Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1885-01-01
CART : LOADS OF NAIL.
LETTERS SENT TO r+SfE NATIONAL
CAPITAL.


ed by Communications sent Through
the Postof1ice Popular Senators and
Representatives.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. 20.-It
requires the services of eleven persons
to handle the mail of the different rep
resentatives and senators ut the capi-
tal There are four deliveries day
of what is known as the con gressional
mail--oae. the morning delivery, be-
fore breakfast, two at the capitol dur
ing the hours the wise soIons are in
session, and another in the evening.
The first and last deliveries are at the
private residences of the members
Twelve wagon loads of letters and
papers comprise the average of the
House mail for each day. That of the
Senate of course is much smaller. In
addition to the regular clerks, drivers,
and messengers each chamber employs
a number OF boys who are known as
riding pages. They are furnished po-
nies and are used to deliver letters and,
documents at the different departments
and elsewhere Throughout the city.
Each receives salary of 5000 per an
mum. There are three of these young
sters on the House side. The Senate
is more extravagant. With scarcely
one-fifth as many members they find
it impossible to get along with less
than four riding pages. This may be
said to be characteristic of the senate
in every particular. That body has
twice the number of employees relative
ly 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 Randall, with Belford of Colo
RADIO third, Belmont of New York
fourth. and Judge Kelley of Pennsyl-
vania fifth. Randall's aud Kelley's
mails, like that of Col. Morrison; are
mostly communications from business
men and others asking for information
on matters of tariff, finances, and kim
dred subjects.
Mr.. Belford's heavy mail is explain
ed by reason of his being the only
representative of young and rapidly
growing commonwealth. Colorado
has probably more veterans of the late
war within Ter borders than any state
of her size in the union. AS most OF
these people are interested in pensions,
either to the extent Of asking infor-
nation as to the b.st means Of procur-
ing one or inquiring as to delays in
their settlement, it will be seen that
his co:rcso oon =lenco mast necessarily
be large Mr. Belford is pleased to be
the object of this voluminous CORES
pondence and boasts of it among his
fellow m cmbers with as much evident
pride as it each particular envelope
contained certificate of goodcharacter.
1t is not 80 easy to account for Bel
mont's mail. He is young in years
and service. He works hard. His
mail is greatly in excess of any mem
Der Of the New York delegation. This
gives rise to some feeling, and the re-
mark is frequently heard that Belmont
encourages his constituents to write to
him in order to create the impression
that he is really man of affairs
OF the Illinois members, Col. Nor
rison receives the largest mail. As
chairman of the ways and means COM
mittee he frequently received as many
as sixty letters Il day last session.
third on the list, and the remainder OF
the delegation receive about the same
number each. III. Hit receives the
largest foreign mail of any member in
either house.
Last winter the ways and means
: committee received more mail than the
appropriation committee. This yeal
the ways and means committee, having
no special legislation before it will fall
to the second place and the appropri
alton committee will take the post Of
honor.
Gen. Logan receives the heaviest
mail of any member of the senate. AT
ter his n ,mination last summer it in
creased 81 rapidly that the services u
his private secretary and Mrs. Logar
were entirely Inadequate to the task Of
keeping up the arrears. On such oc
casions it was no uncommon practict
for the visitors to Gen. Logan's rooms
many of wnom were employees of the
| ktfSAuiuCue, W ocSioL h1iA Will I'LL
work. Old tables, chairs, and ever
: hat-boxes, would be utalized as desks
and often half dozen supernumera
, ries would be found laboring unit
midnight. 1t is Gen. Logan's inyari
, able rule To answer every letter sem
to him. His mail comes principally
from soldiers, and is not confined. b,
any means To his constituents in Hi
nois. Not infrequently Yetrans write
to him from the middle and New
: England states. The bulk of lettt n
from soldiers of the LATE. war residing
in the extreme southern states is ad
dressed to Gen. Logan. Mrs. Logar
overlooks the generals mail. Ions
} familiarity as his amanuensis enable
| her to tell directly which letters sh'
can attend to herself without troub
ding her husband to read. She is bet
ter known to the clerks in the pension
Office than the general, and of lat
years she has attended to nearly al
of his correspondence. Many of these
letters are insufficiently stamped. rh'
f deficit is paid by the senator. Thi.