The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-02-24
NEW CONGRESSMAN TO BE
SELECTED
Salisbury, Maryland
February 10, 1889

Mlulauu JOuTudi
Rising Sun, Maryland
To the Editor:
The First Congressional District
of Maryland, comprised of Cecil,
Kent, Queen Anne's, Caroline, Tai
bot, Dorchester, Wicomico, Wor-
cester, Somerset Counties, will soon
be faced with the serious task of
selecting a new Representative in
Congress. The nomination is to be
made by the State Central Commit
tees of the several counties and of
Baltimore City. Since this District
is largely Democratic the nomination
by the Democratic State Central
Committees virtually means the cleo
tion of the nominee, provided that
in the eyes of the voters that NOM
inee is the right man, or in other
words, is the best qualified man
available from the District
When the Government of the
United States was established by the
adoption of the Constitution and the
creation therein of the Office of
Representative in Congress, it was
believed that that Office was one of
high purpose and called for men of
the highest qualifications. There is
every reason to believe that the
purposes are even higher today due
to the growth and development of
the Nation and the requirements as
to qualifications should be more
exactly met.
What should be the qualifications
of our representative in Congress as
to education, training, experience
and age? The requirements can best
be determined by considering the
duties of the Office. The primary
duty of representative is the pre-
paration, introduction and enact
ment into laws of bills relating to the
many matters in which the District
is interested If this duty is wisely
and intelligently performed can it
not best be done by one who has
had the best legal education and, by
a wide practice, has gained
thorough knowledge of the essent-
ials of laws to the end that all laws
may be prepared to meet any Court
test to which they may be and are
continually being submitted? Since
the laws relate to matters of many
different kinds, it is equally neces-
sary that the representative have a
broad business experience. Truly
1 there is no one who has had such
experience to a greater degree than
a lawyer engaged in the general
practice of law for he has presented
to him continually for solution
problems arising from every type of
business and all the walks of life.
When you have found that man,
you will have found the man quail
fed by education, training and ex-
perience.
But there remains that all i'm
portant question Of age. A Repre-
sentative is not sent to Congress for
one or two terms but for period
of years for he must spend a few OF
those years in learning the ropes"
becoming adjusted to the Office and
making the contacts essential to
the proper performance of his dut
les. A second important duty is that
of serving on many committees in
Congress and thus directing and
guiding many of the important If
fairs of the Nation. In order to Sc
cure appointment to these commit
tees a representative must prove
his ability by the manner in which
he has performed his duties and
conducted himself through years OF
service and not for limited period
Congress a man who on account o.
age or through physical inability
might sooner or later surrender the
Office without having rendered a
real service to his District? Why
not nominate one who, being quail
fed in all other respects, is vigor-
GUS and possessed ,of such vitality
that he may serve for years and
with the experience gained in the
increasing years render an increas-
ing service to his District? No bet
ter example of this can be found
than that of Congressman Colds
borough who was elected at about
the age of forty and retires after
twenty years of service.
The members of the State Central
Committees are the mere repre-
sentatives of the members of a
political party and all the members
of that party are vitality interested
in the nomination. The people
should give deep thought and con-
sideration to this matter and ad-
wise their respective State Central
Committees.
Respectfully yours,
Lewis c.. Merryman