The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-01
CONGRESSMAN ARE.
HUSTL|NG FOR JOBS
Want Postmasterships For
Their Constituents
FRIDAY NIGHT SESSION
Office Early and Is Hard Worker.
Thomas jefferson Would Not
Recognize This Congress
By RODERICK CLIFFORD

apprehension that President Taft may
follow the example of his strenuous pre-
decessor and issue a blanket order cover
Inc the classified service of the remaining
fourth-class postmasters, is making the
congressman hustle to secure appoint
ments In their respective districts. No
membef%of the House Is more active In
this matter than Representative Brown
low of Tennessee, who is famlllarly
known In his state as the easy boss.
If there Is one executive that Represen-
tative Brownlow knows better than an
other it Is the postoffice. When his con-
stituents call at the capitol to see him,
and he Is not to be found In the COM
mittee room or in the House office build
ing, they are directed to the postoffice
department for they will most surely
find him there. 1t is laughingly said that
Colonel Brownlow camps on the steps or
the postoffice department building. Ger
tain 1t Is he never overlooks any fourth
class postoffices coming his way.
1t is just 10 years since the House abol-
ished the Friday night session, which
was devoted to the consideration of prl-
vate pension bills. These sessions were
often provocative of lively debates and
much campaign material was manufac-
tured for use in districts where fhe old
soldiers was factor In elections. In past
years pension legislation proved draw
ing card and elected many a republican
| tn the House; but with the enactment
| of general pension laws which 1t was
believed would make 1t comparatively
easy for the old soldiers to obtain the
bounty which a generous government in
tended they should have, the bitter par
tisan feeling engendered by private pen
sion bills gradually disappeared. The re"
suit was that the Friday night session
| has done away with, and two Fridays
month were given to the consideration
o. these private pension bills, in which
nearly every member of the House Is
personally interested.
The chairman of the invalid pension
committee is Representative Cy a. Sui
loway of New Hampshire, the tallest
man in the House. He is now serving
his eighth consecutive year, and during
| all these years he has been on this COM
| nttee.
| The whole method of considering pri-
vate pension bills has been changed Now
they are reported by the hundreds and
passed within an hour or two. The old
boys are rapidly dying Off" said Repre-
| serative Sulloway and there is no longer
a disposition to keep them off the pen.
sion roll. The bills reported from my
committee represent that class of claim
ants not reached by the general. We
carefully examine all papers in the case
and the member who introduces the Dill
comes before us and gives the evidence
on which he makes favorable repor'
Under the new order the House disposei
| of several thousands of meritorious
claims in a session, when in other DAYS
an active Congress would not pass more
than several hundred bills"
| The room of the minority leader, Rep
resentative Champ Clark of Missouri. is
| on the first floor of the House wing OF
the capitol in the northeast corner. 1t
is a large, spacious room with an ante
room which is used by the minority
| leader as his office. There the Missouri
statesman may be found every morning
at 1890 o'clock reading his mail and
answering correspondence. which is any
thing but a light task. From the time
he enters his office until he goes on the
floor to be present at the opening of
the session of the House he seldom mas
an idle moment. First one then announcer
member drops in to discuss the pro-
cramme of the day, or to tell him OF the
status of important measures pending be-
fore several committees. Then the news
paper men drop in to obtain the views
of the minority leader on the political
situation and his opinion about the prob
able time of adjournment of the session.
since the recent democratic victories In
sachusetts and New York his friends
smilingly address him as Mr. Speaker
err Thomas Jefferson could take a peep
/ in on Congress and witness how the time
OF the members is taken up in commit
tee work considering bills and resolutions,
he would not recognize 1t as the same
bodv which enacted laws for the coun-
in, q
REPRESENTATIVE Maynard of Virginia 20 a
marty of his colleagues In the cloak room
on the democratic side of the House the
other day. The Virginia congressman
was led to make this comment by an ex-
animation of the calendar, which shows
the staus of business to be considered by
the House.
Here on this calendar" said Mr.. May
nard, ARE measures of importance lhat
ought to receive careful consideration.
MANY of the bills embodying reforms have
heen before Congress for years, never
setting any nearer the statute book than
a report from the committee to which
they were referred. 1t seems to me thar
some members never give thought TO
Hills after they are introduced and print
ed. Just think. this Congress-
which convened in extra session
little more than one year ago mas
Witnessed
public and private bills and resolutions.
In this vast array of measures are. IN
the opinion of many members, panaceas
for every known i'll and defect govern
ment of the people, by the people, and
for the people, may be heir to. ! suppose
Ia think the fewer laws enacted the bet
ter II was for the people, but 1t seems
that idea is now out of date and what
the people want is a law for everything.
"I'Il wager a barrel of Norfolk oysters
that II the House should attempt to give
consideration to a 1.-THE of the many
measures of really national Importance
measures to correct known abuses of en-
listing law-Congress would be in session
fully IL months. Now is the hour for
the reformer to come forward with bill
TO repeal the old laws that have outlived
their usefulness and this reduce the size
AZ the statute books. The people, 1t
seems, have almost stopped thinking and
when they want anything they appeal to
Congress for the legislation. thereby SOW
ing the seeds of socialism"
~~~~~~~~~~~----->
wanted. Flora had a hundred ways OF
getting money; and Billy the carriage
driver) was always receiving little pres
ents from her and others"
At the end of three weeks Aunt Clary