The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-07-25
WASHINGTON NEWS LETTER

by recent statistics gathered from
their own declarations in the Con-
gressional Record. The United
States entrusts it's lawmaking to
45S attorneys and 169 men in other
professions, nine of whom are farm
ers. There are four men from the
labor group making total of thir-
teen men who speak as actual pro-
ducers in the halls of Congress. The
Senate has rs lawyers and twenty
other persons; the house 3S2 lawyers
and 149 men irsother professions.
Farmers and wage-workers COM
prise two thirds of the voters of the
United States; lawyers something
like one per cent, so the farmers and
wage-workers stand to the lawyers
in ratio of about 81 to /.
A congress based on proportional,
occupational representation would
contain in the lower house las farm
ers and 145 laborers with Al from
the medical, teaching and other
groups and just four lawyers.
OF course the lawyers in congress
claim to represent all of the people,
but the special favors given to that
profession and the fact that no Sc
rious proposals for simplifying and
cheapening legal proceedings are
made, shows that each group will
look out for itself before looking out
for the other fellow. t
Years ago there was an idea
abroad that lawyers could best look
after the framing of laws because
of their legal training. That idea
has been exploded. Congress some,
years ago. recognizing the need of
technical help for all law makers.
established bureau for law draft
ing in connection with the Library
of Congress
Experts in the drawing up of bills
and laws and resolutions are in
charge Of this bureau. All that a
lawmaker needs now is to have ideas.
The experts do the work for him.
The member presents to the bureau
the matter that he wants incorpor-
ated in bill and the clerks loook up
material for him in the library, find
out what bills have been passed by
other legislative bodies on the same
subject and draw up one for him
that will be technically correct.
IT is evident to anyone who has
watched the course of legislation in
the past few years that the farmers
need more actual members from
their own ranks to take the place of
a multitude of their "friends," and
the laboring men should be repre-
sented in the same manner. This
fact was brought out in the fight
for the Farm Loan law. the Shipping
Act and the Seaman's actAthree of
the constructive pieces of legislation
that marked the past four years. In
stead of sending delegations to beg
and plead and lobby for these meas
ures, the farmers and the laborers
might rs well have sent members of
their own professions to Congress
and obtain those and other progress
sive measures without any more eff
fort.
Lynn Haines, editor of the Search
light on Congress-" has compiled a
set of figures on the occupations of
the members of the House and Sem
ate. He has come to the conclusion
tween the fact that large majority
of members of Congress are of no
use to their constituents, and the
fact that the farmers and working
men have turned over to lawyers the
whole business of lawmaking.
Alabama has in the House a solid
block of ten lawyers; in the senate
she has lawyer and a planter. Ari-
zona has business man in the House
and two lawyers in the senate. AR
kansas has solid delegation of law
vers in House and Senate. Califor-
MIA is more nearly reasonable; with
one of the most active labor move
ments in the country she sends six
lawyers, one labor man, two news
paper proprietors, one clerical work
err and one business man to the
House, and two lawyers to the Sem
ate.
Colorado sends two lawyers to the
Senate, and two lawyers, one busi-
ness man and one newspaper man
to the House.
Idaho sends two lawyers each to
the Senate and House.
Illinois has two lawyers in the Sen
ate and eighteen in the House, along
with seven business men, one news
paper man and one doctor
Indiana has lawyer and news
paper publisher in the Senate; in the