Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-12
PERPLEXED CONGRESsMEN.
How They Are Worried by Applicants
for Once.
PROBLEMS WHICH REPUBLICAN MEMBERS ARE
REQUIRED TO SOLVE SATISFACTORILY IL THEY
wocLD HOPE TO RETAIN THEIR sEATs-THEiR
INFLUENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT

wocLD HOPE TO RETAIN THEIR sEArs-rHEIR
INFLUENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT.
II an extra session Of Congress should be as
sembled suddenly the republicans would have
a large majority Of those ready to respond to
the roll-cal- But few of the republicans of
the House have gone home. On the contrary,
. number of the new members of the Fifty-frst
Congress have appeared at the capital. In one
House mail route, which is fair sample of the
rest, there were fifty odd members, and of these
forty-three are still in the city. Thirty -four
are republicans and nine only are democratic
Those who have gone all, or nearly all,
democrats. The representatives of the party
in power are remaining here to look after the
patronage, chiefly, and they are occupied in
few offices they can get out Of the general divi-
sion among the many applicants who are press
ing for place.
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN AND THE PRESIDENT.
The President has not yet given Senators
and Representatives of his party to understand
definitely what his policy with relation to the
appointments is. His expressions in his
inaugural, and the fact that he listens with
attention to what is said by congressman
the idea that he is going to rely upon
them much more than Cleveland relied upon
the democratic congressman in these matters
IL seems to be expected that in all the
general appointments the party leaders will be
consulted and local appointments in the states
will be left entirely to the Senators and Rep
resentatives from the respective sections.
The congressman are proceeding upon this
assumption and are receiving no indication
that they are in error.
The more important appointments are not so
easily settled, as they involve a contention be-
tween sections
WORSE THAN THE PIG PUZZLE
Before making any recommendation to the
President, the member of Congress himself has
to select from among many applicants for each
Office. To do this without making many
enemies for every friend gratifed requires skill
few men possess. During the past four years
the democratic Congressman were able to turn
much of the resentment of their disappointed
constituents from themselves upon President
Cleveland by merely declaring that they had
no influence to induce him to appoint the men
they wanted. In all cases it did not matter
whether or not this was perfectly accurate, it
served in a measure to turn the tide of local
wrath from the members. But if President
Harrison is going to follow the recommends
tons of his party Congressman in the matter
Of their local appointments throughout the
country as they infer will be his policy, it fixes
upon them a very
UNCERTAIN AND DANGEROUS RESPONSIBILITY.
They are trying to solve the problem of how to
do it. Wherever a group of Congressman is
seen are found some perplexed countenances.
With half dozen leading politicians in some
little town. all after the same post-ofice, and
all with about equal claim upon the member
for services. it is not AN easy thing to make
choice. The member would like to be relieved
of the duty. A certain number of men in each
state are candidates for some of the larger Of
fees outside Of the state. As to these, when
hGIa
act as body, selecting from the many candi-
dates those they want to recommend, one for
each Office. Then the President has but to
choose between the candidates presented by
the several states for the same office. As to
the federal Offices local to the respective con-
gressioPal districts. the Congressman repre-
senting each district is supposed to have au-
thority over those within his confines and to be
responsible.
THIS is THE GENERAL SCHEME
in the minds of the Congressman. 1t remains
to be settled whether or not President Harrison
will follow it. The members assume that he
will. but at the same time there is a very gene
raj impression that in the case of most. of the
Offices, the commissions for which run for
definite term. the commissions will be allowed
to expire before new appointments are made.
unless the incumbent Is especially offensive or
incompetent. This prospect of delay is not as
rule, distasteful to the members who expect
W NC dllONCu 70 the places. III give
them time to make up their states.
Few members can afford to make a selection
by their own personal favor for any of the
Offices within their district. They must select
men who have the support of most of the
Puolcans IN their locality. 10 is not easy to
determine which of a large number of active
candidates all around with long petitions has
such support, and a mistake is apt to cost a
great many votes when the next election comes
off.
COLD COMFORT FROM A DEMOCRAT.
STAR reporter was with group of Repre-
sentatiyes in the almost deserted hall of the
House when this question was being discussed
with a serious desire to fix upon the best plan
to be followed. There was only one democrat
in the group, and he was encouraging the rest
by statement of the number of votes the Sc
lection OF each postmaster had cost him. He
seemed to take a wicked pleasure in this The
rest appreciated the spirit that prompted him.
member said that he had long since discovered
that the only safe way to I'LL a post-ofice was
to select the man whom a majority of the re-
publican patrons Of that Office wanted. The
d1fnculty, however, was to determine which
candidate had the strongest support
THE UNCERTAINTY OF PETITIONS
II petitions were followed, he said. it was
often discovered that the man who had the
most names had secured them merely by being
first in the field, and often the least desirable
man would have most names 10 his papers.
The democrat broke in here to saw that cases
OF that sort had lost him four or five hundred
votes in a single town.
Another troubled Congressman said that a
difficulty he had found in following petitions
was that frequently the best names were on the
shortest petition.
The democrat said this was one of the things
that had troubled him greatly when he was In
the position Of his colleagues.
DOUBLE DEALING.
third member, with his pockets full of ap-
plications for Offices. remarked that a thing
that was still more annoying was that some of
the political leaders in small communities had
way. after signing a petition and generally
espousing the cause of candidate. of sending
private and confidential letter asking the
members not to pay any regard to the sigma
ture. but TO appoint some one else
1t developed that every member present had
receiyeda number Of these letters and thew
agreed then and there that the rule must he
enforced requiring men to stand up to their in
dorsements or else make their withdrawal of
support public.
BRIBERY
Another thing developed by the comparison
OF notes was that several members had been
offered money il they would have certain ap
pointments made. The offers ran from Is to
$500. and in most cases it was evident that the
offers were made by men who did not know
that there was any harm SO doing. One offer
of SION had from al