Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-01-16

committees on elections have great deal
TO do, but the work il divided up, and il
is expected that all will be soon over with
The Appropriations Committee has its
usual work, and those other committees
having appropriation bills cannot enjoy
immunity from labor. but beyond that
there is hardly any work in sight that the
committee will have to do, unless, to get
campaign material, they take up investi-
cations. Bills are numerous enough. but
very few of them demand attention, or are
likely to receive any. Upon two or three
members on the Democratic side and half
dozen or so on the Republican side will
fall the labor of looking out for party
politics.
The average member of the House has
ample time to think over his own affairs,
or to study and prepare himself for a
career. or TO devote to the ter going and
pleasure. He does not have to get to the
Capitol much before Il o'clock, unless he
happens to have been assigned to one Of
the few working committees, and he does
not always have to go to the Capitol at
all. The average man breakfasts about
3 o'clock. Half an hour before this his
mornings mail is brought around. 1t
will consist of maybe half a dozen news
papers, a lot of pamphlets, tracts and ad-
vcrtisements. and from ten to twenty-five
letters. All the newspapers except the
local paper of his own home goes into
the waste basket promptly. These are
followed by the pamphlets and advertise
ments, and finally by some of the letters.
Most of the latter have to be answered.
Some of them require something to be
looked up at the departments or else
where, and involve work before they can
be answered. Generally the reply can be
made at once in a line and all of the writ
ing is done by the Congressman's stenog-
rapher, provided at Government expense.
After the letters are seen to, the mem
Der reads his home paper and looks over
the principal features of one of the Wash
ington papers, and then sets out for the
day. If he has a committee meeting at
the Capitol, all this morning work will be
shortened and much of it postponed until
later in the day. If there is no meeting
of this sort demanding his attention, the
hour of his arrival at the Capitol is reg,i-
lated largely by his fondness for being
seen in his seat. or for minging in the
gossip ante-session assemblage.
At the Capitol.
Whatever time he has to spare between
his arrival and the hour of prayer is de-
voted TO gossip with his colleagues. Near
. the elevator, by the basement entrance
principally used, is the House postoffice.
Here the member stops on his way to the
hall of the House and gets his second
morning mail. He may get from two to
half dozen letters. These he usually
reads during the session of the House. II
he did not have clerk, he would have to
answer them as he read them, but, as il
now is. a note on the back will remind
him of their contents, and he puts them
away until he can get hold of his stenog
rapher.
If the =, mber has any bills he has
been asked to introduce, or which he has
had his stenographer prepare for him, he
hands them to one of the clerks at the
desk or puts them in the receptacle desig
mated for bills at some time during the
day. If he has a bill or resolution he
wants unanimous consent to have consid