Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-10

district. In many instances 1t is safe to say
| that very many city voters have no remote
idea of the name of the man they sent to
Washington to represent their district in Con-
gress. A great many do not even know the
district in which they live. A gets a
package of garden seeds sent to him from
Washington and in rare cases may note the
name of the Congressman up in the corner
of the envelope, which serves in lieu of a
stamp. This man often is loud in denouncng
Congress for wasting time and money and
charging it with inefficiency in the conduct
of the nations business, but he doesn't take
enough real interest in the matter to know
who he voted for, if he did vote.
If it should happen that this man wants
something, though, he makes haste to find
out his Congressman's name, and writes to
him as one of his ardent supporters, demand
ing this or that favor as return for his sup
port He may want job as consul at some
remote point he has heard of, he may want
to be postman, he may desire to come to
Washington to lend his expert hand to the
direction of the affairs of state.
The man in Congress having a district
which is not just section of large city gets
a continual bombardment, however. The peo-
pie in his district know who he is, and use
their knowledge to the utmost. They make
demands upon him by mail for everything I'M
der the sum- seeking political preferment,
flower seeds, business advantages, passports,
The mail deluge is sufficiently trying, but
often these constituents come to Washington.
Being entirely strange to the city and it's
sights, they do not scruple to depend upon
their Congressman as a guide. There have
been cases where visiting constituents have
| come to Washington with plans consisting
only of knowing what day they must leave,
and calling upon the man they elected as
their Representative to sit down and map out
an entertaining and instructive visit for them
while in the nations capital.
state of mind of the nation has come to
add still further burdens to the bending
shoulders of the average Member Of Congress-
The need for rapidly enacted legislation of
all kinds during the war resulted in building
up the conviction in many sections of the
country that there is a legislative cure for
every real or fancied evil that exists. In
hard times, the naive suggestion that law
be passed to print more paper money Is not
known Fanatics of all sorts pour incessant
pleas upon Congress for this or that drastic
law enactment, dolefully foretelling the ruin
Of the nation if their demands are not heeled
forthwith.
This year all of this is taking place in the
midst of the important legislation which in
variably follows a change in the political
complexion of the party in power. The tariff
is being changed, and the tax bill is being
revised. This means that every kind OF bust
ness being carried on in the country wants
to have it's particular situation placed before
Congress, either with the plea that the raw
materials essential to it's shall be admitted to
the country free of import duty or that the
finished product from foreign firms shall be
excluded by tariff wall. In the matter of
taxes it is but natural that every kind Of
business hould seek legislation favorable to
itself, and this year has been no exception.
When it is considered that Congress will be
held responsible in large part for any degree
of failure in the Governments economy eff
forts and that primary elections are impend-
ing in many states, it becomes difficult to be-
lieve that the berth of duly elected Member
of Congress is anything remotely suggesting
bed of roses.