Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-03-31
FROM WASHINGTON.
Concerning the labor of n Congress-
MANA Hint to Constituents
Especial Correspondence of the cleveland LEADER ]
W,,uDrorou NIarch 9Ofh 1864


During my stay in Washington have
observed some things relative to the du-
ties and labors of a Member of Congress
that 1 desire to set before your readers
To enable me to do this 1 crave the Iavor
of a little space. 1 do this for the reason
that I am convinced that many of the
opinions relating to the subject entertain
ed by the public are erroneous.
Is it not thought by many that a Con-
CHEESEMAN'S place is next to being a sine
eure2 that it is little work and big pay?
or, if the general opinion does not go to
this extreme, is it not very commonly sup
posed that his duties are few and his la
bors light? In whatever language this
popular conviction may be expressed, l
am satisfied that it is wholly erroneous +;
and 1 ask you to refute it, because l think
it mischievous. From my own observa-
tons 1 feel qualified to testify that a Con-
CHEESEMAN'S duties are many and his labOrs
exhausting. This, however, is upon the
hypothesis hat he discharges the one
and performs the other.
In order to a full understanding of the
subject 1 will make a statement of the
principal items entering into his mass of
work. And in the first place, there
are the regular sessions of the house Of
which he is a member. To make
what I have to say more definite, 1 viii
| confne my remarks to the House of Re
representatives.. The Speaker calls the
House to order promptly at twelve o'clock
When there is no evening session the
House adjourns at five; when there is an
evening session the adjournment comes
half an hour earlier. In the latter case
the House opens for business at half-past
| seven and adiourns about ten. I do not
mean to say that the hour for adjourning
is always to a minute what l have stated,
but that this is about the average. In the
one case the House is in session FIVE hours
and in the other seven. That he may at
tend these sessions and participate in the
discussions and voting, is the primary OBJ
ject of sending a man to Congress. In
the popular understanding the severe la
bors of the members end here; but, in fact,
llCA AdhO July bCSA1s ~ "a 81 u a. III
more able and active are concerned. How
ever it may be in other countries, in
America the more important part of leg
~islative work is done in the several com
mittees. 1t is in committees that measures
are matured and a distribution of the
forces for their advocacy, on the floor Of
the house, is made. That the committees
are indispensable is revealed when We
come to consider a single question: How
long would the whole House be in matur-
ing an Internal Revenue Bill2 These
committees are of three kinds, viz: stand
ing committees, outstanding commit
tees, and selact committees. The number
varies slightly in different Congresses, but
in the present House there are thirty-eight
standing committees, four understanding
committees, and seven select committees.
BY a hasty count of the Congressional
Directory" 1 learn that there are one
hundred and eighty-four members in the
present House mot counting those claim
ing seats), while the committees, standing
and select, represent three hundred and
seventy-seven. As a consequence, if each
member served on two different commit
tees they would not then be full. Hence,
AAlAAl AACLAbCAG SCI fO OA ENNCAdA- III
Hoopers name appears on three, Mr.. Gar
fields or an equal number, and Mr..
Stevens on five. Some of these commit
tees are comparatively unimportsnt, but
others are very important. In point Of
Importance the Ways and Means stands
irst;-its business is to frame money bills.
This committee holds a daily session of
an hour and a-half, and frequently longer.
Delegations representing the different
branches of the country's industry are con-
stsntly appearing before it, to present
their peculiar interests. They often i'm
part valuable information, but need con-
slant watching lest they obtrude their own
private interests upon the committe and to
the country's injury. When we consider
the small number of which the committee
is composed, we can but conclude that
here the mental strain is greater than in
the House itself. True, the WAYS and
Means Committee must not be taken as a
specimen of all the others so far as the
quantity of work to be done is concerned,
out it may be SO far as concerns its quality. !
Again, owing to our wretched system
of rotation in office by which men are, in
the majority of instances, thrown out of
public employ so soon as they become
thoroughly useful, the majority of each
House of Representatives is composed of
who were not members of the last,
and probably of no preceding House.
They are, therefore, practically ignorant
many important matters of legislation.
make the matter worse, but few of
these men understand legislation theoreti-
How many of the men now in
Congress for the first time had the know
to act intelligently upon a Tariff
Bill the day they were sworn in for in
1t follows that if they ever act
intelligently upon such measures they
must qualify themselves by close applica-
ton to study. Of course many never
DO this, but that does not alter the fact
There is still another item too
important to be overlooked. 1 refer to q
.ongressman's correspondence. Those
who have never been inside the ring can
never appreciate the amount of labor a
members correspondence requires. l
speak "from the card when l say there
are men in the present Congress whose
iaily mail oftener exceeds forty letters
han falls below ten. Some are written
% make suggestions concerning the pub
ic business; some by personal friends; but
larger number still by those who wish
o advance their own private interests.
Those who write this last kind of letters
ire of the opinion that the member ut
Washington is there as the business agent
If the district, to represent, not the inter
Of the constituency collectively, but
If the constituents individually. The
share of these letters must be
answered or the writer raises a hue and
saying Mr.. is too much stuck
lp' at Washington to atteud to his con-
titueHts' wants. So enormous is the
thus imposed that a leading mem
'er from Southern Ohio SAYS he favors a
aw requiring one dollars postage for
letter sent to a member of Congress.
have heard Of a Judge who insisted that
here was a woman connected with every
itieulty, and who, when a case was
rought before him always cut short the
'roceedings by abruptly asking "Who is I
be 2" This anecdote l am reminded of BY
he practice of a certain member of whom |
have also heard, who interrupts the I
of letters commencing with an |
endorsement of his course, bv {
"What does he want p {
am satisfied that the idea so generally {
ntertained concerning the duties of Con- I
ressmen are radically erroneous. and that t
hey tend to constant mischief. Who can
see that here is a constant induce d
lent for a Congressman to neglect his 5
ublic puties las many do( to advance f
is interests with individuals 1t is a t