The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-10-26
FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT
ABLE WORK ACCOMPLISHED BY HON. N. D. SHERRY IN CONGRESS-.

Ills Unceasing Labors for His Constituency
 During His Term in the House-Efiorts
 for Cuba and Armenia-The Subject of
 ImmigrationNo Not Forgotten-An Author
 ity on Postal Affairs-Othcr Services.
 This above all others is the time when the public records of men, seek ing office at the hands of the people are brought out and weighed. The peo- ole in the present crisis want to know where each man stands, and whether he will be good and faithful servant, or is only seeking power to further his own ends. It is fitting, then, that we look for a moment on the record of our present congressman from this district.
 It is not necessary to sketch the en- tire public career of the lion, N. D. Sperry. The people of New Haven and in fact of the state and country, are familiar with his record prior to his election to congress. It is with his work in congress that we will deal.
 When congress opened last December MT. Sperry was what Is known as a new member. That, in legislative life in Washington, means more than what appears on the surface. Almost inva- riably a new man has to go through a year or more of apprenticeship as it were, before he is considered competent n a ,a,,t ;,, sional affairs, unless he is a man of unusual ability. Mir Sperry has the advantage of most of the new members He was we'll known to all the leaders He was personal friend of Speaker Reed, who showed his confidence in him by putting him at the head of the new members of the postoffice committee and also on the committee of postoffice expenditures. Still, even with this ad- vantage, there were many difficulties 4 to overcome in order to accomplish all that MT. Sperry desired in behalf of his ! constituents.
 A PLEA FOR CUBA.
 Cuba and Armenia were the two for eign subjects that occupied the atten- ton of the world at the opening of con- H gress. MT. Sperry was deeply interest ed in both. One of his first acts was tc present to the house a petition in favor \ of the struggling patriots in Cuba. The petition was ten feet long and numer- x ously signed by citizens of New Haven M Petitions for the sufferings of the Ar M menians were also received from va. M rious churches and individuals in MT M Sperry's district, and referred to the M committee on foreign relations. MT N Sperry's maiden speech on the floor ot Fl the house was in behalf of the perse. H cuted Christians in Armenia.
 N THE SUBJECT OF IMMIGRATION E The subject of immigration to this RI country is one that must be settled # in the near future, and here also MT H Sperry showed himself pioneer by in. # troducing a resolution of inquiry early # in the season. It was referred to the committee on immigration and natural ization suggested by MT. Sperry ant E others from New England The bil N passed the house and would have pass. ed the senate had there been time
 enough. It will undoubtedly pass dur N ing the coming winter.
 N AUTHORITY ON POSTAL MATTERS # In postoffice affairs MT. Sperry ha M no peer He was the acknowledged au N thority on postal affairs in the postof E fee committee, and much of the wTl M done there was due to his experience
 and energy, even in the face of grea |B opposition from department official M and others It is acknowledged by al tA that MT. Sperry's classification bill fo E the clerks in the postoffice throughout |a the country is the fairest and squares measure that could be proposed. H earned the thanks of every postoffic
 clerk, as well as the general public, b. 1# making merit the only cause of ad vancment in the service. The bill wa
 favorably reported by the committee
 and will pass, as soon as the govern
 ment has increased it's income so as t \ be able to pay its running expenses.
 The other branches of the postoffic
 department were not forgotten. On
 of the strongest short speeches mad
 on the floor of the house was made b,
 MT Sperry in favor of the letter car
 riers as against the odious spy system
 It was proposed by the postoffice de
 partment to add thirty so-called in
 spectors to the force. In reality thes
 men were nothing but spies, and thi
 part of the general postoffice appro
 priation bill was vigorously opposed b
 every letter carrier in the country
 The clause was stricken out of the bil
 mainly through the persistent work c
 MT. Sperry, who even followed it up i
 the senate, by calling it to the atten
 tion of Senator Platt and the other
 who killed it there.
 The bill in behalf of the railway ma
 clerks was also favored by MT. Sperr1
 and in addition he helped many an in
 dividual postoffice employe, who wa
 in trouble and wanted assistance
 Another postoffice bill introduced b
 MT. Sperry was one in favor of free de
 livery in rural towns, a bill that
 bound to pass in the near future, bu
 which was put over last session owin
 to objections raised under the rules (
 the house.
 THE IDENTIFICATION BILL.
 Another general bill of special inter
 est to New Haven and vicinity was tn
 fortification bill, which provided for ou
 coast defences. The original bill, a
 drawn up by the senate cemmittee, cor
 tained no provision for the protection (
 the eastern end of Long Island sount
 and left New Haven entirely unprc
 tected as against a hostile feet M
 r-..- Al,os ftnr /