The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-08-21

reported by that committee. But there
is no committee on pensions, and there
will be no committee on pensions IN.
til next December. Consequently the
old soldiers and their friends must de-
fer their hopes until the beginning of
the regular session.
There are many ambitious cities in
the country, with populations of no.
600 or more, who desire that the gov
eminent shall appropriate money for
public buildings.
The anne rule applies to these bills.
They are all to be referred to the com
mittee on public buildings and grounds.
But the speaker has appointed no such
committee. and the bills cannot be con-
sidered by the house until they have
been ~favorably reported by that com.
mittee.
Congressman deceive their constitu
ents very often, in q plausible manner
For example, an old soldier in a coun.
try town applies for a pension, through
congressional enactment. The con-
gresham introduces the bill. The gov.
ernment printing Office on the follow
ing day prints 100 copies Of the bill, in
Jorge type. The congressman sends
four or five copies of the printed bill to
his constituent. The printing costs him
nothing. 1t is an official document,
and is carried through the mails free
of charge. The congressman thus gives
his constituent to understand that he
is in a fair way to get a pension. The
constituent receives the printed bills,
and shows the copies to his friends.
They do not know how hard it is to
get a bill through congress; and they
fondly imagine that their congress-
man is a great man, who has done a
great thing. AS a matter of fact, the
introduction of a bill in congress is as
easy as dropping a letter in the post
Cffice. The congressman simply drops
the bill in what is called 1.-THE bill box
and the clerks and the government
printing Office do the rest.
Then there is another thing which
the people do not understand. They
get up big petitions to congress pray
ing hat certain legislation be enacted.
The congressman receive these petit
tions. but they pay no heed to them.
of course they each write a letter to
the man whose name heads the petition.
and say to him: 81 have received the
petition and to-day presented it to the
house of representatives. 1t was re-
ferred to the proper committee and
will receive consideration in due time
When you send petitions to congress
band receive such letters you may as
well understand that you have been
wasting time. There is a petition
box in the house OF representatives.
Your congressman simply drops your
petition in that box and it is taken in
charge by the clerks, who fold it, send
it to a committee, where it is filed
away and forgotten, There is moth
ing in it. Congressman do not pay any
attention to petitions.
In the senate there is no bill box
and there is no petition box" In that
body each senator arises in his place
and formally introduces a bill or a pc
ltition and his remarks are printed
daily in the Congressional Record. The
Congressional Record is sent to tens OF
thousands of constituents. so that they
may read that their senators have pre-
scented their bills and petitions. But
they go their way to the graveyard Of
pig~eon-holes. just the same as they do
in the house OF Representatives.
This is the way Legislation is carried
on in the two houses Of congress Of this
republic. where 1t is claimed that ''aIl
men are born free and equal
SMITH D. FRY.
An Unreasonable Jurv.