Morning journal and courier., 1881-04-05

nor economical, five hours being required tc couplete the operation Two rival systems are now being tried, one the invention ot Prof. Gorini, of Lodi, and the other that of Messrs. Porna and Vennini, of Milan. Both are heated by wood, and the flames are brought into direct contact with the body, combustion being increased by the introduc- ton of atmospheric air. Cremation does not appear to be costly process, for the total cost of incinerating human body at Milan is something under 50 lire, or less than $10. This charge covers not only the fees to the Cremation society and the municipality, but the cost of niche for the cinerary urn in the columbarium erected for that purpose. Walter Allen, the Washington correspond ent of the Boston Adoertiser, criticises the system which compeIs members of Congress and Senators, if they would be truly popular with their constituents, to attend to the pri- vate business of those constituents in Wash ington Says Mir. Allen ''Scores of mediocre men are in Congress to-day, and some of them have been there for many years, whose influence on legislation is scarcely apprecia- ble beyond the mere count of their vote ]; but they hold their seats by 8 more secure tenure than other men who are wise in states manship and have the power to influence and guide other minds. Distribute documents and seeds judiciously cultivate friendly re- lations with department and bureau officers !; tell every voter in the home district to con- mand you for any personal service, and never disappoint him allow no constituent who visits the capital to go home without sense of having received personal attention and service, and congressman may shirk com mittee work, never make 8 speech be absent from his seat half the time, and know next to nothing about the real work of making laws in which he is supposed to have duty, with out endangering his chance of being returned. He will be known as clever and good natured, and have troops of friends who will stand by him in return for favors received. For such & man, however useless to the nation at large, there is always contingent of his po- itical opponents ready to vote, and they will tell you with great earnestness that he is the best possible representative of the district becaIse he is the willing agent and attorney of all who have private business in Washing ton. But these same men, so exacting ln their demands upon their congressman to at tend gratuitously to their personal affairs, to the neglect of the proper business of legis- lator, and the neglect of that severe study and thought concerning public questions by which alone he can hope to achieve honora- ble fame, would raise their hands in holy horror at the suggestion that if this kind of work is expected of Senators and Represen- tatives in addition to their public duties, they ought to be allowed secretary at the public expense" The late Senator Ferry of this State used to say that in con- sideration of what every member was ex- pected to do gratuitously in addition to the duties for which his salary a legislator was paid, the government ought to pay the salary of a secretary for each Senator and Congress man in addition to that of clerks of commit tees. Mir. Allen thinks it would be great gain if congressman were prohibited from doing any business at the departments, and rightly says that congressman ought to be no more powerful than any other reputable person in securing prompt attention to ad- ministrative business, and that every piece of work done at the request of 8 congressman out of turn is done at the expense of delay to others, of which they have good right to complain.