Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-01-16

cup. Wines, beer, ale, whisky and
other Intoxicating drinks should not be
sold in those places. Senators and rep
resentatives ought to be able to spend
the four or five hours of their daily ses-
sions without stimulants of that char
acter. Moreover, the pages and other
employees ought not to have open ac-
cess to alcoholic poison while they are
on duty in the capitol building.
There is congressional temperance
society, but it doesn't amount to much.
The congressman who do not indulge
in strong drink are members of this So
cety, but they do no temperance work.
They never talk temperance. They
have an annual meeting in one of our
churches and deliver interesting tenn
perance talks, but they have no intlu-
ence upon their fellow statesmen.
Their lives are beautiful, particularly
by contrast with the men around them,
but they arc purely negative instead OF
positive in temperance work. Their So
ciety ought to be reinforced by tenn
perance workers of other organizations
in order that real reform might ensue.
1t must not be inferred that all of our
congressman are hard drinkers, or that
they are likely to become drunkards.
On the contrary, the drinking habit is
not so bad as it used to be. This is be-
cause Of the growth of sentiment
throughout the land against the bury
ing of talents in this manner.
While there is less open conviviality
however. there is too much secret
drinking, particularly in committee
rooms, and at the hotels during the
early hours of the night. Gambling is
carried on by lotteries, and drinking
| goes with it. There is one hotel here
| where congressman meet in comfort
able room at night. 1t is called the
CLUB ROOM" There is a colored waiter
assigned to that room and he is kept
busy travelling between the club room
and the bar, carrying wine to the states
man players.
During the last session of congress:
there was senator with splendid tai
| ents, whose name is known far beyOnt
the limits of his own state, who was fire
| quently seen in the senate restaurant il
such a maudlin condition that he wa:
guided to a committee room and PLACED
upon a sofa to sleep off the effects o
the alcoholic poison with which he hat
stupeted himself. Often he was carried
to coupe and driven to his rooms, ane
carried to his bed, like dead man. an(
| physicians summoned to care for him
In the CLUB room" referred to there
was nightly seen a comparativel
young man whose talents are far above
the ordinary, who not only became al
inveterate gambler, but who drank Il
excess. lie played cards not merely fol-
pastime, as many do, but for the pur
pose of winning money. And yet hi
people believe him to be model of eN
cellence, and have great hopes for hi
future.
Some of these congressman hay
method in their indulgences. The,
never meet newspaper correspondent
without inviting him to the restauran
to take a drink. In that manner the,
expect to cultivate the good will of til
newspaper writers, and get favorabl
notices of themselves in the papers
One of the veteran correspondent
says: 81 have not taken a drink witt
any congressman for more than tel
years; although I have not become
total abstainer. I used to accept invi
tations of that kind. But found tina
before noon of each day was incapaci
tated for work; and l quit Congress
men can't buy me up that way, nor cal
they wreck me with strong drink"
When the people find that one o
their representatives in whom they re
pose confidence is not attending to hi
business and his correspondence a
formerly, and when they ascertain tina
he is not attending to his public dutie
and making a name for himself the
may accurately reach the conclusion
that he is burying his talents by daily
ing with the demon of the still. Thei
conclusion will be unerringly correc
These brief statements do not te
all of the truth, and yet they constitut
mething of sermon on the parabl
of the talents. The plain people shout
not permit their public servants to bt
lieve that they can live one life in Wasl
ngton and another life at their homes
Their talents should be at the servic
of the people all of the time. uncloude
by the conditions and environments {
the national capital. SMITH D. FRY.