Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-07-26
Congressmdn's
Busy Life
BY W. s. MANN,
downright, 1920, by The Washington
Star

WASHINGTON, July 26.- Beins
a CONGRESSMAN in these busy modern
times is a business all by itself, and
quite a going concern at that. Just
at present there are AS members OF
the House Of Representatives who
are scurrying around their respective
districts fixing up their fences" for
denomination and reelection and see
ing to continuing the business of
being a congressman at the same old
stand for two years more after their
terms expire, March 4, next.
But while they are absent from
the scene of their activities or,
rather, from their place of business,
their business goes on just the same.
A small army of clerks and assistants,
paid by the government, remain in
Washington and carry on while the
"old mar" is away.
1t is iad ed remarkable how the
duties of a representative in Con
gress have accumulated in detail in
the past few years. Members of the
House who have been here for u
decade will tell you that it seems
only a short time ago when the
average member could do pract-
ically all his important correspond
ence by hand, writing his letters at
his desk in the House, letting his
one clerk, who got 5000 a year, attend
to the rest, send out the seeds and
documents, and do the chores of the
government departments demanded
by his constituents.
Only chairmen of committees had
Offices, and these were located in the
Capitol Building. Stenographers and
typewriters we're rare the congress
men usually bringing some young
man from his district to be his clerk,
and to study medicine or law between
times.
What a difference nowadays. On
Capitol Hill, just south of the Capitol,
is a great structure of marble cover
ing several acres, known as the
House Office Building, which
houses the force that does the
clerical work of the congressman. 1t
is a vast workshop, humming with
activity all day long. Nobody keeps
union hours, and often lights burn
far into the night. as the staff hustles
to clear up an unusual accumulation
of one days work.
Each member of the House is
allowed $4,000 a year for clerical
hire. He can employ as many as he
car get for that sum-, and utilize
members of his own family IL he
want to, as many members do.
The government furnishes typewrit-
ing machines and he has an allot-
ment for stationery. He pays no
postage, of course. on government
letters.
Yet. with this liberal allowance
for clerks, many members are COM
PEELED to dig into their pockets to
pay needed assistants. There are
some high salaried men and women
in the offices of some Of these con-
gressmen experts in the secreterial
line, who have important duties to
perform.
1t is a notable fact that some of
the highest salaried clerks to con-
gressmen are women and there are
a number or such assistants who
bear a high reputation for efficiency
and for political sagacity as well.
Many of them have been in Wash
ington for years, taking employment
from others when their original
sponsors were defeated for re-elec-
ton. They are always in demand
for good clerks, VINO know the con-
g~ressional> game" are scarce, and a
clerk can do a great deal toward
making or marring the ucces of a
new congressman which requires so
much attention, you ask? Well, 1t
is like this: A representative in con-
gress represents not less than 225,-
600 persons in his district, some
times more than that number, n
only a congressman himself al tell
you how many of that number seem
to have important business with
their member during the year.
Take all your troubles to your
congressman is the rule with lots
of people, it seems to the average
member, as he looks over the varie-
ties of demands made upon him.
Naturally the war increased the du-
ties of congressman, for nearly ev-
cry one who had a son in the SCI
vice found occasion some time dur
ing the experience to call upon the
congressman for information or
help of some kind.
Hundreds of thousand of business
men found that they had important
business with the government and
if anything went wrong with their
contracts, they Immediately came
down upon their congressman for
help. Since the war great numbers
of these people have claims against
the government, growing out Of their
transactions, and the member is
supposed to have some occult means
of Strengthening out, or some mystic
rious influence with the powers that
be to put something over"
Many a member of the House
finds it necessary to keep n clerk
for the sole purpose of visiting the
various government departments
and Strengthening out the rangles
for his constituents. If the mem
Der himself undertook it. he would
never have time to attend the scs-
sions of the House.
These experienced clerks know
what bureau chief or head CLERK, Oh
detail clerk in the appropriate de-
partment to take up the case with;
u vast volume of business is tram
sacted this way, without the heces-
sity OF appealing to the congress-
man himself to use his supposed in
fuence
When the case proves too knutty
for the subordinate to handle, The
congressman can go to the head of
the department and use his pull"
IL he has any, to settle it. 1: Is a
great business. this business of being
q congressman, and most of them
Ike it so well that they are not will
ing 10 retire.. Hence the pol;tica,
activities which will be witnessed fo-