The record-union., 1896-11-02
JOHNSON IN CONGRESS.
He Proved to be q Leader Among
Leaders.

The following letter, written by gen.
tleman who was in Washington during
the last session Of Congress, will be
read with interest at this time:
Walla Walla, Oct. 29th.
Eds. "Record-Union": When the
:fty-fourth Congress met on the first
Monday of last December it not only
had a vast Republican majority but 1t
contained an unusually large number
of new men. It is a noticeable fact that
when a State keeps men in Congress
term after term they and the State they
represent acquire an amount or power
and influence in legislation which far
eA ceeds that possessed by States which
constantly change their delegation.
New York Is far superior to Maine In
population, commerce and financial I'M
p,rtance; she Is 36 to 6 in national
political convention, but In Congress
sional legislation Maine is almost as
far ahead Of New York as she is behind
the Empire State in voting strength.
The reason Of this extraordinary state
Of affairs Is found in the fact that
Maine keeps men in Congress until they
know every one Of the ins and outs Of
legislation and all the intricate ways Of
the many departments into which the
Government Is divided. Ask the first
voter you meet to name half a dozen
congressman and the chances are a
hundred to one that he names one or
more Maine men and never mentions
a New Yorker.
Among the new members Of the House
were William Z. Barrett, who had been
Speaker of the Massachusetts, Legisla-
ture for several years. and William
Sulzer. who had been Speaker of the
New York Legislature. Both men
| brought great regulations as orators.
parliamentarians and politicians. Both
men tried their powers upon the House
and both. IN the I've language OF
the street. fell dswa' al the first at
| tempt and became numbered among the
| has beens.
Another man entered the House at the
same time. bringing an echo Of a repu-
| tation as an orator and legislator, but
neither he nor his friends boasted OF
what he would do with Congress, as
the friends Of Russell and Sulzer boast
| ed His opportunity came early in the
session and with the opportunity came
eminent success. Not only did the un-
| heralded Gentleman from California, "
| Grove L. Johnson, capture the good
opinion Of the House by his first speech,
| but he added to that opinion every time
| he entered the arena OF debate, so that
at the close of the session he was
| ranked at the head Of the new men in
| Congress and rated well up In the ranks
| Of the old and tried leaders Of the
| House His skill as g. debater, his
| knowledge of parliamentary law, his
capacity for making combinations,
| proved him leader among leaders and
resulted in more good to California than
| vas the outcome of the labors Of all the
other six Congressmen from the Golden
State.
| It seems to me the voters Of the Sec
ond Congressional District can draw a
| lesson from the foregoing true state
| ments. They have a man in Congress
| who has proven capable Of doing great
| good for his district and California, and
they will make most serious mistake
| If they fail to re-elect him.
AS a department rustler," as man
who attended promptly to every request
| of his constituents, Grove l.. Johnson
ranked first among the new men, and
the very success which followed his
! work was unrivalled by the record OF
| any other Congressman, be he an old
or new member. It follows from this,
| and the writer was in Washington dur
ling the entire session and knows
whereof he speaks, that II any man In
the Second District wants anything
done at the National Capital he will
vote to re-elect Grove L. Johnson.
| p. B. ].