The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-11-25
SPACE GETTING SCARCE
UNITED Press Special service.l

I'll OultSQ HIcSS 0pCSAdA oSINASS.I
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25.Where'p
my office? Where's my seat?
These are some OF the pertinent |
questions that about forty new con-
gressmen will be asking March 5, or
thereabouts, when the sixty-third con-
gress gets on the job to take a hand
at some of the problems that the six
ty-second congress did not attend to.
1t is considered almost certain that
there will be an extra session begin
ming shortly after March 5, SO that
some of the difficulties that might be
bridge1 over If none were called, win
have to be solved In hurry or 4
number of statesmen will be greatly
inconvenienced
There will be 435 congressman in
! the next congress as against the 1893
| in the present house, the increase
being due to the reapportionment con-
sequent on the 1910 census. And to
the 435, he five insular and territor-
| ial delegates who enjoy all the priv
leges Of member of congress except
to cast a vote, and you have 440
/ statesmen who will have to be sup
piled with seats on the floor of the
house, be accorded private Offices,
secretaries. mileage fees and all the
other things that are enjoyed by rep
resentatives of the people.
There are now only 391 seats in
1 the house. The plan OF doing away
with desks and substituting benches,
similar to the scheme followed in the
English house of commons, has been
urged time and again, but nothing
done. improvements in the capitol
have been hard 10 get. Years of dis
cussion generally precede action. The
tile floors and treads of the stair
1 cases are wearing out fast, but No
4 body suggests that they be repaired.
Il 1t is conceded on all hands that tile
4 capitol must have good overhauling,
and that not in the far distant future.
4 The job of supplying seats for the
440 members, will not be so difficult
because it is well known that rarely
if ever are more than two thirds OF
the members In their seats in the
house at the same time. Even when
!. a most important bill is being voted
on it is hari to get more than 25fA
representatives in their seats. They
come in and vote and then hustle off
to other business. Some members
don't spend more than few hours in
their seats throughout an entire ses-
sion.
But the Job of supplying Offices is
another matter. Every congressman
wants an Office. 1t is the place where
his mail is-received and where he
does all his business, dictates letters
to his constituents, greets friends
from home" or enjoys a quiet smoke.
What is congressman without an
Office? He might be the burden of a
5 rlost popular congressional song.
q The house office building, fine
marble structure that cost several
: millions and in which a lot of most
useful space has been admittedly
, wasted in high ceilings, Is full to over.
flowing now. Pretty nearly every Of
. fee has been taken. 1t might be pos
sible to squeeze a few moro in, but
not with any degree of comfort Old
members will insist on retaining
their offices, leaving the new ones tc
: shift for themselves in offices in priv.
ate Office buildings. 1t will be impos
! lsible to provide adequate quarters on
short notice for any of these members
The addition of forty new members
2 to the house will mean an increase il
the cost Of running the government
by something over 100000 The sal
airy of each congressman Is $500
He is allowed $1,000 a year fol
c,ork hire and In addition collects q
big sum each year in mileage Each
congressman costs the government
nearly $4,000 year in salaries alone
while to this must be added the cos
of supplies, franking privileges ant
other such matters.
The new congress will contain
R many new faces. Thus far for one
reason or another it is certain that a
10 least fifty congressman will not b,
ir returned, some having been beaten il
the primaries, others failing in healtl
q and still others being Disguised witt
. the pecuniary returns o. public lif
and returning to private life. Thi
N takes no account of the number VIII
may fail of election next month. TIL
ir election is expected to retire fift
more. SO that all told there will be 10
CT more rockies in the lower branc
a of the national legislature.
well known face that will b
II missing will be Representative Da
a zell of PENNSYLVANIA, high tariff advt
= cate and conservative. Representativ
or or Akin of New York, sometimes know
J. as the wag of the house will not RI
. turn. Representative Norris. premie