The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-05-29
OF MAIL.
LETTERS RECEIVED BY SENATORS
AND REPRESENTATIVES,.
Legislators at Washington Overwhelmed
by Communications Sent Through tho
Postohice - Popular congressman
and Their Correspondents.
washington Cor. Chicago News.I

washington Cor chicago NeW5-l
It requires the services of eleveA per-
sons to handle the mail Of the different
representatives and senators at the capital
There are four deliveries day of what Is
known as the congressional malone, the
morning delivery, before breakfast, two
al the capitol during the hours the wise
solons are in session, and another in the
evening. The first and last deliveries are
at the private residence of the members.
Twelve wagon loads of letters and papers
comprise the average OF the house mall
for each day. That of the senate of course
is much smaller. In addition to the regu-
lar clerks, drivers, and messengers each
chamber employs a limited number Of
boys who are known as riding pages,
They are furnished ponies and are used to
deliver letters and documents at the diff
ferent departments and elsewhere through
out the city. Each receives a salary of
$500 per annum. There are three of these
youngsters on the house side. The senate
is more extravaganza With scarcely one
fifth as many members they find it impos-
sible to get along with less than four rid
ing pages This may be said to be charac-
feristic of the senate in every particular
That body has twice the number of en-,
ployes relatively that the house has and
the pay Is invariably better
Speaker Carlisle gets the heaviest mail
of any man in public life. Next to him,
among the representatives, come Ran
dali, with Belford Of Colorado third, Bel
mont of New York fourth and Judge
Kelley of Pennsylvania fifth. RandalPs
and Kelley's mails, like that of Col Nor
rison, are mostly communications from
business men and others asking for in
formation on matters of tariff, finances,
and kindred subjects.
Mr.. Belford's heavy mail is ex planned
by reason of his being the only represen
tative of young and rapidly growing
commonwealth. Colorado has probably
more veterans of the late war within her
borders than any state Of her size in the
union. As most of these people are in
tereSted In pensions, either TO the extent
of asking information as to the best
means of procuring one or inquiring as to
delays in their settlement, 1t will be seen
that his correspondence must be neces-
sariIy large. Mr.. Belford is pleased to be
the object of this voluminous CORE ~Ond-
ence and boasts of it among his fellow
members with as much evident pride as
If each particular envelope contained
certificate of good character.
OF the Illinois members, Col. Morrison
receives the largest mail AS chairman of
the ways and means committee he fire.
quently received as many as sixty letters
day last session.
Gen. Logan receives ne heaviest mail
of any member of the senate. After his
nomination last summer it increased so
rapidly that the services of his secretary
and Mrs. Logan were entirely inadequate
to the task of keeping up the arrears. On
such occasions 1t was no uncommon prac-
tice for the visitors to Gen. Logan's rooms,
many of whom were employees of the gov
eminent, to assist him with this work.
Old tables, chairs, and even hat-boXeS,
would be utilized as desks, and often half
a dozen supernumeraries would be
found laboring until midnight It
Is Gen Logan iattsr lent rule lie
him. His mail comes principally from sol
diers, and is not confined by any means
to his constituents in Illinois. Not infre-
Quently veterans write to him from the
middle and New England states. The
bulk of letters from soldiers Of the late
war residing in the extreme southern
states is addressed to Gen. Logan. Mrs
Logan overlooks the generals mail. Long
familiarity. as his amanuensis enables her
to tell directly which letters she can at
tend to herself without troubling her hus-
band to read She is better known to the
clerks in the pension Office than the gen.
eral, and of late years she has att-n ded to
nearly all of his correspondence. Many
of these letters are insufficiently stamped.
The deficit is paid by the senator. This
item of expense alone is said to amount to
$25 per annum.
Plumb, of Kansas follows Logan as the
recipient of the next largest mail, with
Allison, of Iowa, and Voorhees,, of Indi-
ana, not far behind.
AS rule the Republicans receive much
larger mails than the Democrats. The
difference in Voorhees, case is explained
by his personal popularity. Popular men
in congress are deluged with letters in the
same degree as they, in private life re-
ceive more attention than those who are
more exclusive. Voorhees, is easily ap-
preached, and is a hail-fellow- well-met
among the homespun farmers of the
Hoosier state Next to V oOrhees, Jones,
of Florida, receives the largest mail on
the Democratic side. Like Bedford, he is
proud of it. Jones was born in Ireland,
and worked his way to his present promi-
nence from a shoe makers bench. His
correspondence comes from every section
of the country, in which respect it is sim
liar to Gen. Logan's, though not so diffuse.
The Democrats are already paying the
penalty of having achieved great ma
tional victory. Since the election the mail
of members of congress of that party has
doubled-in some cases trebled.
How to EXPOSE Thermometers.