The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-05-22
How Our NJ. CTS Are Worried by
Their Constituents.

A WASHINGTON letter to Haqper's
Bazaar says:
Every one who has been in the same
boarding house or hotel with Repre-.
sentative or Senator has doubtless OBJ
served the appalling amount of mail
matter he daily receives. Appalling,
because it is no light task to open and
read so many letters, even if the M. G.
does not propose to answer all of them,
and most of them necessitate some re-
ply. But this is not all: the majority
OF them relate to business matters to
which constituents insist the M. G. shall
give his personal attention, and to do so
he must spend several hours each day
in attending to matters which legiti-
mately belong to the province of claim,
pension, or patent agents. But the con-
stituent has no mercy, and evidently re-
CARDS his vote, past or prospective, as a
retaining fee, rendering it obligatory on
his Representative or the Senator from
his State to attend to the prosecution of
any claim he may have before the Ex-
ecutive Departments. Que M. c., on
returning from the House, finds an
enormous box, which has arrived by ex-
press during his absence, and on which
the clerk of the hotel where he lives has
paid five dollars express charges. On
examination this proves to be the model
for patent which one of the M. C.'s
constituents wishes to secure. Next
day comes letter from the constituent,
who is man in comfortable circum-
stances, saying that he understands that
. re ,fxyE 101l 30 ut
patent, and as he is a little short of
money, he desires ''his' member to ad-
vance him that amount, and secure the
patent, and he will repay the loan some
time, but says nothing in apology for
sending the model with express charges
unpaid.
Taking peep, by permission, over
an M. C.'s shoulder, as he reads his
mail, we see he has forty letters which
have arrived that day. There are four
or five applications for pensions; as
many more requests to secure clerk
ship in Washington, or appointment to
office at home or in the consular and
diplomatic service; several petitions to
have postal routes changed, or one
postmaster dismissed and another ap-
pointed. Others want lengthy explana-
tions of the census law.
One man writes for a number of
books, printed at Government expense
and franked, to be sent him, which, if
sent, would fill whole express car.
He specifies some, and winds up by
adding, "and all other volumes pub
lished at Government expense" This
demand is made by one who argues that
"we taxpayers have right to these
books, as we pay for them;' but if one
investigates the amount of taxes usually
paid by those making such acquisitions,
they will be found possessed of little or
no taxable property. -,
Another, who lives in q city and
probably does not own or lease patch
of ground large enough to grow any
thing therein, fills page of foolscap
with the names of plants and seeds he
wishes sent him. AS no Senator or
Representative now has seeds to dis
tribute, an application for them necessi-
tates two letters from the recipient, one
referring the. matter to the Commission
er of Agriculture, another informing the
applicant that his letter has been so
referred.
A man who has been at work on
Government building in Western city
writes that he fell from it and injured
himself severely, and wishes his mem
Der to demand from the Government
damages and pension on account of
his wounds. OF course this compels an
answer, explaining that neither pensions
nor damages are paid by the Govern
'ment under the given conditions.
The applicants for pensions offer every
variety of reason why they should re-
'ceive them, but certainly the man who
vpreferred that which is about to be
quoted has had no rival in this line. He
recently wrote to an M. G. asking that
"A pension be procured for him, as he
had served in the United States army
during the Mexican War. The reply
was that pensions were not. given save
to those who had been disabled in con-
sequence of wounds or illness contracted
while in the service and line of duty. To
this the applicant promptly responded,
mo whit disconnected, and evidently with
NO suspicion that his claim was pre-
posterOus one. He wrote that he had
not been wounded, or suffered from
severe illness, but that he "was scared
nearly to death at Buena VISTA" and he
thought the Government ought to give
him something for the agony endured
then.