The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-07-06
ALL IN BLUE AND BRASS.
Washington Thronged With Wearers of
Uniforms.

Uniforms.

ton is fairly alive with men in full
uniform. Every man with the slight
est excuse for wearing a uniform is
arrayed- in one. Gray-headed and
bald-headed men with shoulder-straps
and gilt buttons decorate the hotel
corridors and street corners, and
young bloods with bicycle faces and
Adam apples as large as wishbones
strut along the pavements, sporting
braided collars and sleeves. Some
wear medley Of meaningless medals,
and others content themselves with
Grand Army buttons, insignia of the
Loya! Legion, or the modest bow-knot
Of the medal Of honor, the only official
Government decoration. But all are
in uniform. The war, State and navy
building is flooded with uniforms. By
official orders all officers of the army
who are on duty in Washington are
required to appear in full uniform.
The letters gu. S. n" gu. S. A..
and gu. S. "" are seen everywhere
-on the horse cars, at the theatres,
in the restaurants, and occasionally at
the churches.
The private, with his blue shirt,
slouch hat and brown leggins, is in
evidence at every turn. His favorite
resorts seem to be the rotunda Of the
Capitol, the Congressional Library,
the White House and the National
Museum. He comes from the farm
and the machine shop in States far
away, and is imbued with the true
spirit of patriotism. In groups he,
wanders over the city, quietly con-
templating the Capital Of his country
and silently measuring the legislative
engineers who keep its machinery in
motion. he is different from the
man Hho toys with the swQgd-knot,
There is no self-cohsciousness about
him. he is absorbing information
that may be slowed away for future
use and comment His gravity as he
wanders through the halls and corri-
doris Of the public buildings stands in
strong contrast with the sauntering
levity Of the commissioned officer, who
is usually accompanied by the Con-
gressman or Senator representing his
district or State.
Meantime the rush for commissions
and scholarship continues. The Pres
ident is literally besieged every morn
ing by applicants, and the war and
navy officers are overrun with ardent
patriots seeking uniforms. Tom, Dick
and Harry have the military fever,
and every known and unknown avenue
to influence is crowded. Senators
enter the Capitol surrounded by these
political mosquitoes, and no penny
royal strong enough to stand them off
has yet been discovered. They come
in swarms from every State and Terri
tory, and tacle anything in the way Of
Congressional influence, regardless
of personal claims or political con-
siderations. Nothing daunts them in
their opportunities. They invade
restaurants, break into private CONVEX
sations, and disregard all the little
amenities of life in their efforts to
saw men of supposed influence. They
entirely overlook the fact that Repre-
sentatives are elected TO represent the
interests of the districts from which
they are accredited, and that each
applicant should confine his importu-
mites to the man who represents the
district in which he resides. They
proceed altogether on the assumption
that Congressman is the "servant OF
the people" and that the word people
includes nos only the Union, but
Canada and Patagonia.
In other words, Congressman is a
public -grindstone, to which everybody
has a right to apply his axe. The
steady dropping of water will wear
away stone, and this applies to Con-
gressional influence. The man who is
a universal servant Of the people will
frd himself in sore straits, indeed,
when his influence is required to ad-
vance the interests of even a well
known constituent.
One day in the experience of a fair
ly prominent Representative will
serve as an illustration OF the
daily pressure. His mail was thrown
upon his bed before he arose. He
opened the first letter. 1t was datee
from town three hundred miles from
the border of his district 1t read az
follows:
s'My Dear l have an intimate
f.;or1 ubo hoo n friend who has a son