Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-22
GOING TO CONGRESS
What It Really Means to a
New Member.
HIS DUTIES AND PAY
HE rs TAKEN CARE OF IN MANY
WAYS.
Perquisites That Make a Very Tidy
Addition to His Salary-What
He Gets Free.
HIS DUTIES AND PAY


point, unless you. be politician. AS a
matter of fact, the average congressional
freshman knows little of what is expect
ed of him, or of what he need expect until
blindfolded page draws his seat for him
by lot on his thrilling and exciting first
day at school,
More than 500 men are contesting for 3S6
seats in the national House of Representa-
tives, and the fight will grow hotter as
passes each of the next few days. We do
not read SO much about the congressional
campaign in presidential year. as we
do just before the alternate federal cleo
lions. Nevertheless. more ballots will be
polled for representatives next month than
there were two years ago, or than there
will be two years hence. presidential
election always brings out more voters than
congressional or "off-year contest. But
there is no lack of ginger in congressional
campaign simply because presidential
electors head the tickets. Each party has
posed of one congressman from each state
and generated by chairman as independ-
ent as either national committee chairman.
Literature is sent out in foreign tongues
and speeches made in different LIMOGES
under auspices of this supervisory board.
OF course, majority in both houses of the
federal legislature must be fought for as
bitterly the presidency itself, for a
President is practically helpless If he have
an opposition or even a mixed Congress to
deal with.
The democrats are fighting to wipe out
the republican majority of thirty-four in
the House. Even If they do this and elect
Parker they are sure to have republican
Senate on their hands. and this would act
upon all of Parker's nominations and
treaties during the first two years of his
administration. Only one-third of the sem
ators are elected every two years, and no
matter what miracles the democrats can
accomplish from now on. the state legls-
latures cannot elect enough of the old
partys partisans to give it a majority in
the upper house. However, a mixed Con-
gress is not SO baneful to President IN
the first half of his administration as in
the latter. Since the civil war every chief
executive except Grant who has ended
term with an opposed or mixed Congress
has seen his party chastised by the people
at the next election. The MEN who df'p
the little ballots into the box only consider
the fact that nothing has been accom-
pished and never allow for extenuatins
circumstances.
The Mixed Congresses.
Since the civil war the republicans have
had a majority in the Senate except IN
four Congresses. In the House the demo-
Gratis have had control during eight Con-
crosses only within the same period Dur
ing the second half Of Grants last term
there were a republican Senate and demo-
cratic House. Garfield and Arthur Came
into power with a reversion Of this condi-
tton-a democratic Senate and republican
House. TIE latter half of Arthur's term
things were again reversed. the Senate
being republican and the House dem ocratlc,
and so they remained in two other mixed
Congresses during Cleveland's first adlni1-
istration. Harrison had a solid republican
Congress with him during the first half OF
his term but in the latter half the House
was democratic. 1t would have been better
for him had the mixed legislature been IN
the first instead of the last two years of
his administration. Cleveland suffered the
same fate. for the Senate was republican
during the last two years of his next
regime.
The senator's and representa- tives' pit
lance of 5000 year is meager compared
with what the average successful physician.
lawyer, engineer or merchant receives an
nually. But just as the peers and common
ers of England are practically all of them
business men, congressman do not de-
pend upon politics for their 1ivelihoods.
Fortunately for them 1t is not demanded
that they abandon their private pursuits.
So 1t is not surprising to note that poor,
hand-to-mouth-living lawyers from the
back woods are entered in the same class
with multi millionaires of the great cities
for this exciting congressional race.
A large majority of every Congress are
lawyers. A seat In either house is very sure
to stimulate their practice or increase their
clientele. even when they are marked with
the 'eX DranQ OF the ndS-DeeHS. MdIly
are heads of great commercial enterprises,
but to them the official salary is mere
drop in the bucket. Hanna, while senator,
turned over his entire congressional salary
to his clerk. But there are some lazy fell
lows. elected to Congress, who loaf during
the nine months vacation Of the short ses-
sion year and the six months holiday OF
the long session year, and who try to make
ends meet on the bare congressional wage.
How do they do 1t?
Mileage, Stationery and Seeds.
A member whether he be senator or rep
resentative, profits, as a rule, directly In
proportion to the distance from Washing
ton at which he lives. At the beginning
and end Of each session he draws five cents
the mile on this distance, with which to
pay his railroad fare when he comes to the
capital and when he leaves 1t. OF course
he uses pass and this mileage drawn from
the public treasury is saved. If he lives on
the Pacific coast it amounts to hundreds Of
dollars year. If he lives in Hawaii and
has free transportation, it goes up into
four figures each session. Every member
is issued an annual pass by the large rail-
road companies. One very conscientious
representative refused such a gift during
the last session and proclaimed the fact
from the housetops. But his colleagues
held on to theirs and inwardly called him
a "chump."
Another perquisite In both houses Is s125
per year allowed Tor stationery, winch,
since the earliest days has included cutlery,
card cases, pocket books and even gloves.
dispensed at an official shop, with counter
and statesmen, in either wing of the Capitol.
Articles are bought at wholesale prices and
sold at cost in these stores.
Each spring about s225 worth Of garden
seeds are given to each member. These
are supposed to be distributed among the
poor farmer constituents. but INSCRIPTIONS
congressman have been known to sell them,
pocketing the cash realized. Some time
ago a member sold his entire seed quota for
$75 to an agent having a contract to supply
the Department of Agriculture. Choice
flowers and cuttings from the national bo-
tanical gardens at the foot of the Capitol
are supplied gratis to members and their
families, and thus the florists bill for pink
teas is often eliminated.
Some Profit on Clerk Hire.
When he travels the new member draws
from the official carpentergeneral OF the
Capitol wooden chests designed for his OFF,
cial documents, but which serve excellently
we'll as substitutes for chests and trunks
in which to pack Mrs. Members wardrobe.
Entire libraries of books are issued to con-
gressmen each session. These are printed
free at the great government publishing
house-the largest in the world--and many
of them are valuable scientific treatises.
These as well as charts and miscellaneous
literature are delivered to each member os-
tensibly for distribution among constitu-
ents. Many of them arrive at their legftt-