Going To Congress

There ia a certain faseination to a young or okl man, in being "talkcdof," as tlic man who ought to go to congress from lrs district, and the congressional bee is bunzing in thousahda of bonnets all over the country. Men thcro aio, who think the world would have no iurther ambitions for hem, if they could once go to eongress, and they will work and wait, and plan, and humiliaU; thenoselves, and bargain and sell and bny, until Hnally, after years of the dirtiest and most detestable work tlioy will get the nomination, vvhon they will work nighl and day, and lie, cheat, steal, get drunk and débase themsëïves, and bc elected. Then they think the trbuble i.s over, and they will havo two years of peace, assóclatlng with the great men of the nation. A few days sinee. a paper pnblished alorig list of members of eongress who had posilively asserted that they would not under any circumstances be re-elected, and that moncy could not hire them to serve another term in congress. Manv who have not Ihvestigated the annoyance.s of i congressman, wonder why men who havo been there should nol have the same dosire to go again. It looks as thougli eongress would be a splendid placu for a man to goj who wanted to amount to something. It seems as if a woallhy man who wanlcd to retire from business, could be elected to congress and be perfectly happy. Wel!, tnehagpgy membarof congress is one tfiaf is dead. There is no position more trying to a man. He is the body servant of any man in his district who wants anythlng at Wa-hington, from a pest office to apackage of pumpkin seeds. The congressman necessarily makes many promises of attentionto his constituiente, and In1 goés lo Washington hoping tliat the consti Inent has forgotten alout ir, bat toe constituent forgeta Jf lic does not want anytbing himself he hunts np someone who does, so that he may bring it bef ore the congressm-m, and show nis influence with the great man. Jf told thal the matter is not worth taking the time of the congressman, he will say, "Gosh, our congressman will do anythlng ni'. I don't want it to get out but confidentially, if it hadn't been for me, he Would have been beatón. He told me after election, says he, Jim, I lay tho success to yon, and you can draw on nio at sight, for anything!' There may be a hnndred sueh friends that the congressman bas made in his district, and he knows that on the least appearance of lukewarmncss on his part, they will go back on him, and talk it over at the corner grocery, how he has got too big for his bootó. Men get. raad at their congressman because he does not write to them, whether he has anv business with them or not. They ramember that he used to write to them when he wanted work done. Then if he writes to them, by the aid of a secrotary, thev say he is getting above his bnsiness. If he sonds a letter to a constituent, printed witli a type writer, they get mad and say they want him to anderstand they can read "writinV' and it isn't necosSary for him lo print his letters to them. If he senda a package of garden sceds to one, and another hears of t, and none came to him, he is mad, and says will teaeh the congressmau a lesBOO next time. His votes are watched closely, and a congrossman can make life long encimes of his friends by rotes that are of no irnportance at all. One inember ried for a week to explain how it was that he voted to adjourn at two o'clock in the afternoon, wheu he ought to work till slipper time. The fact that he worked uutil after niidnight on a committee, had nothing to do with the case. and the constituent voted tor the opposiñg csndidate, because he believed the old congressman was a shirk. Resides, he had sent a neighbor a sack of cabbage seed from the agricultura! department, and the indignant constituent had not reeeived any. A man, with a million dollars, who never let business bothcr him any more, and who has a ovely home, surrounded by every comfort, and friends innumerable, and who is perfectly happy, allows himself to be eleeted to congress, and he iakes his wife andgoes to Washington, and they take rooms at a hotel. At home the wife is loved and respecled by all who know her, and her house is the center of social affaire, After living in Washington a monta she had four calis from persons she never heard of before,who are wives of members from different parta of the country. She has made the acqnaintance in the hotel parlors, of the wives of two members, and four fe malos, whom she believes to be lobbyists, who havo designs on her husband's votes, and she is the "homesickest" woman on earth. In two months she has got acquainted with the wives of three members from her own state, two of whom she don't like; has attended one White Houso recept ion, and sten her name in a Washington society paper spelled wrong) but it. was announcéd that she was lovely in a low c trsage and diamonds, when she knows she is bony, and never had a low dress in the past thirtv yeare. She tries to prevent any of the sooletypapers going'to her home, fearing fiten Is will lanzh at her. In three months she is siok and disr couraged, and the society papers announec1 that the loving and accomplished wife of Congressman So-an l-flö has returned to her home to prepare for soeial festivities al the capital later in the season. Shè retni'ns to have a lit of aiokness, and wishes to heaven her husband had never thougld of going to congress. In the meantime the congres8mA. whose life was so quiet at liome. and so full of enjoyment, is humpfng himself night and day to keep up with the demanda of his eoutit.iients. He shadow.a the pension office until he :s callecj a bore, lie works the postoffioe departinent for offioes, and is the tired servant of evetybody, walking miles ovory day. attendá sessions nul committee meetings, introduces oonstituents from home to the president, thougb. he is in doubt wletlier the president knows who hc is, hw a gang of visitois througb the capítol building, and otli r jilaees of Interast, as though. he were a guide insteail of a statesman. lie loses liis ivppetite, and maybe I to stimulants; jierhaps he dies of malaria, but if he lives he unes hoineto be re-elscted, s'ck, disgusted, but desiring to be vindier.led by a seeond term. Hc lind.s that 'il his ab-enee every public act of his has been been miseonstnied, and manv of his former friends have gone back on him, and if he is re-elected he has to buy his éleotíon, whioh he does, and then he serves out his second term earelesslv. and don't want a reelection and generally does not get it He returns to his home bvoken down, his temper injured so he can't enjoj himself if he wanted to, his wealth i. no good to him, and he dies. linally, leaving to his family the legend that "pa was in cpngress oneo." The glory