Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-11
LOOKING AFTER PETTY CLAIMS
The Work Many Congressman Have to
Do For Their Constituents.

There are plenty of men of ability in the
House who are almost unknown. They are Sc
lected by their constituents to represent them
In Congress on account of their especial ability;
they are men of high rank as students and
thinkers, and yet their congressional careers
have been marked by disappointment and fail
ure. The reason for this is not that they have
plunged in over their depth, nor that they have
been overshadowed by others around them
1t 10 that that they have been dragged down by
the eternal grind of routine. thousand little
things which in their freer life they found I'M
worthy of their attention are pressed upon
them, and their time is SO taken up that they
have no opportunity to crafty their loftier
aims and ambitions. They have no opportu-
nifty to make study of legislation and to devote
to the consideration of the national affairs
they are presumably sent here to take
part in. Their constituents send them to Con-
gress because of their superiority over some
other men as representatives of the people;
then, having sent them, proceed to beittle
them and curtail their opportunity for doing
good by demanding of them that they give
their time to matters that might be attended to
by boys. There are plenty of men in the House
who might have influence and power among
their colleagues and be able to serve their con-
stituents in broader and more important field
If their whole time were not taken up with do
lup the WORK OF private agents or even erranu
boys. The Importance OF the House as a legs-
lative body is constantly retrograding because
OF this abuse. How to overcome the evil has
puzzled members each year they have set
tied back into the demnition grind. Some
have been in a position to mske bold declara-
ton OF independence and some, because they
are rich. have been able to hire others to do all
this petty routine for them, but the great ma
jorlty have had to continue to delve and grind
away hopelessly and without reward.
Mr.. PERKINS BILL.
It was with view to correct this evil that
Mr.. Perkins Of Kansas introduced his bill the
other day providing for a bureau of CORE
spondence and information at the Capitol the
idea being to have a corps of employees whose
duty ii would be to go about the departments
and get the information members are con-
stantly called on for, but which has nothing
properly to do with their legislative duties
A statement Of what Congressman are called
on to do outside OF the halls of Congress would
scarcely be believed by one not familiar with
the facts-it would seem so absurd. The mat
tiers they required by their constituents
to look after are chiefly lot of petty claims Of
all sorts before the departments. There are
the pension claims always, then the bounty
and back pay claims, land claims Of various
sorts, horse claims, claims for property de-
stroyed during the war, establishment and
change Of post routes in the districts, not to
mention the claims for federal appointments
and the thousand and one other even more
particularly private business they are called
on to attend to at the various departments
The mails each day brings on an average of
forty or fifty requests to look after matters at
some OF the departments, many of which in
volve the consumption of great deal OF time
in looking over documents and records. Some
of the members from the east are compare
lively free from this sort of thing but most of
them and all of those from the western and
newer states are Overrun
AN EXPENSE OF TIME AND MONEY.
One member was telling a representative of
THE STAR the other day that it cost him one
third Of his salary to employ young men to 20
about the departments for him on this class of
business, and, besides, that his own time was so
taken up by it that he had no opportunity to make
a study OF the legislative matters before the
House. More than that his wife turned in and
helped him and much of her time was taken up
in attending to correspondence that no member
ought to be bothered with at all. Nearly all
hours OF the day, he said, that he was not on
the floor of the House he spent in running
about the departments looking up private cases
that some young claim agent ought to have in
charge, and his evenings were spSnt in writing
and debating letters to report to his impatient
constituents the result OF his days work.