Evening star., 1914-11-08
A CONGRESSMAN'S JOB
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has to do, the multiplicity of interests it has
to safeguard and promote. And, this be-
ing true, the daily work of the individual
Congressman is becoming heavier and
heavier. AS the population grows, his work
grows AS the wealth of the country or the
community expands, the demands upon
his time go up. And, since the volume of
congressional work increases, he must put
in more and more time away from home;
that is, in Washington.
The Congressman who showed me his
day and its duties did not during those
thirteen hours touch many of the things
wrapped up in his work. l once asked a
man who had grown old and famous in
service in the House what he considered the
prime requisites for good Congressman
He replied:
@Industry-incessanti industry. If a man
hasn't that, he can't hold his place long
And industry means that he must answer
his mail every day, for every efficient Con-
gresham does this; that he must attend
all his committee meetings, and must shoul-
der his share of the committees work; that
he must respon promptly and with solici-
tude to all requests from his district for
those things that can be done for the dis
trict by the executive departments; that
he must pull down the very stars in his at
tempts to get for his district its fair share
of the appropriations for public buildings
or rivers and harbors, as the case may be.
that he must look after his constituents
when they are in Washington; that he must
keep himself posted on all the big issues up
for consideration in Congress; and that he
must keep his party organization intact at
home"
When you analyze each of the items in
that program you begin to realize why some
of the gentlemen in question get redder in
the face than usual when they see the comic
things in the papers about the lazy Congress
men having to spend few weeks of hot
weather in the national Capital, or why they
tear their hair when they hear somebody
remark that 81 500 year is too much to
pay for few months spent in Washington.
or course there are exceptions to the gen.
~ eral run of busy legislators. In body
of more than 500 men there are bound to
be drones,-men who neglect their COM
mittee work, or fail to vote on important
measures, or spend too much time away
from Washington. But they are the negli-
gible factors. They do not ornament the
halls cf legislation overlong. Their con-
stituents may be fooled for one term or two;
but the retribution comes home with re-
markable and effective SwiftneSS.
One important thing has been demon
strated by this evolution of Congress. 1t
is that in the past candidates have spent
more time than was necessary in campaign
ing. Either this is true, or the voters have
changed completely. 1t was not so long
ago that man seeking denomination or
election put in from two to four months
campaigning, buttonholing voters through
out his district, and making redhot stump
speeches in the town halls or at the cross
roads. In this last fall, however, it could
not be done in that way. Congressman
realized that the voters were more likely to
say, as that fellow on the job in Washing
ton?' than they were to remark, 3He ought
to be out here looking after his fences" In
fact, the public has been going through its
own evolution. 1t is falling away some
what from the red-fire parades and the bar-
becues. 1t wants results, benefits for its