Evening star., 1936-04-07

over from the day before, and look
over some Of the home papers. The
office force arrives about quarter Of
g. then the serious work of opening,
sorting. filing and debating begins.
Then visitors begin to arrive. People
from home-Whom We are glad to see
people who want autographs, people
who want to paint your portrait or do
bas-relief in bronze, people who
say they live in Arkansas and want
loan; in fact, people OF all sorts and
conditions. Do you know that it is
not unusual for a Senator to have
25 to so callers whom you must see in
one day? And those who represent
nearby States have even more. More
than likely there is a call from a
committee chairman for meeting at
10 or l0:30-there the mornings gone.
The Senate convenes at Il noon. You
get out to lunch, but not so far away
that you cannot hear the call of the
bells in case some bill or amendment
should come to record vote. If lucky.
adjournment is had about 4:30 or s.
then back to the Office to go over that
days mail. A never-ending round of
tasks, all demanding deep concentra-
ton and much study.
Ridiculous Letters.
Let me digress here to comment on
the class of letters which filter into
Senator's Office. Some are inten-
tionally humorous, others funny be-
cause of some bizarre statement made.
For example. had one not long ago
saying: Il was brutally murdered in
hospital" will not mention the
name of the city. One man who
wanted a job as a detective wrote
please send me gun, badge and
handouts by return mail. know
something" So many old people send
coupons cut from papers, which show
they have joined pension plan, by
sending 10 cents or a quarter, which
they could i'll afford to spend. Letters
from mothers whose sons are in the
saying they are "a or rs years old,
nearly blind, cannot something be
done to give them only few dollars
per month so that they can last out
their days free from fear that they
cannot have enough food to exist upon.
Letters telling of much abject pow
erty and helplessness that it makes
your heart ache. Naturally, some of
these are spurious, but you learn to
differentiate.
These letters are all answered, then
forwarded to relief agencies in their
districts, where they are investigated
and relief given if facts warrant. II
this administration had done moth
ing else in the three years it has
functioned, it would have justified the
change OF administration, as well as
the radical departure from what has
been the conventional way-the old
and ultraconseryative way Of deal
ing with these problems.
Legislation for all the people, and
all sections Of the United States, is
very complex and vexing problem.
Take, for example, rivers and harbors
egislation-not all the States are di-
rectly affected by this legislation,
but it is q problem for all because it
involves spending the taxpayers
money. Take the very controversial
ship subsidy legislation-naturally, all
Our States bordering on the Atlantic,
the Gulf, the Great Lakes and the
Pacific are intensely interested; while
the inland States are interested in
so far as freight rates are affected.
The same Is true Of flood control,
though more States have such
problem.
U. 8. Helps Mend Levees.
There is some talk looking to legis-
lation putting flood control in the
same category with rivers and har-
bors. In fact, making it Government
problem, and directly under the super
vision of the Corps Of Army Engineers.
It follows, of course, that States like
Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana and
Mississippi, with their problems of
floods from the Father of Waters, the