The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-20
THE PETITION INDUSTRY.
A business in Washington Which
Gives One Man a Good Living.


Washington Correspondence of the st.
Louis Globe-Dem0crat.
The petition industry is booming. In the
indexing of the Congressional Record for
the session just closed one man is hand
ling nothing but the petitions. Day after
day he sits at his desk making up the cat
alogue Of prayers of the People. If he flu
ashes his stint by the time the rest of the
index is ready for The primer he wiz re-
alize expectations. Most men in Congress
formally recognize expression of the right
of petition Ii they receive petitions they
introduce them. Some years ago, when he
was in the Senate, MIR. Sherman presented
petition. The request conveyed therein
was SO at variance with the senator 5
known convictions that a newspaper man
asked hint what he meant
Nothing, was the reply; nothing at
all. recognize tie right Of patihon, ana
put IN the request without regard TO my
opinion on the subject. / do nos cOnsiaec
myself in any way committed by such ac-
don
Back of the right of petition is pofti
history aud&evolution OF government. The
first amendment to The constitut. on OF The
United States declared right OF petition.
But the present petition industry was not
contemplated in the long contest between
rulers and people which ended Ia acknowl-
edgement Of tie right Of petition.
Of Congress petitions have multiplied one
hundredfold Where there were ten pe-
utions twenty years ago there are a thou
sand now. Petitions have ceased to rep
resent The voluntary exercise of the right.
They are now product of American man
ufacture. The raDidlty with which the
product is increasln g makes il only ques-
ton of time when Congress will adopt
measures to discourage If 1t .cannot repress
the exercise. Mere printing of the petit
tons by title has become a serious item
of expense The House no longer wastes
time with the public presen tation of these
petitions, but provides box into which
they are dropped. On the back pages of
the Record the briefest possible daily list
of the contents of the box appears. The
Senate still permits the Introduction OF
these petitions, but will hardly do so much
longer. Last session the reading of the
petitions by titles consumed much time
and many columns of the proceedings.
The manufacture of petitions is a mat
ter Of pride and profit with those who con-
duct It, There Is no man in Washington
who writes REV" before his name and
I'D. D." after, who earns an income equal
to that paid many pastors of metropol-
tan churches by the manufacture of petit
lions. He seeks for subjects for reform.
prepares the blank petitions addressed to
Congress, and sends the printed forms in
bundles to various parts of the country,
making use of church and benevolent or
ganizations. The petitions are passed
around signed and mailed back to the
senators and representa- ives, to be pre-
scented to Congress. This goes on year af-
ter year. From Washington public senti-
ment, which finds expression in petition
signing, is worked up, and the petitions
come by the mailbagful for supposed in
fiuence on legislation. The man who does
all this creates in the minds Of good peo-
pie a confidence in his usefulness, which
prompts them to contribute through their
ORGANIZATIONS handsome salary for his
support