Mohave County miner., 1890-02-08
WASHINGTON LErrER.
Correspondence Of THE Mlssa.


WAsHnoroS, Jan. 27, 1890.
When one learns that Mr.. Peters Of
Kansas receives on an average one hum
dred letters every day, there Is seen at
least one reason why he writes to his con-
stituents that private interests must take
him back 10 private life. Think Of what
il is to write ono hundred letters day
when you know what to say, and then
add to that the labor Of referring In many
cases to the various departments for in
formation upon which to base reply.
OF course in some Offices, a. in the PEN
sion Office, reply comes to the Congress-
man in the shape Of . letter 10 his con-
stituent and ell Il generally needs Is 10 be
indorsed and transmitted, but even this
represented double labor.
OF Representatives from the central
states Mr.. McKinley's mail Ii the largest
though this has only been true during the
present Congress. Owing likewise to his
position, Mr.. Reeds mail exceeds that
Of any Eastern member. Mr.. Carlisle,
Of courss. receives the largest mail Of any
Southern member. The Western mem.
beu are, however, the most richly favor
cd, or cursed, with correspondents.
Apart from the letters received from
pension and other claimants which al
ways have legitimate purpose, there are
wonderful number Of idle and purpose.
less letters received by Congrsssmen, and
generally answered. In every commu-
nifty you will find Come man who is al
ways offering the Congressman advice by
mail. In private life be may be the soul
Of mild good nature, but he harbors about
him wild desire to write and in the
secret watches Of the night he indites
reams Of wisdom to his member. Per-
haps he is an influential man in his way
and can control dozen votes among his
relatives, and II 80 the Congressman pro-
baby know it and he gets patient ans
wer.
Senator Ingalls, gets moro letters than
any man in the Senate, his mail often
reaching three hundred letters in single
day. No other Senator gets nearly 30
many. Senator Plumb, his colleague,
receives . very large mail and one must
conclude, considering also Representative
Peters immense correspondence, that
Kansas Is great state for letter writers.
To certain extent, Senate: Ingalls,
succeeded John A. Logan as the man TO
whom old soldiers must frequently write
about pension claims. Senator Logan's
mail was simply enormous as regards
pension matters. 1t grew 30 burdensome
during the last few years Of his lie that
the majority of the letters Of reply from
the Pension Bureau were never tranmit-
ted to him at all but were mailed by the
bureau directly TO the claimants.
The only men in Congress who escape
a great mass Of correspondence are new
members from remote Eastern aud
Southern districts and extremely unpopn-
lar old members serving their confessed!y
last term. The amount OF labor attached
to many years Of such work is appalling.
The secret Of successfully doing it lial il
never neSleciine it. Up to his las ;..t
ness, Sunset" Cox never retired at mig 4
until the d,ys correspondence WAS dis
posed OF. Tie letters that he coaid tns-
wer inteliiseatly were answered at once,
be the reply cyer 80 f,ief. To this un-
varying promp.ness and to the courteoas
character OF his communications, he owed
in no small measure his very long and
successful public career.
Now that every one is trying his hand
at civil service reform, Gen. Rosecraas
has turaei up with bill, which lie has
submitted to several members OF the
House committee and, he claims, has
been received with favor. II provides
that the clerical force Of the government
shall be classified according to Congress
sional districts, each district 10 have IFS
proper quota, and when any vacancy ex.
lists the particular Congressman entitled
to the appointment shall be notified. He
shall then nominate not less than four
candidates for the place, who shall pre-
sent themselves for examination before
the Civil Service Commission and the one
passing the successful examination shall
be selected. The period Of Office holding
shall be six years but the Congressman
may renominate the man and be may,
after submitting again to competitive
examination, be re-appointed. The gov
eminent clerk would by this simple and
pleasing system be obliged to hustle
around and keep in the good graces Of his
Congressman or take the consequences
at the end Of his six years.
It is difficult to realize that the giants
Of the early years Of this century often
moved the Supreme Court to tears. Now
adays, II an ambitious young lawyer
those old 10 the practice never hazard il
attempts oratory, he % cut short by the
chief justice or some associate with . po-
lite request 10 stick TO the law and the
facts In the cause. The arts Of persuasion
are never permitted to be exercised.
There must be just - eloquent masters
Of pleading - there ever was. but the ar
guments before the Supreme Court are