Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-25
Speech No. s and getting ready to spring
the Oldest Living Graduate.

alive in the national House.
ne served twenty years in the House
before he lost his seat. Twenty years is
a long time to be glued to job. Par
ticularly for an elderly man Of settled
habits and methodical instincts. He be-
came grooved. He liked his seat, the
work Of it, the excitement and furry of
it. the power of it-for. despite the tend
the power of the representative in Con-
gresS, the representative has power. He
is a power to his people-indeed, figure
OF awe to very many Of them. He may
not loom very monolithically in Wash
ington, but when he steps of the train
back home he can put on the Jovian air
without being in the least danger of
ridicule.
1t is a pleasant thing to go up to the
beautiful Capitol every day, to lounge
leisurely through the corridors, to know
while so lounging that you belong there,
that a whole lot of folks have combined
to see to it that you belong there; to be
buttonholed as you stroll along by this
man and that, deferred to; to be behind
the scenes in matters as to which the
general public is given only a bare out
line, II let in on the matter at all; to be
received cordially by members of the
cabinet. If not. indeed, the chief magis-
trate; to weave through the various de-
partments with the feeling that the Of
ficials under the rank Of cabinet men,
Der are going to give a mighty willing
ear to requests in connection with the
affairs of constituents.
1t does hot require many terms for
Washington. the Capitol, and all that
goes with Washington and the Capitol, to
become fixed habit with such repre-
sentative He Is glad that his seat Is
secure. His folks will always send him
back, he feels sure. Aren't they just as
cordial as ever to him. II not more so.
when he goes back home at the end Of
the sessions? Doesn't his daily mail
bulge with letters Of commentator?
Oh, they'll send him back. He likes the
place where he lives in Washington dur
ing the sessions He enjoys the intellec-
tual atmosphere Of Washington, the
clashes Of wit Home? Oh, yes. He
doesn't mind going homo between ses-
sions.
But he has sort of grown away from
very dull at home. Moreover, he has to
do q good deal Of attitudinizing at home
that he doesn't have to do In Washing
ton; that. in fact, he would be ridiculed
ish enough to attempt 1t. And so he Is
always glad-excessively glad-when the
time comes for him to pack his bag and
take the train for Washington at the be-
ginning Of sessions to meet up with the
CHEEKY old crowd Of fellow-representatives
in the hotel corridors. and all that sort
Of agreeable thing.
II X
Comes the day when he begins to worry
about his seat Disturbing letters reach
fdm. Change is in the air In his district.
1t astonishes him. 1t disQuiets him. At
first he Is not greatly alarmed. But the
letters from his intimates back home con-
tinue to come They are far from encour-
aging. They suggest that he'd better
come back home and look things over
He packs up and does SO. Things look all
right to hum when ne gets home. The
yore Everywhere the hand Of welcome
Is held out to him.
The older men, particularly. the men he
grew up with from boyhoOd or young
him. They pat him on the back and tell
him that, no matter what new-fangled
bottoms these youngsters may be press
ng to their bosoms. they will stick. The
Did fellows. talking conf1dentially with
he representative making the hurried trip
home to fix up his fences. speak deris-
vely Of the younger element of the party.
he new organizations within the party
made up OF the kids" They brush
lside, as unworthy of consideration. the
hap who is aspiring to the seat They
ook upon that young man as mere
.hild.
He is forty, but how can they look upon
lim as a grown-up man when they've
Known him since he trotted around with
lis schoolbooks under his arm and a
,assel OF 'swimmtn' freckles" on his
lose? And so the fears Of the representa-
i've are ailayed. He feels that the
olks simply won't go back on him That
would be monstrous. Itswould be I'M
leard Of They couldn't DO such thing.
There are moments wteir he has a bit
II chill when. depressed. he reflects