New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-20

1.rAG\ AND HOW HE BENEFITS
BY HIS LESSONS
sedative for political self-esteem first
IN Congress probably eXccls all other re
',..s The novice in National politics who goes
VI washington to take his seat in one branch of
7" 80 or The other sees ahead Of him usually
'S.ha immediate and unhampered enjoyment
'. ro,i,cal power and distinction He never
-.snacts or anticipates the wholesome lessons OF
,,.o,,ine and self-supprcssion which he is likely
:. learn IN the hard school OF early Congress
.,,rsl experience. The average Congressman
.,o,t &c undoubtedly entitled 10 his illusions.
,,.rrever low the standards of personal merit
- character have fallen in present-day politics
.,a the sinking Of the old level has been made
- rainfully apparent at Washington in the
-. decado-no man can. nevertheless. gain an
.,o,,,on 10 the National Legislature without rep
..or,,,e some genuine force-political. per
81 ~ sociql-in the constituency by which he
Is chosen
washer he has in him the capacity for real
-.,.,cal leadership or is simply accepted as an
.ronsbe party fgurehead; whether he reflects
t., ,doas and character the conservative bust
.ass sense # a community or exploits in his
.hsan and fiery demagogisrn its unsettled and
revolutionary sentiment; whether he comes 10
congress a shifty country lawyer local capt.
.ous, or banker. Boy Wonder in oratory.
rrofsssional agitaror a plain and unassuminS
t.rrner. or the hack politician OF metropolitan
hon-bis representative quality Is beyond ques-
zion and his appreciation If the power and re-
srons,hTty which this quality entails Is as true
os II is pardonable. To voice the opinions and
carrv out the will of his 100000 constituents
seerns naturally 10 the novice in National poll
,ics task Of absorbing interes. and stupendous
nropo-tions: and unless his bump Of caution and
nodes,y is a well-developed one. he arrives in
washington almost pathetically convinced OF his
own political Importance and harboring the
most fantastic Illusions as 10 the part he is TO
play on the National political stage
A BEGINNER's LESSON IN MODEsTY.
The frs, three months of beginners expert
ence in Congress are apt to leave him decided
" crestfallen and saner public man. When on
the first day Of the long session he is called upon
10 vote FOR Speaker. to take his oath OF office
and TO draw FOR a seat-if he he member OF the
House Of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of his illu-
sory sense Of individual importance and authori-
" persists in asserting itself. But after the eX-
element Of the first week or two Of legislative
organization and preparation. when he nnds NM
self reduced more and more to the status OF
mere private in disciplined political army. his
dreams of personal influence and distinction
quickly fade away. Assigned 10 service on
committee which meets but once a year the
proprietary key 10 whose snug committee-room
in the Capitol basement or terrace IL carried III
the pocket Of its favored chairman; entangled
helplessly In the mesh Of parliamentary practice
unable to forward his own legislative measures
or 10 retard defeat those of his rivals forced
10 endure dreary routine Of rOllcalls and Com
niitee Of the Whole debates on legislation In
which he has had no hand. blindly supporting
the measures and policy of the hah-dozen parry
who control the machinery or leSlSla-
ton sacrificing personal convenience 10 stano
guard against the hlibusters in the opposition
and fill out the needed quorum: rarely II ever.
q bic to catch the Speakers eye TO call up niliS
Of local interest-the average new member soon
discovers that he is but an inert and powerless
unit in a body supposedly Of legislative equals.
but in reality governed by the most rigid system
Of seniority and unequal privileges. IT, indeed, at
the end Of his first session the average novice IN
notifies can point TO single chance to take part
in an important debate 10 a single noteworthy
triumph before a committee. To a single local
BIZ passed or a single local appropriation Sc
cured he will count himself well repaid for the
obscurity and sef-effacement which have been
his lot in the curously complicated drama OF
Con gressional legislation
ADVANTAGES OF a sENAToRsHIP.
The new member Of Congress. If n is Sena-
TOR will fare much more agreeably than his COLI
league in the House Of Representatives. He will
PROMPTLY receive a committee craftsmanship.
with the exclusive use Of a committeeman and
the gratuitous services OF a clerk and messen-
ger: and in body Of only ninety members tha'
severity Of party discipline and Rightly OF PRIV
lege cannot be maintained which necessarily
urevau in q more turbulent and unmanageabe
BODY % 351 Until five years ago, however IRA
dition ana etiquette FORBADE new senator
making a speech on any topic until ne mao
served an apprenticeship or one or TWO SeSSiohS
And though in recent Congresses the younger
Senator's have wholly ignored this prohihitlon
and taken an active part in debates from thell
very entrance into "the deiDeratlVe prahc"'
the rule Of seniority has nevertheless cohlihe"
their IN fuence in the committees ana on ieSisld-
ton generally 10 rather restricted iiiil'S' ~.
abandonment OF the tradition OF seH-iesudlH
and becoming silence for the nrst year VI w"
Senator's term is To be justly deplored' Tor the
noisy vulgarity and nsuferable tedium oi hos'
Of The recent vioators of the ancient Cus soi ~
make one regret that il should now DE- Ndlu0u J"
the breach. rather than the Observance
TYPES OF CONGREssMEN AND HOW THEY
LIVE
The nov Congressman. If lie comes to Wash
ngton from the South is more than likely 10 De
LAWYER. for the old affinity between law and poll
tics Is not vet entirely broken south OF the fo'o-
mac and the Ohio. If he comes from the West NJ
is likely 70 be a lawyer. banker MANUFACTURER VI
farmer or. from the trans Mississippi secuoh' d
Professional agitator free-siver orator or general
prophet OF calamity The Middle ana Eastern
States send 10 Washington PROBABLY larger
number Of men of independent wealth ana pro-
fessonal politicians than the other sections. bu'
much the same type obtains every Where throusH-
out the country. and, 10 the National cIeult, -
may be added that the level Of character anu an
Ny. though perhaps below tha' OF w. am nat
construcrion times is fully as high as INA,
reached in almost any other period Of our pohtica
history. r.
When he gets TO tho National capltai 1he Ooi,
rressio,al no,ice arst looks about him for a
temporary home. II he is a Southerner OF 9ou,h-
wegtcrner he Will be likely 70 choose downtown
hotel Ike the Metropolitan, WITHIN easy uls'dii
Of the CAPITOL building where corn dodgers anu
fried chicken grace the breakfast table ana ira
grant mint heads decorate and perfume the Old
tash1n.a -. IIoro In the lnunglng and sInDklnE