The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1900-06-08
BOW Low TO CONGRESSMAN.
The Painful Respect With Which ''Thes,
Divine Beings" Are
Treated.
TChicagO Journal


Westinghouse is strange, but it is
true, that there is no place in the cOun-
try where the traditional principles of
personal equality are more fagrantly
violated than under the dome Of the
national capitol While senators and
congressman are uttering noble words
about the absence Of class distinctions,
and the glory Of a country where all
men are born free and equal, their con
sgituents will be furnished with ocular
demonstrations to the contrary. Let
one get into one Of the public elevators
which is going up or down, and let a
senator enter with a desire to 60 in the
opposite directiOn-the elevator takes
its direction from the desire Of the
senator. There may be ten people in
the cage who have waited for the ele-
vatOr, and who are exceedingly anxious
to 60 in the opposite direction, and the
senator may be simply going to the
endorsement where in one of the pri-
vate committee rooms some Of the
members keep whisky and other liquid
refreshment; the majority rule does
not prevail over the thirst Of one lone
senator.
If the constituent. sees a man Ioafng
about the corridors or in the rOtunda
splitting tobacco juice on the tagging
and putting long black cigar, he need
not infer that smoking is permitted or
that the rule as to expectoration is
dead letter. 1t is a congressman or
senator whom he has seen, and If he
tries to do the same he will get into
trouble promptly. The lawmaker is a
class by himself, superior to all rules
and regulations.
Then there is a certain respect due
to the superior beings who can spit
and smoke and govern the directions
of elevators. a senator in and about
the senate is a mighty parsonage and
must be approached with hat in hand.
At home he may be Bill or Tom, but
under the dome and with the capitol
hunkies around him he is at" with
the large letters. Forget to take of
your hat n the ante-rOOm where the
public is sifted by dOorkeepers and an
attendant viii remind you that your
hat has not been removed. Go to the
restaurant in the basement where
these divine beings consume divine pie
and coffee and try to sit down at one
of their divine tables, and you viii be
reminded that the public is not per-
mitted to eat in the same room with
United States senators. The laws Of
public eating houses are suspended in
favor Of this separate class Of beings
and the public is again reminded that
all men are not equal.
By reason Of the fact that it is one
Of the most diSorderly and unidentified
bodies in the world the senate is com
PEELED to resort to a lot Of "stage
business" TO maintain its dignity. The
tradition that there shall be no ap-
plause in the galleries is one Of these
rules hOnOred more often in the breach
than the observance. Everyone knows
the fool rules which attend the So
called executive sessions when mys-
teriOus dead lines are cast about the
chamber, and stairWsys which are rods
away are blocked By special police. I
Each member IS supposed to be under /
solemn pledge never 60 diTuIge what is I
said behind the closed doors, and the /
Is thst each member con- 1
petes with his colleague in giving to /
the correspondents the most complete I
and accurate account Of What took 4
place. But the executive sessions serve /
as q safety valve 70 blow Of the pres
sure OF dignity which aceumulstes dur
ing the open sessions, for behind the
closed doors the members smoke and /
put their feet up on the desks. They
also swear occasionally and call one
another names which would not look
Fel IN the record Likewise they talk
patronage and shaEEle Tor their share
u tns public pie.