The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-04-24

| We Sc. tnin6s one uguaily
jovial legislator bewails. "Ws =.
asked to name twins. get COMM.
sions in the army, be walkins -.
for perfumery and necktie com,.s
les. write tombstone inscriptio,.
and even obtain liquor for pscrls
One man said, I understand en- ~
gress can get all the blaekjaei =
wants. Please send me a ho,t,s
and wrap it in the consressios.,
record, because nobody would ,e.s
in anything SO dry for it,
"The Record is in conside,,,,.
demand, and not always for resS
ing purposes" he continued. "c,n
| Gerry store keepers want II -,
wrapping paper, and one vomss
asked for back copies Of it ana =,
a lot Of my speeches for fuel =.
they say coal will be awful hirh's
A woman correspondent ftnm
the middle west has Just writes
her representative to request th,,
as the government has so manv
new bureaus please send me fam
for my daughters bedroomsr
while a southern congressman reis
letter beginning, Il am astin,
you to step over to the Whit hon,s
and give this letter to Mr.. WiIsoo
1t is a good plan to win a var I
did not get to finish it in time far
the last war. but everybody around
here says We will have another var
soon and We might as well BE-
ready"
The man who sent this pencila
request did not realize that it ia.
step OF about a mile from the cam.
t0l to the executive mansion, and
of course he was also unaware thai
the chief executive is not instantly
available to congressman bearing
war inventions.
Another man begins, This Is to
tell you what a free-born American
citizen has to put up with" and
after detailing his trials to the ey.
tent of 10 pages Of writing the size
used to get "The Lords Prayer" on
a dime, he ends hastily yours"
Don't pity the congressman in such
cases. 1t is the secretaries who
usually wear glasses.
Freak requests are, however. far
outnumbered by really serious and
legitimate correspondence. People
| want seeds, copies of speeches, and
a line on the congressmans plat.
form for the approaching election.
Advice is plentiful, some of it prac.
tical in a homely. commonsense
way. other suggestions being Only
amusing.
An example of the ludicrous kind
of advice was shown us by one con-
gresham. This was a new plan to
choose lawmakers for the nation
and was supposed to be by stud
ent of democracy.
"Our present elective system is
all wrong" writes this man. "Elec-
ton means to pick and choose for
the purpose Of getting the best.
The best don't represent the rest.
Let the people call for volunteers
for congress and the legislature,
and from those who volunteer draw
the required number by lot Each
man will then have an equal
chance and the people will then
have a truly representative legisla-
tive body"
The suggestion that congress
might be chosen by putting lot
of names in a hat and drawing out
some has often been made face
tiously. This man, who by the way,
is running for a high public once,
makes the proposal in all serious
ness as a part of his platform. and
recommends il to the congressman
mentioned.
| Another solution of a national
problem comes from a woman who
wants congress to appropriate
$1,000 for every person in the
country. This prescription is rec
commended to do away with dis.
content, anarchy. the high cost OF
living, and a few other evils, but
the lady overlooks the fact that
congress would have to take the
thousand away from the public be-
fore it could make the donation.
| Besides innumerable letters. from
hounds and seekers Of pat.
ronage, there is a daily food Oh
q printed matter. A secretary to a
senator estimates that each OF the
ABS Representatives and 96 senators
receives around so periodicals
Every unhappy nation or would-be
nation, every struggling cult ana
union issues propaganda periodl'
calls to voice its woes. and invaf'
iably congress is treated to fret
copies.
mo congressman could possibly
read EN-" says this secretary. II
would take at least Is hours da!
to give all the printed stun we ge
a hasty glance. Our one once
averages three wastepaper pas
kets full a day." -,
The advice of this secretary II
that congressman may be public er
rand boys, and that most OF then
will gladly serve their constituents
in q reasonable way. But wne'
you send them 1.-THE Civil Service
Crab" and struggling Russia, o
your latest speech at the club oan
quet, or when you ask them to SEN
you FIVE tons of radish seed 10
fuel, you are merely feeding an a
'ready overlooking wastebasket'
published by special arrangement
paper Syndicate.