Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-02-26
without dollar to reward them for the

W1bLOub q uOAdI W I0W6Iu GUCIu xOE tkO
arduous duties they have performed.
Besides the money that is voluntarily
given away Congressman are frequently
made victims by pretended constituents.
Not long ago very good-looking man
called upon member from distant
State and wanted to borrow two hum
dred and fifty dollars. The applicant
for the loan represented himself as a
brother of leading merchant in one of
the principal towns of the members
district. "Then," said the Congress
man, "yOur brother will certainly have
no objection to becoming security for
you. I'm willing to advance any
amount upon his security" "But I'm
so far away" pleaded the stranger.
"You can telegraph to him." answered
the member. "Bring me line from
him by telegraph, saying it's all right,
and you can get the money" 80,
certainly, can do that" said the
stranger, and he Immediately departed.
In few hours he returned to the Capt.
tai, calling out the member, and showed
him a telegram purporting to have come
from the brother, who had been men,
toned, and pledging himself to be
responsible for the loan. The member
led his pretended constituent to the
Sergeant-at-Arms' Office, and there gave
him the two hundred and fifty dollars,
for which due thanks for the favor were
returned, with the promise that
the money should be refunded. The
member thought nothing of the
the affair until, some days afterward, he
was writing to the merchant. In his
letter he mentioned the loan to "your
brother" and directed the merchant to
put the amount in certain bank, to the
writer's credit, whenever it was /" con-
venient." Imagine the surprise of the
M. G. when he received telegram, fol-
lowed in due time by letter from the
merchant, saying he had no brother,
and had not sent any telegram about
the $3.50. The member related the
affair recently, saying he could not ex-
plain how the swindler had SO cleverly
prepared the forged telegram; that he
must have got hold of a telegraphic
blank; "but," added the duped Con-
gresham, "I must confess I did
not examine the. telegram very
closely, simply read the words it
contained, and, for aught know now to
the contrary, it may have been written
upon one of the sending instead of the
receiving blanks of the Telegraph Com
pany." This was told IN group of
Congressmen, and brought out several
similar accounts of tricks that had
recently been resorted to-always by pre-
tending constituents-to dupe members
out of money. One member had been
caught for 800 by forged check, an
other by a letter purporting to come
from friend in the city, who wanted
$25 " Immediately" and so on. The
correspondence of member of Con-
gress, too, entails great deal of labor.
Letters from constituents must be an
swered promptly, and in order to do this
there is scarcely a member who is not
compelled to employ secretary or an
amanuensis. Upon an average, it takes
three hours each day at least for men,
Der to read and reply to the letters he
receives. The impression that Con-
gressmen have nothing to do but enjoy
themselves is altogether wrong. They
have their troubles and annoyances as
well as other people, and upon the
whole, do not deserve half the censure