The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1910-09-03


X1H, ~. article which is Of interest
NSEE to all who are concerned In
the vital subject to which
we give the somewhat fog
Ey title OF Political Reform" The
article, for obvious reasons anony.
nous, is written by member of
congress who, the editors of the
Worlds Work say. has served for
more than ten years in the house of
representatives, has acted on many i'm
aprtant committees, and has been sue
ssful In getting things" for his
constituency. The article is described
as showing the reason why the pork
barrel, special tariff favors, and pri-
vate pension bills become law" the
reason being, to quote the words of
the author. that the dictum of the
constituency to the congressman is
Get all you can for US There are
no restrictions placed upon his meth
cd Of getting it. -.
Until the American people themselves
ecome more national and less local,
Until constituencies cease to regard
their congressman as solicitors at the
tinue to enact ubiquitous groups of To-
cal favors into national legislation"
This serious charge against the
American people-for which there is
unquestionably altogether too much
justification-the author proceeds to
substantiate by relating some of his
own experiences with constituents
which, however surprising they may
seem to the general reader, will seem
almost commonplace to all who know
how the average constituency does in
actual practice treat its congressman.
The writer sets forth the fact that,
in the first place, ninety per cent. OF
the letters which congressman re-
ceives are requests for special favors
to be obtained in some way or other,
directly or indirectly, from the United
States treasury. For instance, while
the Payne-Aldrich tariff law was un-
der discussion, this particular con-
gresham received In May, 1909, the
following letter from the secretary of
a powerful commercial association In
his district:
n Il have been instructed by the board
H
VIE you that at special meeting May
20, resolution. copy of which is in.
closed, was unanimously adopted, urg.
Ing our representatives in congress to
use every endeavor to have the
pres.
ent tariff in (mentioning three of the
products of the industries referred to)
Increased one cent per pound and the
present tariff on (mentioning the 9th.
er two proddcts) increased half cent
per pound. l wish to further advise
you that we have heard from Senator
-- and he informs us that he
will take care of this matter in the
senate"
When the bill was finally passed,
the congressman succeeded in adding
half cent pound to the duty on
two of these products and in prevent
ing any reduction on the others.
year later, when the popular clamor
against the bill had become acute,
the same association that had asked
him to vote for increases wrote to the
congressman denouncing the bill as
"the most tniquitous measure ever en-
acted by congress" and requesting
him to explain by letter why be had
voted with "the Reactionaries" to pass
the bill. When it was pointed out to
the association that it had urged the
congressman to obtain an increase of
duty on the products in which it was
interested, it dropped its demand for
an explanation. An influential news
kpaper published in his district edi-
i'm 1n-bi tb-
Has under debate for his Intelligent
forts" To increase the duty on manu-
featured articles in which the district
was interested, and year later the
same newspaper in the same editorial
column denounced him as one of "the
legislative banditti responsible for the
Payne-Aidrich measure"
River and harbor legislation is an
other field in which local selishness
busies itself, to the exclusion of ma
tional needs In this case requests
are not made by letter but by delega-
tions which come to Washington be-
sieging their senators and representa-.
tives. There is" says the frank
writer of this article, "fguratively
speaking. between $50,000,000 and $780,
900, ,OOe on the table to be divided. The
committee divides it SO that every one
is satisfied, at least to reasonable
extent" Every one, that is but the
people at large, the people who have
no special interest to serve, and who
feel Eeenly indignant that the rivers
and harbors of the United States are
developed in a fashion so inferior to
that Of Europe.
Nor are all the requests for legis-
1ation merely. One constituent de-
sired to have this particular congress
man nut his name on the free mailing