Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-04-19
MUCH TIME WASTED.
New Congressman Do Considerable
Unnecessary Running Around.
Don't Know Where to Look for In
fOrmatiOn-PrOfess Private
Secretaries indispensable
Especial Washington letter.
CCTHERE is room for a new Ii

HERE is room Tor a new line
of business in this city"
says Congressman Brund-
idge, of Arkansas. ANY good and eff
ficient man ought to make at least a
hundred dollars a week at it, ana an
industrious man of capability might
make even double that amount.
when I first came here l received
letters from my constituents asking
me to see this, that and the other
member of the cabinet for them. For
example. a prominent political friend
of mine would want a commission in
the army for his son. | would go to
the office of the secretary of war, and
find other senators and representa-
tives ahead of me. / would wait an
hour or more for my turn, and finally
go away without having a chance to
talk to the secretary. Then L would
be obliged to go again and again. In
asmuch as l had to see other members
of the cabinet on other missions Tor
my people, 1 found it to be practically
impossible for me to get around and
attend to congressional business at
the capital.
Finally a young man came to me
for employment He had letters
showing that he had been private sec
rotary to Senator Black burn, of Ken
lucky. for - years. l told him that
l had brought private secretary
here with me from my district, and
that L could not employ him. But 1
told him that 1 could occasionally give
him some letters to write for me. On
the very first occasion. while l was
debating letters to the young man, 1
stated to one of my constituents that
/ had been five times to see the sec
rotary of war about his matter, that
l had been disappointed every time;
but promised to continue to do my
best.
The young man suggested that 1
let him look the matter up for me,
telling me that l need not see the sec
rotary of war at all; but that a GER
tain obscure chief of division would
know all about it. I gave him that
letter and a number of others, and he
did in half day what I had been
trying to do for more than week.
The difference was that the young
man knew by experience what to do,
and l lacked the experience, and
hence was laundering along.
Il learned that the members of the
cabinet, when called on for informa-
ton on various subjects, send for
their subordinates and get the in
formation from them. l learned that
it is easier for private secretary who
is familiar with the executive DEPART
ments to go directly to the obscure
men who actually handle the official
papers, and it saves so much time.
Any good man of well-established
reputation might get to be private
secretary to four or more congress
men and attend to all of their depart
mental business, and receive from
each congressman the sum of 500 per
month, which every congressman is
allowed for private secretary, there
by making a good income, and doing
the congressman and their constitU-
ents a great deal of good. There is
room here in Washington for the bust
ness of a professional private secre-
tary."
This is a new idea of a new con-
gresham, but it is not a new idea to
the writer. The trouble is that every
congressman feels that he must bring
some man here as his private secre-
tary, some man who has rendered and
can render political service at home.
All of the congressman entertain this
idea, and hence they bring men here