Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-03-24

buxom and beautiful country lass lust
budding into womanhood asking his
opinion as to the advisability of
allowing the young lady to marry q
young man who was paying court to
her, and giving a full description of
the young mans character and prospects
in order to enable the member the more
readily to come to conclusions An
other letter came from a young lady
whose true love course was running the
usual rugged way and who sought the
members wisdom for the solution of
problems which she and her lover could
! not settle. These are but examples of
great many such letters which are re-
ceived by members who represent re-
, mote districts, where the simplicity of
uncultured nature prevails. Some of
the questions propounded by these sim
pie people would puzzle Solomon, and
member experiences no little embar-
rassment in answering them, though he
who has the wisdom to speak like a
Delphlc oracle is in fair way to make
himself solid with his people, getting
credit for it where his advice proves good
and not running much risk of censure in
any event.
The number of letters received by
members in the House vary from five or
ten day, which is about the extent Of
the mail of Mr.. Geissenheimer of New
Jersey, to $50 each day, which is about
the average number Of letters received
each day by Mr.. Harter of Ohio. Mr..
Harter having sent anti-silver circulars
all over the country. Is receiving replies
which swell his daily mails to the high
est notch. But abott one other member
of the House equals him. That other
member is O'Donnell of Michigan, who
being an avowed candidate for the nom
inatiOn as Governor OF Michigan, is
writing TO and receiving letters from
people throughout the State. Dalzell
who Is laying his wires to succeed Mr..
Quay in the Senate, receives an average
of about 200 letters day. Representa-
tives HUFF and Enochs have been get
ting about 200 letters day during the
session. Lodge of Massachusetts, has
a steady run during each session OF
Congress OF about 100 every day, while
Wilson OF Kentucky, Peel OF arkansas,
Pendleton of West Virginia, and Houk
OF Tennessee run close up 10 him in
their average. AS rule members rep
resenting city districts receive less mail
than any others Ia Congress and alto
gether are very much less troubled by
their correspondence.
Ihe seed season Is just now beginning
and the members from rural districts
are overwhelmed with letters from con-
stituents asking for seeds, which are
given out by the Agricultural Depart
ment, certain proportion to each dis
trict. Each member has about $500
packages of seed and 500 agricultural
reports to distribute, and most of
the country members have already al
exhausted their stock. Meredith, of
Virginia, whose constituents appear to be
breaking great deal OF ground for the
spring planting, has for several weeks
been getting an average OF fifty requests
each for seed, and Holman has already
responded to letters exhausting his full
$500 packages. Besides all the letters
which members OF the House receive.
each gets daily copy of five papers,
which are sent free by the publishers,
and an average OF fifty country weeklies
are received by each member whose
district lies outside Of the large cities.
The great burden OF this correspondence
lies In the fact that those men who get
the most letters are usually the repre-
sentatives Of class Of people who In
sist that replies must be written by the
members themselves and not by the sec-
retaries