St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-08-14

reported by that committee. But there
il no committee ON pensions, and there
will be no committee on pensions un.
til next December. Consequently ths
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 TO-
600 or more, who desire that the gov
ernment shall appropriate money foi
public buildings-
The same 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 plausible manner.
For example, an old soldier in . coun'
try town applies for . pension. through
congressional enactment. The con-
gresham introduces the bill. The gov
rrnment 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
rothing. 1t il nm official document.
and is carried through the mails free
of charge. The congressman thus gives
his constituent to understand that he
is in fair way to get pension. The
constituent receives the printed bills,
and shows the copies to his friends.
They do not know how hard it 10 to
get q bill through congress; and they
fondly Imagine that their congress-
man in a great man. who has done .
great thing. Al . matter OF fact. the
introduction Of bill in congress Is n
easy a. dropping . letter in the post
CfIice. The congressman simply drops
the bill in what il called ''the bill box. "
and the clerks and the government
printing Office do the rest.
Then there il another thing which
the people do not understand. They
get up big petitions to congress pray
ing that certain legislation be enacted.
The congressman receive these peti-
tions, but they pay NO heed to them.
OF course they each write . letter to
the man whose name heads the petition
and say to him: II have received the
petition and to-day presented 1t 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
and receive such letters you may a.
well understand that you have been
wasting time. There II . petition
box" in the house Of representatives.
Your congressman simply drops your
petition in that box and it II taken in
charge by the clerks, who fold il. send
It to . committee, where II ID fled
away and forgotten. There II moth
ing in II. Cougressmen do not pay any
attention to petitions.
In the senate there II no bill box
and there II no petition box" In that
body each senator arises in his place
and formally introduces . bill or . Pc
tition and his remarks are printed
daily in the Congressional Record. The
Congressional Record IL sent to tens o1
thousands Of constituents. 20 that they
may read that their senator's have pre-
sented their bills and petitions. But
they 20 their way to the graveyard o1
pigeon-holes. just the same ~ they ID
in the house Of representatives..
This IL the way legislation II carried
on In the two houses Of congress Of this
republic, where IL 10 claimed that ~all
men are born free and equal.
O1GITH n FRY.