The record-union., 1896-06-24
WELCOMED By HIS TOVNSPEOPLE.

lie OlueI WdS lndC Oiu pHOllSeI SlllACA
that we all love and respected, as al
most a father to us all, t. M. Lindley.
1t was my pride and my pleasure to call
them both my friends and to know that
they were my friends, and l miss their
faces tonight as you miss them and
miss their presence.
l have been absent from Sacramento
City for nearly eight months. During
that time many changes have been
wrought in Sacramento. AS l looked
around the city this afternoon, having
but a few moments stay, noticed that
new business houses had been
erected, L noticed that many
handsome homes had been added
TO Sacramento, and l realized that Sac
ramento was marching onward and up
ward; that the spirit of enterprise was
abroad in this city, and that permanent
improvements of many kinds had taken
place in the city. | was proud OF it and
proud of my city.
I have been proud OF it while l have
been absent from Sacramento; proud
to be able to say, as l did last winter
when we were discussing the wonders
Of electricity in the halls of Congress,
N a committee having charge of mat
ters connected with the Improvement
of various works, and when the ques-
ton was discussed as to what could
be done-it was pride and pleasure to
me to say that Sacramento capitalists
and Sacramento citizens and Sacra-
mento enterprise had harnessed cleo
tricity at Folsom, twenty-five miles
from the city of Sacramento, and had
brought it into the city of Sacramento
to run its street cars and to furnish
power for the workshops in the city, and
L was proud of Sacramento and proud
of its people
I recognize that this is not a political
gathering. I do not propose to say
anything about politics, although
frankly say to you that | ann full OF
politics. L am just running over; L am
boiling over. I have got oceans of poll
ties in me, and propose, if l am permit
ted during the campaign, to offer, in
the language of our late friend Marshall
Turkey "a few feeble remarks upon po
litical, and some perhaps upon per-
sonal matters" But now / am speaking
as one friend to another, and I will not
detain you long, because the heat is op-
preSSive to all.
l come here as a servant Of the peo
pie, servant of the Democrats, of the
Populists, of the Republicans, of those
that have no politics, of this city and of
this district, and I am here to report, as
ii were, the doings in Washington since
L have been your public servant. While
there L have tried to do my duty. /
feel that | have performed my duty l
feel that | have done good work for this
city, this county, this district and this
State. L have not done all that l wished
L could do, but / have done all that it
was possible, [ believe, for any man to
accomplish
In the language of the song, which
reads, that a policeman's lot is not a
happy one,' it may be said that, taking
one consideration with another, Con-
gressman's life is not a happy one.
There is lots Of hard work in being a
Congressman. L will admit there is
some pleasure. I admit that there is a
great deal Of honor, and 1 will admit
that we are all anxious to go there: but
there is a great deal of hard work.
Let me tell you some of the work that
has been performed by your Represen-
tative, in order that you may under
stand what has been done, in order that
you may better understand what has
got to be done in the future. in order
that you may see what work a Repre-
sentative has to do, and in order that
you may be able to decide whether If is
better to keep a Representative i'm power
ana IN position who has done his duty.
or to seek new man to take up the
work where he has left off.
1t may seem strange to Won apd =
acs y
seratlon, but my clerk and myself have
counted over the number, and during
the seven months that was in Wash
lngton, acting as your Congressman
answered lover $500 letters from va1i
Gus portions Of my district and T am
happy to be able to say that no man ar
woman or child, no matter where they
were, within the limits of the Second
congressional District, wrote a letter ~
me that did not receive a prornpt and
immediate and full reply. And that of
llSeH is no idle task. Over 300 lettare
/ am not speaking of my personal
mail, but of letters appertaininp- tn +bo
business OF being a COngressman-an
1 answered every letter and kent NV
se1 IN touch with the people who had
corresponded with NE.
In addition to that the necessar,y ,,-o,,,-
OF attempting to do the duties of a Cor
gfesSnian imposes upon a Conoracg
man Vexation and annoyance. You do
not understand, neither did TT win
CONFESS that / went 10 Congress with tba
loea that a Congressman could get I'M
tllere whenever he wanted to. and that
ali IL needed was for him to arise in hie
place ana step forward and saw: sAfr
speaker and he would be recoonjzea
ana would present the matter for the
cohsfderat ton of Congress, and he wo,,ld
De heard, and they would act llpon il
You read the proceedings of Cone,,ae-
and you see that Mr.. Smith of s,oh -
place, Mr.. Brown of another. Mr. Tonas
OF another arise and make sneecbo,
and it looks as though it was all aas1
Why, fellow-citizens, all that has 49,,
arranged beforehand. No man can snaal-
iE Congress unless the Speaker ie In
ing he should be heard No man he he
never so great, be ne a representative of
never SO rich, popu.ous and powerfpl .
district can be heard to discuss the
views that he has upon questions. or 10
present the claims of his constituency
unless he receives permission.
one Congressman there, it is said
some years ago, stated at the close If
his term that he had been attentive 70
all the duties, and he had caueb4
everything there was going in Washinq-
ton except the Speakers eye. and he had
been unable to catch that or to be REQ
ognized. So that, whenever a man
thinks that a Congressman only needs
to present the matter that he speaks of.
he must carlaer1alNaI. thai tlo,.a