The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-01
THE ECONGRESSMEN
 ARE GETTING BLUE ABOUT PROSPECTS
Doubt Whether Hard Work and Loss of AssOcia- ti0n Are Worth
 the Candle

Washington, September s0-(Speeial) Is the game worth the candle? is a ques- ton that many members of the House and several men in the Senate are asking themselves and each other, the game being the glory, glamor, prestige and emoluments of a member of the Con- gress of the United States and the can dle'' being the personal and family dis comforts, inconveniences and expenses to say nothing of business complications, caused by prolonged absence from home. Probably, 90 per cent enlisted for sessions of reasonable length; now, they find them selves cast for a continuous perform ance.
 And that probably 20 per cent of the membership of the House considers the price too high to pay for whatever there may be of glory in being a congressman is shown in general conversation and In the efforts of a number to find other i berths Just looking around at random one sees Representative Coyington Of Maryland moving heaven and earth to | step from the House onto the supreme bench of the District of Columbia, and Covington's district is pocket | borough" Encouraged by Covington's success in this line, Representative Me- | Coy of New Jersey also is seeking ap- | pontment to the same bench, with good prospects of attaining his ambition-and | Mccoy is another man who is as sure of his seat as anything can be sure in politics.
 | Tn Massachusetts, the taste of the statesmen turns toward postoffices. Rep resentative Murray, with a solid district 1 and a brilliant future, soon becomes post | master of Boston. and Representative | Gilmore of the same state takes the same
 office at Brocton. Representative Peters, | one of the leaders of the House, gave
 thanks to high heaven when he resigned
 from Congress to become an assistant
 secretary of the treasury. Represents
 tive Kinkead of New Jersey left the | House to go through a gruelling cam | paign for the democratic nomination as
 sheriff in his district. Indeed, the list l might be continued to great lengths, with | out counting the House members wh- l have given up their seats to run for Uni
 ted States senator or governor in theii respective commonwealths.
 | In times agone, a member of Congress came to Washington for few months each year and found just enough work | to make 1t interesting and not enough to | interfere with social activities at tho capital. Also, and of far more impor- tance, he had ample time at home each year to attend to his law practice or his
 business and to keep in touch with his friends. The present Congress has been in continuous session for IS months, ant the pressure of business of the utmost importance has kept most of the mem
 bers right on the spot, with little oppor'
 tunty to go to their homes for business
 or political purposes.
 Were it not for the personal prid' which a man naturally takes in victory and his natural objection to defeat, i:
 the way Representative Hinebaugh ex
 presses a general sentiment. "I woulc not repine at being kept home at th' | next election. In two years of continuous absence a lawyer loses touch with his former clients, loses the normal increas, of two years in his practice and drops from the intimate memory of his profes s.onal business and social friends. In deed, it will take most lawyers and busi- ness men two years of hard work to get | back to their original standing at th'
 time they came to Congress, without con
 siderng what they actually have lost il
 their two years of absence
 Nor does this take into consideration
 the additional expense incurred by mem
 bers in these continuous sessions, suci
 as a Washington establishment for theii
 families, as well as their residences a
 home and a thousand and one othe items.
 So, after the black and blue bruises tc
 his pride have faded many statesman
 will reioice and be glad if his constituents decide that he is more valuable to tho community at home than he is in the halls of Congress,