Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-04
THE PROBLEM OF PATRONAGE.
The District and other Committees of
the House.

"The question of patronage and its dis
tribution among representative constltu-
ents is the hardest proposition that mem
Der Of Congress goes up against during his
term, and many are the faithful represent
atives who have caught 1t where the
young man ties his scarf because Of dis
satisfaction among his people on that
score" said a member Of the District COM
mittee Of the House to Star man today.
1T depends to large extent upon which
committee member may be assigned by
the Speaker OF the House, as to his sue
cess in meeting the demands winch
his friends and others will make upon him.
1t would be supposed that l, being on the
District committee, would occasionally Sc
cure an appointment under the local gov
eminent. In all the years have served on
that committee I have never been able TO
secure a single place in the local govern
ment in Washington. In fact, l Only trled
once, some years ago, for laborefs ap-
pointment. Failing to obtain 1t, tnere-
with abandoned all further efforts IN that
direction, and made. it an lnViolable rule
never to lend my Endorsement to any ap-
plication. no
"The committee Upon District affairs Is
not desirable onS upon which to serve IN
this respect and others, though It's mem
bers in both houses of Congress are an I'M
usually faithful and conscientious lot OF
gentlemen, who are sincere in their efforts
to look after the interests or the DIS
trict and to improve 1t In material way.
Their constituents, however. give them no
credit therefor, knowing nothing Of their
work here, and from purely political
standpoint no benefit accrues to either l
believe, however, that the members OF the
District committee Of both houses in any
session of Congress take real pleasure
in giving their best efforts to the advance
ment of all that relates to the city and its
environs, but I am discussing the question
from the side of patronage, and the train Of
results, both happy and unhappy, which
flow therefrom. .
..This is not true Of the other commit
tees. While member of the committee on
public lands may come from seaboard
district in Massachusetts,, where there are
no public lands open for settlement, and
member from an interior state may serve
on the committee on naval anairs' ana
may never have seen the ocean or a war
ship in his life, yet there are possibilities
to each on the question of patronage, or Of
being Of service to his constituents. which
do not exist on the District committee.
Because a man is a representative 1t
does not follow that he gets what he
wants. Usually, especially If he is new
member well impressed with his own i'm
portance he does not. In both the Senate
and House the members of the appropria-
ton committee get the lions share Of the
political plums and favors in and out of
Washington. A member who happens to
ter than a member who Is not on such
committee.
Members on departmental committees
who are in accord with the administration
as to policy and action usually get all that
is coming to them In their respective de-
partments within reason. These commit
tees have it in their power to make 1t easy
or hard for the head of the department to
obtain what he wishes from Congress, and
usually there is the best feeling among all
concerned. This influence is being gradual
ly strengthened by the practice Of Con-
gress and Of individual members thereof
to stand by the report and sustain the
wishes Of the committee. Members Of the
House often do this. even though their own
ideas may be at variance with the report.
It is comparatively easy for members Of
the different committees to retaliate for in
territorial Sights and opposition and I'M
less a members conscience Is too badly
stretched he will vote to sustain the action
of the committee as 1t tends to indirectly
strengthen both himself and the report Of
his own committee when their innings
come up. -
1.-THE members of the House whose dis
tricts are contiguous or within short train
ride from the capital have the toughest
road to travel. especially those from Vir-
ginia and Maryland. I have no doubt that
the death cath Of sPe Mere
ginia in which Alexandria Is situated for
several terms, twas hastened by his patron
age troubles. s. During the last Cleveland
bed at night, he Informed me. by anxious
Alexandrians and others who evidently
feared he might get out Of town before
dawn II they did not see him.
my confreras who live in the remote
western states are more relieved than 9TH
ers who reside nearer by. Their constitu-
ents will only take places which pay fairly
well. but those of the nearby members will
other minor places. and the nearby mem
bers secure most Of these positions, as it
doesn't take d months salary to get into
the city on the railroads.
Members without number have told me
that their failure to. secure a denomination
was directly traceable to their inability to
please everybody or fraction of their
constituents. The disgruntIed element
worked for and secured their political
downfall. The distribution Of fourth-class
postmasters. as minor as 1t seems, has been
the Waterloo Of many members in close
districts. Members from districts having
a large majority for the party In power
or out. for that matter. are more independ-
ent in this respect"