The Topeka state journal., 1905-02-25
Why congressman and Senators
Are So Busy.
letters Pour in Upon Them in
a Flood.
AVERAGE rs A DAY.
Nearly All of These Require
Answers.
Seed Distribution Has Grown to
Enormous Proportions.

Washington. Feb. 25.-There is
probably in Kansas very little concep-
ton of the daily business transacted
BY a Kansas senator or representative
1t assumes great proportions. and a
grasp OF the amount of it is interest
ing.
For instance. it is not known that
the incoming mail received by Senator
Long will average about seventy-fve
letters per day. 1t is also worthy of
note that each day, with the exception
Of Sunday, there goes out of his office
a mail which frequently amounts to
more than 100 letters, and very sell
dom running less than seventy five.
Practically 2,5OO letters left his Office
in the month Of January; and the
month included one holiday and five
Sundays.
Letterheads and envelopes are or
dered by Senator Longs Office in lots
of 10000 at d time. The stationary
acquisitions are heavier than from al
most any other senatorial Offices, un-
less it be from those of Senator Pen
rose of Pennsylvania.
In addition to the letter mail. the
senatorial offices send out vast num-
bers of other material-d
publications of one sort and another,
vegetable. flower and lawn grass seed,
farmers bulletins speeches and the
like. Last year Senator Long dis
trtbuted $4,000 packages of seeds.
0,000 farmers bulletins. carefully Sc
lected according to the community
and the class of distributee; and no
less than $500 publications of value
and interest To obtain these was no
small task, inasmuch as the regular
allotment of these to each member of
congress is only about one-third of the
total amount distributed through him.
1t is understood that this year, the
distribution of the above made through
Senator Longs Office viii be in excess
of last year.
Representative Curtis mail, and his
distribution of seeds, publications, etc,
is carcely less than that of Senator
Long. His mail will average about
seventy-five letters per day outgoing,
and nearly as many incoming He
keeps a force of clerks constantly en-
ployed in this work
Representative Victor Murdock de-
clares that he has been "swamped"
since the beginning Of the present ses-
sion. It is no unusual thing for him
to send out 20 or rs letters per day. he
says, and his incoming mail viii run
from SO to so letters per day.
Representatives Miller. Calderhead,
Bowersock, and Reeder all get large
mails. That of Mr.. Scott and Mr.. Camp
bell is not so large as the others. and
yet sufficient to keep their time fully
occupied, in addition to the calls of
statesmanshiD-
1t should be borne in mind. also, that
one letter may cause much CORES pond
ence and time consumed in looking af-
ter the matter referred to. 1t is receiv-
ed; it involves a call once, at least. or
perhaps twice or thrice on some de-
partment. 1t may involve formal or
official correspondence with the head
of some department or bureau, properly
to get at all the facts. Meanwhile. the
correspondent must be assured that the
matter is receiving attention. to keep
him from becoming restless at not re-
ceiving Immediately the information he
desires. Then the papers and letters,
with copies of the same. must be kept
in hles and indexes ready for prompt
reference if the matter should come up
in the future. Meanwhile, the member
is supposed to be giving his undivided
attention to statecraft, the while.
There is an impression that members
Of congress do not work overtime; in
fact that they are giving to lettering