The daily gazette., 1880-01-28
WashtnDtOn Letter.

OUR MEMBER IN NWAsHINGroN-HIs PRO-
TEAM ROLE OF SERVANT, REPREsEN-
TATIYE AND CHARITABLE INsTITU-
TIoN, ETC, ETo.
tFrom our Regular Correspondence.)
WASHINGTON, d. c., Jan. 26th, 1880.
A more erroneous idea never prevailed
than that the position of congressman
is siuecure. The real legislative work
that the average member does Is small,
but his work as q claim agent is onerous
in the extreme. A rural constituency
will be satisfied with the public service
of their representativ If he makes one
or two set speeches during a session, and
they will be delighted { he gets the bet
ter of some other member in repartee ;
but, in personal service, the constituent
IS more exacting. The member Is ex-
pected to look after the interests of his
people at Washington. Formerly, forty
years ago. the constituent had no inter
ests here, but now, this one thinks that
lie is entitled to pension; another i'm
AGNES that he has an invention which
viii be worth millions ofdollars to Uncle
Sam, aud bis member is expected to in
troduce 1t and nrge its adoption by Con-
gress, the President, anu Secretary Of
War. The invent or IS willing to sell his
millions saving device for S100, 900 Then
there Is the "col1 water and bran bread
society,"" and an Intimate variety of other
societies with schemes for expediting the
millennium that their potent member of
Congress is expected to champion, and
for which he is expected to secure some
kind of recognition by the government
preferably an appropriation. II he ig-
nores any of them, he does IL at the peril
of losing votes and losing his place at
the next election. The man who has a
claim against the government for services
during the war, for property taken, OF
for anything else, rarely ever thinks of
putting IL in the hands OF any of the nu-
merous law firms or claim agents in this
city. He enoloses the papers relating to
the matter to the mem ber from his dis
trict or one of the Senators from his
State, ard urges that his business he
hurried through. Should The Congress-
man fail to establish the claim anu get
The money, he frequently, because of his
failure, makes an enemy of the claimant
who forthwith declares and works for
some other aspirant for Congressional
honors. A prominent member OF the
lower house recently said : "a Congress
man who tries to meet all the demands
upon him h ~ the work of three men to
perform In the first place he has his
duty upon the floor If he keeps race OF
all he bills and public measures and la
bors FOR the success of his o wn he has as
much as any one man ought to do. Then
he has his committee work. Not only
the work of the committees to which he
may belong, but there are matters refer
red to all the committees W which he ought
to look after He has besides his De-
parrment work. There is not a Depart
meut, aye, 3arcely division of any De-
partment, in which some of his constltu-
ents haven't something OF interest 10
them Applications for appointment to
DO sltions, claims, pensions, and the many
stages through which these matters have
10 eo.n The correspondence of a meI-
| ber of Congress, too, entails great deal
| of labor, Letters from constituents pn uSt
| he answ cred promptly, and in order 10
| do this there Is SCARCELY member who
| is not compelled to employ asecretary or
an amanuensis. Upon an average 1t
| takes three hours each day, at least, for
a membtr to rea and reply to the lel ters
he receives. The impression that Con
pressman have nothing to do hut enjoy
| themselves is altogether wrong. They
| have their troubles and annoyances as
we'll AZ other people, and upon the whole
do not deserve half the censure they get
| Ras,des these demands on his time nc
m amber of Congress escapes demands On
h = nurse. He receives many letters from
his district requesting contributions tc
var,ous ch ariCies. Some of his constltu
ants. coming to Washington for pleasure
or on business, find themselves stranded
without money, turn immed tely e