The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-02-28
Especial Correspondence

S"pieh - Nents Coming Down = Boss
Shephnrds Work.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22.-One of the
beautiful illusions of Washington is to
the effect that everybody is shamefully
oVerworked. 1t is Washington etiquette
10 assume this on all proper occasions as
universally admitted fact and to say
anything to the contrary is decided
faux pas. From president to messenger
boy, 1t is understood that every fellow is
literally killing himself in the service of
the public. L called the other morning
on Senator Voorhees,, and to my request
Tor I'VE minutes time his reply was:
My dear boy, am always glad to
see you, but it is impossible now to give
i've minutes time to anybody 1 am
worked like galley slave" and he went
on to detail his troubles until my SYM
pathies were powerfully excited. Now,
Just at this time the senator and some
others are very hardly worked indeed,
and so l went from him to one of the
newest of the new men from the west.
AS he has no particular specially and is
near the tail end of an unimportant com
mittee, l naturally looked for comfort
able and leisurely chat with him. But
he began almost i'll the Same Words
I'VE are literally worked to death. We
are driven like slaves" etc. But all the
Same he kindly made it convenient to
talk an hour or so.
One Form of Toll
An old friend of mine is chief of o lit
tie corner in one of the departments and
IS popularity held out to be about the
busiest man i'll Washington. With that
In view called simply to pass the COM
pliments Of the day. Now, if 1 could
trust my own eyes, could swear that
found him leaning back in tho easiest of
chairs, with his feet on the fire guard
and deep in the perusal Of his homo pa
per. But of course one ought not to be-
heye his eyes in the face of such state
ment as 81 am really glad to sec you and
want to talk with you some Sunday aft
ernoon, but from early Monday till late
Saturday am driven and hustled like Il
roustabout OH Il steamboat"
This sort of talk has become n Wash
ington fad and runs through all branch
es OF business. If one will only stroll
about and be careful not to hint that he
wants anybody time, he will find groups
OF congressman enjoying themselves in
the cloakroolns or committee rooms be-
fore tho daily session begins, and other
groups having Il really hilarious evening
III the hotel parlors. But the moment
he hints ut business there is n sudden
and really amusing metamorphosis. The
hard, business face is put on mt once and
the stcreotyped sentence comes: well,
IT had time-but really we members of
the house Tor senate, as the case may bc}
haven't minute we can call our own.
and at present we are just driven to
death In fact, I'm up till past midnight
every night answering letters from my
constituents.
1t Is really painful to contemplate
and yet, so far as can see these gentle
men look very healthy; in fact, there is
marked tendency to embonpoint among
them. Their death rate is certainly
small, nor have l noticed any indecent
tendency to resign.
Self Sacrificing Spirits.
Another Washington fad, and n rather
amusing one, is that so many people have
made great sacrifices in taking the posi-
tons they hold. One man tells me that
he had just built upa splendid law prac-
ticc, his fees amounting to two or three
times his salary here, but that his friend.
desired him to accept this post, and in
time by faithful service he expects some.
thing better.
And this sort of thing goes all the way
along down the line till one gets To the
department clerks. They don't assume
that they have made any sacrifice. They
frankly admit, especially the women
that they were delighted to get the place
and should feel very bad indeed to lose
it, and the slightest hint that IL clerk is
in danger sets him (and especially herr to
chasing his member with persstency
that makes that members life Il burden.
And finally, though Washington seems
to me one of the most leisurely of cities,
find this assumption of overworli run
ming through all branches Of business.
If there is any one business fiattcr than
all others just now, it is the line of silks,
laces and fine gloves, and calling this
morning upon friend who is in that
line found all the salesladies enioving
themselves in such a lazy, leisurely way
that | envied them. There wasn't a Gus
toner i'll the store, yet the proprietor
begged me to come and see him after
business hours, when we could retire to
aquiet restaurant, "for really haven't
one minute to spare. am on the dead
jump from in the morning till in the
afternoon"
The Real Estate Market.
Next to the trade III Injuries, should
saw that tlc trade in real estate wac tho
dullest. Nevertheless tho real estate