The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1910-02-11
Special Correspondence.
HOW A CONGRESSMAN WORKS.

l fell in with Congressman Scott of
Kansas the other morning just as he
was entering his Office, and told him
l should like to know just how an
average Congressman spent his
time.
"Well, if you regard me as an
average Congressman" he replied,
"you might follow me around and
see."
Accepting this offer, l followed
him into his office. He was met
by his private secretary who asked
and received Instructions about
number of matters that were pend
ing in the Departments, all having
to do with the request of individual
constituents. His Stenographer
came in with the mornings mail,
apparently thirty or forty letters,
and the Congressman sat down and
began debating replies. Most OF
the letters, of couIse, were from
constituents, some asking for garden
seeds, some asking for farm bulletins
or other Government publications,
many relating to pensions, some 10
claims against the Government,
some asking for information or
various topics, and others express
ing opinions or asking the opinion
of the Congressman on public
questions.
Here was a man from whom the
Union troops had taken corn during
the war, and the Congressman was
asked to go to the War Department
and examine the evidence on file
there and see if it would not warrant
bringing the matter before Congress.
A college boy was getting ready for
a debate ON the Initiative ans
Referendum and wanted the Con
gressman TO state his own opinions
and send him any publications ne
could get on the subject. A lady
was preparin. paper for her club
on the work of the United States in
the Philippines, and asked for
official reports touching the matter,
A new postmaster had recently
been appointed somewhere, and
there was a letter from one man
protesting against and one from
another man cordially endorsing it.
One man wanted to know "why
Congress did not get busy and do
something for the people" A man
in Chicago wrote .ong letter dis
cussing the bill against gambling III
futures, which Mr.. Scott has intro
duced land which, by the way, is
regarded as one of the big bills Of
the SESSION.; there was letter from
a man in Texas on the same subject,
wanting to be notified when the
bill WAS to be taken up. A man III
North Carolina offered some advice
touching the Appalachian Forest
Reserve bill. A man in Virginia
urged the passage of a bill to
provide for the Inspection OF nursery
stock brought into the United States
from abroad.
A meat Inspector IN Buffalo asked
the Congressman to use his influence
with the Department of Agriculture
to have him transferred to Kansas
CITY. A clerk in the Reclamation
service in the State of Washington
asked for help to be transferred to
some other Department..
A Kansas City man, who had
taken up claim in New Mexico,
was having trouble getting his patent,
and asked Mr.. Scott 10 go to the
Land Office and see what was The
matter.
Letters from men in half dozen
different states prott sted against the
bill to give George Washington
university part of the Morrill, fund,
while the president of that university
sent, by special messenger, a long
letter answering the attacks that had
been made upon the bill. And to
all the letters Mr.. Scott dictated a