The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-01-27
Fontanet Courts,
Washington, d. c.,
To nltor wy ,

-
January "a.
Continuing a few observations on
.obs. it may be remarked that this
sane patronage question has had as
much to do with the overturning Of
administrations and with the un-re-
turning Of congressman as n other
one fact about politics. Congressman
believe a great many times when they
fail TO come back that their selection
Of people for patronage was response
BILE. Many times it is, but undoubtedly
il isn't always so.
I've often wondered il a great many
people who come to Washington once
in five years. OF maybe once a year,
aren't surprised when they go into
the galleries of the HOUSE of Repre-
~sentatiyes and look down upon one
animated gentleman waving his arms
and Grating to something like q dozen
inanimate creatures who have just
dropped in after lunch and sit calmly
licking their teeth. Or maybe the
speaker is apOlOgetic enough for his
manner to indicate that he is merely
speaking so that he may get into the
Congressional Record or so that the
lonesome correspondent in the Press
Gallery can get b news first hand
for his home paper.
With Congress in Session.
anyway, the constituent, knowing
that Congress is In session after a
fashion, looks around carefully for
his representative and not finding him
Inquiries of the ~dOorkeepers. That dig
uitary hands out a card on which
the constituent may find the name
~ hiu rpornhoy ond hic ronro urrhoy
in the House Office building. He pro-
ceeds and finds his Congressman in
his Office as unconcerned about the
door of the House as if he didn't be-
long there at all. This can be ex.
planned satisfactorily If enough time
is devoted to II. III it's strange. II
isn't strange to a man who is hunt
ing a job, for he already knows a few
things that may seem strange Ito
other people.
To a layman there are many strange
things about the Capital and man!
which go unexplained. Soma Con
gressmen who r absent are an
s~ering constituents who are writing
about jobs; some Of them are col
iecting seeds and agricultural bulle
uhs; Some are digging N the rec
ords In the Congressional Library Oh
facts for a speech or a bill, som
are lobbying in committee for appro
p%rlations. A thousand n one thing
may keep a Congressman off the floo
of the House. Sometimes constituent
Judge a man by the seeds he ships
sometimes they judge him by the let
ters he writes. sometimes by the mum
Der or public buildings he brings t
MS district, sometimes by what h
saws in his cam paigns.
And He's Wrong Anyway.
way the conStituen
sueSses, he's wrong. For instance
the man who's addressing the soiitar
dozen lounging comfortably Will
their lunches settle isn't speaking i
order to be quoted in the Congress
Sional Record. To get his speech i
the Record a Congressman may ad
dress the chair for two minutes an
then get permission to extend his re
marks in the Record. The remark
extended are nothing at all like til
9 he made on the floor and it woul
ta'" him an hour and a half TO spea
L IL. But these speeches .aren
made for speaking purposes. The
are made to mail ont under govern
ment franks to all the voters in TT
district.
Speaking for tai lone reports
isn't the cause either. The report
has q copy of the speech III his peck
m may be or the other side
own Nor is ne speaking in ord
u Dc quoted in the press association
or IN metropolitan papers. The co
Respondents are back in the loungiI
rooms telling stories and readir
newspapers. At least half q dozen a
asleep on comfortable sofas. Half