for weak legislators in order to work
their own personal schemes. When such per-
sons find law maker whose principles are
flexible, they cater to his worst qualities and
the Scion soon finds himself entangled in a net
work Of circumstances that prevents him from
afterward becoming free agent. His down
fall has commenced, and the descent subse-
quently is a very easy matter. His cOn5titu-
ents s0oa discover that he is not looking after
their interests, and when the time comes for
his reelection he finds that someone else has
been chosen 10 I'll his place. He feels sur
prised and chagrined, for he imagined that he
was keeping his actions concealed from those
at his home, but the Member Of Congress who
lays the aattering JUNCTION TO his soul that
his constituents are not close by watching his
every action while be is here in Washington
transacting public business, is greatly mis-
taken.
The weak or corrupt Congressman who has
been turned down by his constituents, after
his first surprise and anger concludes that,
as his term is soon to close, he had better make
the most Of the time that is left. and he gets
deeper and deeper into the clutches Of the de-
signing men outside, hoping that when he IS
on the outside himself they will still stand By
him and aid him in obtaining livelihood.
But here he is again deceived. When he Is
once out of Congress he is Of no further value TO
the men who have been using him, and he finds
himself bankrupt in reputation both moral
and political. He cannot 90 back TO his former
home for he knows that he has outraged the
people who trusted him and who started him
on the road % fame. He would have to meet
those TO whom he had made promises that he had
never fulfilled. If his party remains IN power
he seeks an appointment under the gift of the
Executive either at home or abroad. III his
record is not too bad he may obtain this, and
his new position will keep him sh0at until
there is q change Of administration; but II no
fails 10 secure an appointive Office he settles
| down here in Washington to practice before the
, Departments and before Congress.
The ex-AIember is supposed to be experienced
in the ways of legislation and also 20 have q
knowledge Of the working Of the Departments,
so be becomes valuable TO those who desire
special legislation or who have claims before
the Departments. But If he has been crooked
as legislator he will not be true 10 his clients,
and, besides those who were his associates in
Congress, and who have retained their seats,
/ know him too we'll to be influenced by any rep
/ reservations that he may make. His clients
when they find that he can accomplish nothing
| BEGIN TO dstrust his influence and seek the as
! sistInce Of other attorneys, and he soon hnds
I that times are becoming rather hard with him.
Then be begins to indulge in decidedly ques-
tionable practices and finally he becomes a
member Of the corps of Judges and Maiahs whose
chief occupation is to look out for a drink.
The ex Members usually remain in Wash
| ingtOn. / mean those who are Of the weak or
| corrupt class First because they hope to make
their former experience and their title as ex-
Member a source of profit TO them, and then
they still stay here because they are unable to
get away.
Fortunately the class that have described
is not large but one who has lived here for q
{ quarter of a century has seen a sufficient num-
Der to cause sincere regret that men OF weak
moral principle ever find their way into Con-
gress.
Some years ago there was a Member from a
/ Border State who came here with high repu-
tatiOn az q speaker, as a lawyer and as an IN
dustriOus and effective political worker. he
was a man of good presence, attractive IN man
ner and an easy and graceful talker, and he
soon became quite popular, not only with his
associates in the House, but with those whom
/ he met In social life. lie was given place on
an important committee and he commenced his
work earnestly and intelhgently. The com
mittee Of which he was member was beses by
a cOterie OF men who wanted large appr0pTla-
, tions and who were willing to spend money
literally in order to accomplish their object.
, They found that this Member was the chair
man of the subcommittee to which their bills
would be referred, and they set to 4Qfk delib-
erately to mold him to their wishes and TO en-
trap him into their power.
They found he was fond of good wine and
good living and night after night he would
= be invited to quiet little suppers, at which the
menu would be carefully selected and tho
. wines OF the choicest brands. The members
? Of the party who desired to use this legislator
went about corrupting him in the most sys-
! tenatic manner. One or two of them would
{ be present at these nightly suppers, and they
: would have q few good fellows who could tell
a good story and keep their end up both in
: eating and drinking. Sometimes not q word
o i'm regard to the project IN which they were
interested would be spoken during the entire
: evening; sometimes Just single point would
. DO explained and the value of the enterprise
o referred to.
v The Congressman became deeply attached to
| some of his entertainers. He found them gen.
| tlemen of culture. moving in the best society,
| apparently upon intimate terms with the high
n est officials aud ne became proud OF their
4 / acquaintance. Most of them belonged to the
I dominant party, while be was of the OppOsi-
. ton, and his intimacy with thcm appeared to
give him a stlnding with officials that he
I would not otherwise have enjoyed. lt was
a before the days of the civil service law, and
/ he was enabled TO secure many positions Tor