The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-14
Washington. D. e. Jan. 5.

My Dear Wife: find my faith in human nature oozing from mo like ref- spirat,on from e fat man at mids summer night dance.
 You will remember that tefd yst In one of my notes about a box et American Beatty rose6 e6Haing fa ths House lobby addressed te me and that eouid not Femsmbep ever having heard of the people whose Haraes were on tine card attached, l did iot or wondering eyer the thing,
 Well. just aftep dinner at my beard insheuse the other night was infeFm- cd that some gentleman wanted te see me in the parieE. I found tbFes men, weii-greomsd fellows, apparently past middle age, wine greeted rae effusivety and began making anxious inquiries about affairs in the cid Tenth district, They told me tlew delighted they were 10 find the district was te be represent ed by a man of my standing, and pre- dictssd that I would seen occupy po- s;tien of commanding influence in the affairs of my party hAd the nation. was very much puzzled, naturally, as could not at the moment remember having ever seen or heard of any of them.
 It finally developed that they are all employed in the departments here. ap- pointed from the old Tenth. They have been wretchedly treated. too. 1t ap. pears. having been kept at $1,400 jobs. while less worthy men have been promoted over their heads. Tn the long run, they made it clear that they expected me to Ego to the front" for to better positions. I could do no less. they made plain, in view of their loyal work for me and for the party.
 My Dutch and my curiosity both got to working by that time, and put the question bluntiy as to when any of them had been in the Tenth district last, and I learned that one of them had gone back to vote in the second Cleveland campaign, but that none of the others had been there since he had been appointed, about twenty years ago. Their names will not interest you. as you have never heard Of any or them; nor had I until saw their names oil the card attached to that floral tribute.
 Part of the System.
 I was mighty sore over the matter for day or so, but, after talking with some of my colleagues, I ind that my experience is but repetition of that of every new member, although one or the old members assured me that the longer I remained here the more of such opportunities I would have. It Is just a part of the Washington "sys- tenn"
 The man who comes to Congress from a country town has to revise his whole mode of living, reform his tastes and habits: in fact, be made over be- fore he fits into the scheme of things. I always have looked, for instance, upon the morning as the time for viz orous, effective work, but it does not go here. I was up at daylight for few days and found myself guyed by my friends for being a "Rube." and was informed with a wink, that I would soon get over all that. No one begins to get around before 9 or 10 o'clock, and even the Congress is used as lever to pry the stranger into the reg ulation groove. The House and Senate meet at noon, just at the hour when I have been accustomed to sit down to a bfs dinner, with the bulk of my days work done. They have little dinlSy luncheon at noon and the dinner at night. Of course, I knew that this was the plan among real fashionable folks, but did not suppose they fol- lowed It in boarding houses until I had 1t brought to my attention with humiliating emphasis.
 The duchess in distress who runs the place where board is something of a stickler for form. The first meal I ate there was at 6:30 o'clock in the evening, and I was prepared for the usual supper. The table was entirely bare, saving a little silver ware, and a very fine oyster soup was served. I was hungry enough, and disposed of my plate in short or der and asked for more. didn't see anything else in sight, and acquired notion that was being bilked again. So. while the rest of the boarders, with an extra guest, sat and waited for me I had my third plate of soup and folded my napkin. Then, Mary, they brought one as fine a dinner as you ever saw, served on the install ment plan, and I sat there like a fool, full of soup and unable to eat a bite.