The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-02-17
A Congressnian's EIall.

| A Washington correspondent, deacrib-
ing the voluminous mail Of the average
Congressman, writes:
The real curioslties Of Congressmnn's
correspondence are to be found in his
letters, though. These cover every con.
ceivable and many an inconceivabie sub.
ject, and are tho work of all sorts of peo-
| pie, from every hole aud corner of the
land. The oddities of one sessions cor.
responder would make the most anus.
ing volume ever Published. only the
readers would 10 likely to think them
not authentic, bnt made up for the occa.
sion.
People write for copies of congressional
reports, documents and the like publice-
tions for information about tile govern.
ment, which it would require o whole
| handbook to convey TO them, and for in
formation of g personal character, such
as "How old were you when yon were
elected?" What was your majority 2"
"Wbat was your business before you
went into politics?" These questions, aa
q rule, are but for the purpose OF deciding
bets. A very common request from
country people is for seeds and cuttings
OF plants from the botanical gardens.
80 also is that for an autograph. Many
enthusiastic autograph collectors send
their albums to be written in. Others
eted signature. Very common are the
letters Of tradesmen, who send presents
of all sorts Of commodities, from hair
| pins and pearl powder 70 pinuos, with
the request TO be informed how the re-.
cipient likes the gift, the hoped.for an.
swer to be, Of course, used as an adver.
tisement. These communications go into
the waste basket without an exception.
The presents are we'll taken care of, how
. ever.
| Requests for positions ST al sorts are
OF course common. These como not only
to Congressmen from theif constituents,
but from utter strangers. Women orc
heavy correspondents in this line. Many
letters give advice of political sort,
some of it very absurd and iaughahle
indeed. Correspondents send patents OF
inventions which they want bills intro.
aaced ;Gto CoaSS::eesss a55ass., c!a.a.;HS g
prospective share of the profits for the
| favor. Once found request for the
introduction Of o patent clothcs.wringey
into the army, with blank check for my
chief 10 Eli out in Whatever sum he chose
if he undertook to put it through. A
curious feature of cur Congreaamen'a
! correspondence Is that thef5 are Deonle
who seem to do nothing else but write
letters to them. 4.sl..
One man in Boston has become famous
since long hefn:e tho war FOR the libaral.
ity of his correspondence with our law
makers. He haa no political Sias, writ.
ing to any one and every one, irrespective
of party. His hobby Is advice es - the
conduct of the nation, aud he lards il
with long quotations from speechee BY
Webster, Clay, Calhoun and other de-
parted statesmen. Another lunatic jr
New York city writes in the anme exten
sive wsy to get q bill into Congress 70.
moving tho ,.aat Of government 10 thai
city. A Chicago man has invented 6
balloon for war and surveying purposes
and for ten years has been trying to sell
the government the sole right to il,
remember one man who wrote from
Utah, almost daily, for the entire session
10 get bill into Congress to afford bin
government protection for the working O.
a mine in that Territory, he being a
present greatly haFrassed and annoyed II
his labors by what he called his "onchris
tian and disgraeefll surrendirs." An
other had gotten up o gorgeous scheme
for the government TO assume control O
oil the railroads and, telegraph lines
This geniuH had over q hundred pages o
printed calculations, showing the cost O
the scheme, the immense profit to Ii,
nation, and the benefit the people Wouit
derive from lite execution.