Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-08


about 10000 bills and reso- EG9
lutions, each of these docu- So
ments representing the
pressing needs of individuals
and communities of the entire country Each Con-
gress appropriates far of 600 600 900 of the
peoples money. We've been in practically continuous
session for more than eighteen months which is the
record for long distance legislation in the United States.
And that isn't the worst of it. l convinced that
the time is at hand when Congress will be in
session all the time year in and year out. Then, you
bet, every member will his little 81 800 salary
many times overl"
In this way he gave voice the belief among those
high in national affairs that the country is growing
fast and multiplying its interests and needs rapidly
that Congress within very few years will be per-
petual proposition. The time when the Repre-
senatves, having been elected looked forward to
@short" session. lasting from December to March 4,
and one "ong' session, extending from December to
sometime in July or August. Those were the days
when there ample leisure for men to stay at home
and engage their professional work, thus adding
appreciaby the derived from being attached
to the government payroll. Now, however, the pro-
fessona work has to be ignored by the conscientious
Congressman. He has to be the job in Washington.
He is lucky he gets time to do the proper amount of
campaigning for denomination and reelection.
The Congressman who talking had remarked
feengly the fact that his salary all he could get
"And how about the work in Washington" l in
CURED @Does the increased time you have to put in
mean also additional daily work."
"Does it," he answered the question. "Some day
you drop into the office of the average busy man up
there on the hill Spend whole day with him. Watch
everything he does. Go everywhere he goes 1t will
teach you something tell you, holding down Con-
gresSmans job isn't what it used to be-
A FEW days later, at past eight in the morning
l went to the office of whom l had selected
as typical of the conscientious American who is a
thriving combination of craftsmanship, politics. plat
form oratory, and gift for organization. There
hundreds more of that kind in Washington. There
nothing unusual exceptional about him. He
from the West, hard worker, tall, deep hested
pleasant faced man. When 1 told him l wanted to
spend the day with him he accepted the situation and
smlingy inquired:
4Are you in pretty good physical condition."
That sounded like threat to keep away from
the midday food; but 1 told him thought l could
stand as much he could. | ran my fingers through
the stack of letters on his desk. He had lust begun
to take them from their enveops preparatory to
reading them Some of them contained only three
four lines of typewrting. few covered three
four pages. Some of them models of communica-
tons. few almost illegible. l counted them.
@How many?' he asked
@Ffty-one,' replied
"And these three kilograms" he added, holding
up the yellow envelopes "One will take tc the
Postoffice Department this morning and another to
the Department of Agriculture-say, why don't
they run streetcars oftener and closer to old man
Houstons Office? The way things fell
lows walk legs off getting down there. This
third message tells to come home to settle
factiona in of my counties"
That's good start l commented. "Are you
going home?"
"How can r." he returned, with twinkle in his