The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-02-24
SOCIAL SENATOR'S.
Art of Being Entertaining as Prac-
ticed by Statesmen of influence.

Washington Special to Philadelphia Tele-
graph.
A man is seldom successful in Congress
VINO is not popular socially. Things go
very largely by favor in Congress. There
is always some man or some small set of
men to whom others entitled to an equal
voice in Congress must go for the favor of
being permitted to call up a bill, to offer
an amendment to pending bill or to make
a motion of whatever sort
Besides this, so much has to be done by
unanimous consent that any one member
may cut any other member off from per-
haps the only chance he has of securing
action on a measure. Under such condi-
tons personal popularity counts for much.
To be always entertaining is to be popu-
lar in Congress. The, man VINO is not so
has to fight his way or fail.
One reason that Hill, of New York, in
spite of frequent demonstrations of ability
is not stronger in the Senate is that ne
does not know how to be sociable in the
way that his associates understand it. He
never talks anything but shop. Shop with
him is politics. He can talk entertainingly
and instructively on that topic, but that is
not being sociable. In the great senatorial
club he is not a "clubable" man. AS he
appears on the floor of the Senate so he
is in the cloak room, at table, in the street
cars. in the hotel lobby or in his private
apartments. He has small talk, no
stories. He does not know how to daily
with trifies. Therefore he has no boon COM
panions, is never the center of a sociable
group in the cloak room. He is a free.
frank and fluent talker, but his conversa-
ton is cunning and shrewd rather than
a mr. xxyif Mo- maj n
to talk with him, and his colleagues often
consult him about political matters. but in
neither case is it social attraction.
Moragn, of Alabama, is neither a cloak
room wit nor a story teller, but he Is gift
ed tiona.ist. His reading has been
voluminous and over wide range of sub
jects He has great imagination, a taste
for the poetic and fanciful. tendency to be
philosophical, and is interested in small
things as well as in large. Most any SUBJ
ject that is suggested may lead him into an
Interesting converse ton. He is entertaining
without being sprightly or in any way live
Y. commonly grave, but often fanciful.
Whatever the subject he treats it from his
own particular standpoint and takes ii out
of the realm Of the commonplace.
Mills. Of Texas, is somewhat like Hill in
his inability to get down to gossip, story
poIitics in the Way Hill does. but is inter-
ested in the theories and principles of gov
eminent. 1t Is only on an occasion that this
sort OF talk is of interest in the cloak
room or lobby. n
1t is not always the sparkling wit. the
boisterous, jolly fellow. who draws most of
his colleagues around him by his converse
ton. Two OF the most deliberate, slow
moving and slow-speaking men in Congress
are seldom without company, whether on
the floor, in the cloak room or in the hotel
House. Culberson, of Texas. The other is
Senator Pugh, Of Alabama. Nobody thinks
of their having a reputation as conversa-
tionalists. The first suggestion of such a
would
its being thought of at all. little circle
gathers around them wherever they happen
to be.
Pugh is a plain, rugged old man. who let's
his words out one at a time, almost re.uct-
antly, in heavy, drawing voice. The
thought or being either entertaining or
impressive seems remote for his mind. His
manner Is like that of an old countryman
who sits on the handle of his plow and
talks about the crops, while his horses
stretch their necks to reach the overhang
ing bough at the fence corner. Originality
OF thought, hrmness of conviction and
quaint. rugged sort Of philosophy are the
chief characteristics of his conversation.
His wit or reDartee is slow of utterance.
like that by suffering man, and he makes
no point of it. His stories and descriptions
of persons are often peculiarly painted but
it is doubtful il a man on earth suspects
him of intending to De numerous. Variety
OF any sort seems utterly foreign to his
nature. His speech, like his dress, is plain.
Culberson is one OF these men who seem
not to talk at all. but yet are enter
tanning enough to be the central figure of
a group. III he simply thinks and chuckles
safely TO himself the group is intensely in
teresting and entertaining. III he does not
speak more than once in five minutes, they
gather around ..,. He makes no preten-
sions 10 wit. There seems to be some in
tellectual delight I'm watching him think
and seeing his eyes twinkle. For many
years he has been the fountain OF wisdom
for a very large circle Of men in both par
ties who have enjoyed prominence. yet he
never has tried TO impress himself upon
the House. He Is the constructor OF most
of the effective political traps that have
been set by his party in the House during