The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-10-25
From The Postal Record, Official Or gan of the National Association
 of Letter Carriers.)

of Letter Carrfers.)
 Thomas L. Reilly is a name that will be respected, admired, loved and revered by the letter carriers and oth- er postal employees of the United | states for ali time. It might be well for us to know who Thomas Lawrence Reilly is and 1 will try to give a brief account of a personal opinion of the nan. together with information gath cred from official records
 First of all he is the Represents tive in Congress from the Seccnd District of Connecticut. After that he is con nsidered the Representative of every man, woman and child who needs a friend, and he is an advo- cate and supporter of every measure that will tend to uplift and improve mankind and make life easier and more pleasant for those who toll and make for the worlds progress. He Possesses that trait most I1eeded 1A1 public man called upon to render ser rice to his country-intellectua hon. esty He first studies a question, and after his convictions have been arr1V- ed at he speaks his thoughts freely and without regard for his personal political fortunes. Moral courage is 7, quality he possesses in the highest degree and this Is virtue that the American people admire
 Although serving. his first term in , Congress- he has by sheer iforce of character and a pleasing personality won his way to the front raEk and stands high in the councils of his par ty,S where his advice and views are freauently sought on important pub lie questions pending in Congress. In short, he has made most enviabIe record during his brief term of ser= vice and with more mature experi- ence he Is bound to become one of the leaders of the House of Represents tfyes-
 when HIT. Reilly was elected to ConRress he did not follow the usual custom of new Members. by waiting at home until the time for, the con- vef1fx& or she Consr ess to which he was elected. That Wae not sf91e Reii- ly way of doing things He packed his grip when Congress convened for the closing session of the 61st Con- sress, and went to Washington to look around and get acquainted with the duties of his new position He stayed i'm Washington nearly the whole of the time of the closing ses- sious< and sEEh ens the new, EongTess was caIlsdsatn extr& eeesIon by F President Taft, in April, 1s11ss he<.s WsE well known to all the Members of the for. mer Congress, and this acquaintance ship gave him a standing with the new members, who looked on him as man with experience in Congression- al work.
 
 terest in all the progressive measures before Congress and took part in the debates on the fariff, direct election of United States Senators, parcels post and other questions of great inn port to the people of this country He fatfiered the Eight-Hour Bill, which limits thes hours of labor of clerks and carriers in first and second -class po<toffsces to eight hours within ten, and by his careful handling and gui- dances of the measure it was enact ed into law This was remarkable work for a new Member of Congress as this legislation had been sought by the postoffice clerks for a mum lferoft years and by the letter car s riers- for two years. This leg1sla- ton means much to the letter carriers and postoffice clerks. and by the en- actment of the Reilly Eight Hour Law MT Reilly has won place in the hearts of these men that will last not only during the lifetime of the present en ployees, but will be handed down to future generations. Ask any postal ennploye, if he knows Congress- man Reilly, and even if the fellow is not feeling we'll, or if he has a grouck, he will smile and say ''Y ou bet I do," and will then tell you who Tom Reilly is.
 sOne of the dominant tTRits that stands out in the man is his high \ regard for truth and fair p1ay- He deals only in facts when speaking on any question, and he is extremely sarexuf in his choice of language in order that he will convey the facts and his direct meaning without the least distortion. He is a forceful speaker and has that ring of sin e-erfTy in his voice which carries con- viction to his hearers He is inde- pendent in his ideas when voting on public questions, as is attested by his <,f 11af in he recent Congress when his party decfd- l ed in caucus not to vote for any. Again when President Taft vetoed the Legislative, Executives and Judicial Appropriation Bill, which contained the seven-year tenure of office clause, l and which if enacted into law would 1 eventually mean the a;bolishnent of the civil service law, MT. Reilly not 1 only voted to sustain the President i in his veto, but made a vigorous speech against the measure. By his 1 attitude on these. and other important l efstestiona- he has shown himself Q 1 rsfaF-of real progressive ideas who | believes in good government and ef- | fIcient service. and casts his vote ac- | cordingly. While the energetic Congressman | from Connecticut is one of our most | public spirited citizens, he is great | over Of manly sports and takes a spe- eial delight in attending a baseball | game An fact. you might call him .sfan's and not hurt siliss feelings in 1 the 1easts-s,s ME. Reilly was at one | .irne a baseball magnate. having at va | -ious., times managed and was part | owner of the Jersey City team in the | Eastern League, and the Hartford, | Meriden and New Haven teams in l Inc Connecticut League. He still 1 keeps his hand in practice by man. 1ging the team of Democratic Mem | 3ers of Congress and carried them to | .wo victories over the Republican | MenbeEs during the first. two sessions If szhe present Congress- These two cams play a game every session for .Ias. he.nofit tha NZeas irae ertn1n E9la1z=