Evening star., 1932-12-04
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

With the return Of members Of Con-
is considerable general interest regard
ing the status Of members elect, their
rights and privileges. The members
elect have few rights or privileges until
after the present Seventy-second Con-
gress has adjourned sine die and will
then be informally recognized, so that
they can get their office assignments
and be ready to do business with the
opening the new Congress-whether
that be in regular session or in an
extra session called soon after March 4
William Tyler Page, the oracle" OF
the House, who has worked more than
half century in high official position,
helping to keep the legislative wheels
grinding, and who on occasions has
conducted a school for Congressman,
explains some of the details of the
congressional situation.
The terms of Congress begin on
March 4 Of the odd-numbered years,
The Congress assemblies once in every
year on the first Monday in December,
unless an extraordinary session be ap-
pointed by law or one be called by
the President
It is necessary that the credentials
Of Representatives select be filed with
the clerk of the House before March
4, 1888. Under the law the clerk makes
a roll Of Representatives. Of those
persons only whose credentials show
them regularly elected in accordance
with the laws Of their States. re-
spectively, or the laws Of the United
States An unofficial list Of Repre-
sentstives-elect and their residences
has been prepared by the clerk Of the
House for information only, subject to
correction by official credentials.
RepresentativeS-elect whose creden-
tials, in due form of law, have been
filed with the clerk Of the House will
receive their compensation monthly
from the beginning of their term
March 4, 1888, until the beginning OF
the first session of the Seventy-fourth
Congress Irregular or extraordinary
upon certificates signed by the clerk of
the House and filed with the sergeant
at arms. The compensation of Rep
resentatives is distributed by the ser
geant at arms.
The oath of office is administered
by the Speaker. The law (section 80,
Revised Statutes) directs that at the
first session Of Congress after every
general election of Representatives the
oath Of ofice shall be administered by
the Speaker to all the Representatives
present and to those who afterward
appear, previous to taking their seats.
The Congressional Directory Is pre-
pared under the direction of the Joint
Committee on Printing. Three editions
are published in long session CASUALLY
in December, January and May) and
two editions in short session. Each
Representative is allotted a quota. No
allotment is made to Representatives.
elect. Copies, for sale, may be ordered
from the record clerk, William Andy
Smith, who has his office in corner
Of Statuary Hall, the original House
chamber.
A Representative-elect has the privi-
lege Of sending free through the mails
and under his frank any mail matter
to any Government official or to any
person correspondence, not exceeding
four ounces in weight, upon official or
departmental business, from the date OF
his election until the lst day of Decem-
ber following the expiration of his term
Of office. For this purpose any envelope
may be used, on which should be writ
ten or printed in the upper left corner
the words "Ofiicial Business-Free" and
IN the upper right corner the written or
fac-simile signature Of the person above
the wording m. C.-elect."
There Is no allotment of the Congress
sional Record, the off1cial daily tran
script Of proceedings in Congress, for
Representatives-elec
The privilege of sending kilograms on
official business at Government rates
is extended to Representatives. elect
xhA re
after March 4, 1893.
Representatives are allowed mileage,
estimated by the nearest route usually
Travelled In going to and returning from
each regular session. The accounts are
certified by the Speaker after the Com
mittee on Accounts has ascertained and
reported the amounts to the sergeant
at arms.
The assignment of rooms in the
House Once Building Is regulated by
law, which provides:
Any member or member ELECT Of the
House of Representatives may file with
the Superintendent of the Capitol
Building and Grounds request In
writing that any individual Office room
be assigned to him whenever 1t shall
become vacant. If only one such re-
quest has been made for any room
which shall at any time have become
vacant, the room shall be assigned as
requested If two or more requests are
made for the same vacant room,
preference shall be given to the Repre-
sentative making the request who has
been longest in continuous service as
member and member-elect Of the
House of Representatives. If two or
more Representatives with equal length
of continuous service or two or more
Representatives-elect make request for
the same room, preference shall be
given to the one first preferring his
request. A Representative or Repre-
sentative-elect making request for the
assignment Of vacant room may
withdraw the same at any time and no
one shall have pending at the same
time more than one such request. The
assignment of new room to Repre-
sentative. upon his request, or the ap-
pointment of any Representative hav-
ing an individual office room as chair
man of committee having a COM
mittee room, shall act as relinquish-
ment by him Of the room previously
assigned to him.
The allowance for clerks to each
Representative is fixed by law. Not
more than two persons may be ap-
pointed. Representatives-elec will be
entitled to make designations from
and after March 4, 1888, upon forms
supplied by the Clerk of the House.
The allowance is paid in monthly In
stallments. It Is not cumulative. Any
portion Of a monthly allowance not
absorbed reverts to the Treasury. Ap-
pointments are not retroactive to q
date prior to O current month.