The Monticellonian., 1919-06-20

many eases much earlier, and does not end certainly until t o'clock, and ire qHently does not see its finish until after midnight.
 1 Nhat does a representative or a senator have to do during all these l hoursf Well, he has plenty 10 d0. much of which ha would mol have to do If he could turn T cold shoulder or il stern face to q tot of visitors, but politician has to be polite and in Il way be all things te all men. and SD ii k that he feels it necessary to talk with every person who comes to his office even if that person. errand k to spend m hour in proving that he cHn turn grain of sand into gold dollar ny new process about to he patented. or k convinced that lie has a scheme which if put into legislative form will make all men and all nations of men brothers in heart and soul i'll the l twinkllng of an eye.
 The auteroom of the office of nearly every representative and senator has l within it three ar four waiting per sons at nearly all hours of the day They go in one by one eaeh is listened to patiently and generally is sent away good-natured even if he has been refused the favor which he wished to have granted. or has seen that his ad. vice while receved pleasantly, has no remote chance of being acted upon.
 Correspondence Is Heavy.
 Nearly every senator and repre- sentative receives scores of letters every day from individual constituents, men, women and children Every letter has to be answered. Now good many of these letters are answered by the congressman's secretary without reference at all 10 the chief until the times comes for his signature to be affixed but there iS always close study of each communication made to make certain that 1t properly can be so answered and that there Is no chance of otfense being given.
 While the secretary and the stenog- rapherS are busy all day long with correspondence and other things ft must not be taken for granted that the man inside is free from bother some letters. Scores of the letters are of such nature that while the sec retary might wish to answer them he does not feel that he should do so lest lie overlook something which might present itself to the Watehful eye of i the boss"
 Virtually every senator and repre- sentative has to make speeches in this town, and. of course he k called on 10 speak elsewhere in the United States I on many occasions. provided he is Il man well known 10 the country The capital has thousands of different kinds of organizations. and not one of ] them is content unless it's weekly or monthly meeting is addressed by d man of state"
 I The congressman's life may be an interesting one. but il k not lazy l one. If he is lazy his constituents find ] il ont. and they know how to apply the remedy.
 Press Gallery Guardians
 \ brief current Washington news item reads like this:
 aThe Washington correspondents i yesterday elected this standing com mittee: Gus L karger. Cincinnati Times Star. chairman Harry C. Ste sehs. Minneapolis Journal Charles S. Albert New York World Ben r. Allen. Cleveland Plain Dealer. and Ar thur & Henning. Chicago Tribune" On the face of things il might ap- pear that this election is of no partie- ular moment to the readers of the newspapers of the United States, but nevertheless it means much to them, for it is through the standing commit 1 tee that the Washington correspond ents safeguard the interests of them selves and of the reading public of the United States.
 There are great many Washing ton correspondents who are not allow | ed to enter the press galleries, for the privileges of entering thereto are confined to correspondents who send telegraphic news dispatches and who can subscribe to the rules and regula- tions governing admission.
 There are many writers here who confine their fields of usefulness to magazines. or to other publications which require no telegraphic service. The men who are connected with newspapers or with press associations who do use the wire are so numerous that the press galleries are well filled.
 When it is said that the standing committee of correspondents safe guards the newspaper men and the reading public, exactly what Is writ ten is meant. There are men and women who come to Washington to write stuff which Is intended to help private or corporation interests. Their effort is to put in the most plausible way before such readers as they can command the supposed beauties of this legislation or that legistlation in- tended 10 benefit some great business concern, or some individual scheme of exploitation On the face of things therefore these correspondents cannot be admitted to the press gallery, for they are not the purveyors of legiti- mate news.
 II ie the duty of the standing com mttee. acting in connection with the committee on rules of the senate and with the speaker of the house of rep reSentatives to see to if that the press galleries Cf congress are used for legiti- mate purposes and for nothing else.