Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

own preference and seldom living in it.
The new member will not feel so lonely
this session. for there will be such a re-
| markable number of his Sort but they
won't necessarily affiliate. Nothing could
possibly be more different than the suave,
polished. cosmopolitan sort of Unsolicited
representative-who has maybe been d
governor and hopes to be a senator some
day and is almost ashamed of not being
| already in 1.-The upper house"-and the
sturdy purposeful, unpublished man whom
the office has sought, who believes i'm
pllcitly that he has been called" and
trusts and often assist the Speaker on
fine points of law before his term ends.
The former takes his place without
undue noise among the residential elect
and proceeds to live just as ne always
has. whether in New York OF Timbuctoo.
And he departs. if his voters happen to
prove indispensable, still suave, polished
and cosmopolitan. But the more pleoeian
member is sadly often marred in the
making. He and his family acquire a
love for luxury and the society of folk
congressional circles, for which there is
no sustenance when they get back home
to the lesser salary and villagers-that
is, sometimes.
Stories are told of representatives who
black their own boots and save half their
salaries and even of case where the
wife took other members to board and
laid by nice, tidy sum. But the aver
age newcomer to the Capitol does none
of these things. He tries at first to
more than the element which has merely
tried to live we'll.
On the day of the first public reception
at the White House he and his ik are
RI Dv4rf 14rA fr.
honor. But it is doubtful If anybody can
find second-term representative among
this motley array The recently elected
thinks 1t religious duty to come out
a pert-faced page. And maybe grafters
and would-be lobbyists don't know this.
The next Congress, which uproots
traditions and puts in a democratic ma
jority,. is going to bring them f1ocking,
and the new member will see them all
until his head buZzes and his desk looks
like snowstorm with reminders and re-
quests and promises. He can't find time
to do his regular work because of this in
cessant demand on his time. Besides,
there is a certain pride in realizing, that
even men way up in public affairs of his
state have to wait humbly until he elects
to come to them. card in hand.
It is boyish sort of pride and amuses
everybody, but is sneered at by nobody,
for the member is blandly unconscious of
his rawness.
He likes to take friends to dine In the
Senate restaurant and to frank letters
at the post Office, while people look on,
and to be alluded to in tones audible all
over the chamber and galleries as 1.-The
gentleman from So and So.'' He has
maybe had hard fight and he has won
and he is glad. And some of the founda-
tons for the best and wisest measures
emanate from his sort. It is only that
he acts so differently later on.
Take representative to whom >ne win
ter in Washington has become a profess
sional habit. and the only inducement
that would make him try tour on the
ton from home. His wife has learned
to select a day that does not conflict with
the judiciary or the cabinet. and he can
say there's the great What-Do-You-
cal1,Him" without letting a trace Of
passing. the longer the NJ. c.. stays In
Office the farther he lives from the Cap
itol. Without exception the newcomers
who have not been Of the old regime at
home start on Capitol Hill and end at
Chevy Chase. Nor does this apply mere
ly to plebeiAn sons of the soil.
Very many women looked upon as 1t
in their native towns or villages or cities
come to Washington and learn that they
tel carpets until they-the gowns-become
threadbare and not attract any atten-
ton from women who are in the stratum
they were back yonder. All female rela-
tives Of new members love to sit IN the
private galleries and look across at the
goats in the public seats. Not that fem
mines in the households of some of the
old members don't do this also, but the
ones to whom the privilege is new do 1t
oftenest.
Yet Washington offers a very gracious
greeting to them all. A congressional
the stores. Cooks just love to work for
congressman. and while other people have
pitched battles with arrogant janitors in
an effort to overcome the juvenile OBJ
lection, the children of congressman are
always assured of home in Washington
fats.
The man from home who has yet to
make his maiden speech and doesn't
realize how much he can save on Christ
"perquisite" allowance in the stationery
room becomes almost humpbacked during
these early winter days from RESPONSE
bility. He wants to get the name of sew
division of the Department of Agriculture
before others gobble up the free supply
He has to send back pamphlets on every
conceivable subject and write that he
has met the President. So much for the
greener man.
Even the seasoned politician who has
swayed secret sessions of his legislature
and knows politics like a game of bridge
feels outre and as conscious as a woman
in hobble skirt the first time he comes
here as full-fedged member. 1t is the
awful darkness of walking miles Of
streets and not seeing familiar face; Of
sitting in the council chamber ignored
and apparently unthought of. But it is
great to have hallboys and elevator men
White House order everybody else to
stand aside for the man whom a neces-
sary number Of voters have decided ''hon-
orable"
And 1t Is also good to most Of them