The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-01-10
ONE SCHEME TO
HELP CONGRESS
Assistant congressman" to Do
Letter Writing, While Men,
hers Do Thinking.
By Ernest @. walker.
Mail Special to The Advertiser.

By Ernest G. Walker.
mail Special to The Advertissr.)
WASHINGTON, December ga
tolerably ambitious proposition for the
creation of between two hundred and
three hundred fat federal places, each
with a salary of about $4,000, is under
discussion at the capitol 1t has come
up in connection with the new appor,
tionment law, which the house census
committee is soon to frame and which
congress win enact after the holidays.
These new positions would virtually
be those of "assistant congressman. -
They are suggested as one expedient for
shifting from the shoulders of repre-.
sentatives of the people the routine
work of conducting correspondence and
running departmental errands, in or.
der that the real representatives might
devote themselves to the more dignifed
tasks of studying public questions and
attending to simon pure matters of leg.
islation.
The advocates of such an innovation
believe the house of representatives
should consist of between two hundred
and three hundred members, instead of
the three hundred and ninety.one at
present. They would therefore not only
reduce the size of the house in its mem
bership but probably would 90 so far
as to make the membership permanent.
A law was enacted back in the sos pres
cribing that the house should consist
permanently of a given number. of
Notwithstanding like 23O-but of
course it could not be made binding
upon subsequent congresses, whenever
they chose to enact new apportionment
laws at the ten-year census periods.
Only Suggestion.
Probably the "assistant congress-
men scheme will get no farther than
the agitation and discussion stage, al
though it is claimed to have much
merit. 1t viii be surprise if the
house votes to retain its present mem
hership, let alone the matter of reduc-
ing that membership. The cry is al
ways strong for more members. The
idea of smaller house, however, would
assure each State full representation as
at present and much more orderly and
thorough consideration of public bust
ness.
"Assistant congressman, one for
each representative, would in reality
be men of the grade of chief clerks
and would have one or more stem
ographers. The representative would
have an official establishment, very like
that which most senators now have.
For every Republican senator is chair
man of a committee, with clerk or
secretary, sometimes an assistant sec
rotary, and always a messenger. The
Democratic, or minority senators, have
at least two employees, one of whom
is secretary. All senators are relieved
of much of the official drudgery, about
which representatives complain.
Ready Letters Writers.
The representatives are themselves
largely to blame for the current condi
tons. 1t was not many years ago that
they sat at their desks in the hall of
the house and, with their own hands,
penned most of the letters that went
to the folks back home. But enter
prising men of the house discovered
was good for getting and holding votes.
There has been a great rush of activ.
ity in recent years at distributing seeds
and public documents and so on and
so on till most of the constituencies
of the United States have been educat-
ed to expect that sort of thing from
their representatives. 'Fool' letters
come to congressman by the thousands
daily, let alone those of n more legiti-
mate character which none the less
should hardly have been sent down to
Washington to bother the lawmakers.
Society Dispiaces Business.
OF course, it is open to question
whether any considerable number of
representatives would become more
studious or more attentive to legisla-
tive duties, if they were given high
class assistants. In the house, and
likewise in the senate, there seems to
have been a decline in craftsmanship
Of recent years, quite in proportion to
the concentration of actual authority /
in a ruling coterie. Then Washington
has been bee oming more and more a
social center every winter and the at
fractions of that character are divert
ing to the congressional families that
measure up TO the more fashionable
social standards.
The big marble office building for
the house, which was completed few
years ago and which contains fine
Offices for every representative of the |
people, splendidly furnished and equip |
ped, would eft in" nicely with the |
"'assistant congressman idea. The |
dignity and Importance of being rep. |
1 n 4
as the representatives themselves are |
concerned, by the march of events, al. !
though it may be that this has not !
been the case out among the voters |
There has been much assertion about
the sovereign voice of constituency
in the National House.
This state of mind has been in no |
small part responsible for the liberal. |
ization of the rules and larger reeog-
milton at Washington Of representa-. !
tive's Individuality. The oontiDued /