The union times., 1946-01-26
Thinking It Through by BEN DOR
 LPA COLUMNIST

AANAN - SNJ ~~~t9 Se~A~ SNA W ~~S@AAA@S ton that after you've heard from everybody, you've heard from every body but the people: It's the same whether you work in government department, or whether you're mem Der of the Congress of the United States. You get letters and visits from every private pressure group in the country, but sometimes you can't even find out what the people in your own home town are thinking. And if they don't care, the usual attitude is, why stick your chin out.
 That's why letters to Congress- men are so important.
 But just to write letter isn't enough It has to be done so that it really makes an impression on the person who gets it. Here are some of the rules of the game as I've learned them from talking with Congressmen, and from watching the letter writing game in action.
 Rules of the Game
 Don't worry about what to call' the man you're writing to. After all, the guy is your neighbor. Just a little while ago, he may have been selling meat or running a real estate office just around the corner from where you are right now. So, if you want to address him as Dear MT. Con- gressman," or Dear MT. Senator" that's all right Otherwise, Dear MT. so and so" will do just as well.
 How do you know his address? That's easy. All Senators are in the Senate Office Building; all Repre- sentatives are in the House Office building. The rest of the address is just Washington, DC"
 You've got to act as though you mean what you say, as though this were something that you've really thought about, as though you're very much interested in what the answer is going to be.
 At the top of every Congressman's mind is the question-what does this mean as far as votes are concerned? Is this guy writing because he's real ly interested, or because somebody happened to stick a post card under his nose? Has he forgotten about it already, or will he remember until election day?
 Like a Plant Grievance Treat the matter like you would a grievance that you file at your plant. Put the facts as clearly as possible. Of course, if all you want is some fun out of 1t, you can start out by calling the Congressman a lot of names and making wiSecracks about his ancestry and voting record. But if you're really interested in persuad- ing him, skip the purple language and stick to business.
 know that if you follow the matter as closely as this, you won't be able to grab pen and paper every time somebody comes along and suggests that you write your Congressman a letter.
 But the letter you do write will have a lot more effect on what hap pens here in Washington than we are having at this time And the next time your organization sends a dele gation down to Washington, your time and money will pay off greater dividends than some of the delega- tions were able to show in 1945.
 'sCo See Hannegan''
 Of the record, a number of Con gressmen have been telling labor un- ion heads who cali on them to "Go see Hannegan." The advice is good. if the issue is really important.
 So, on issues as important as the full employment legislation and the labor legislation being discussed in Congress, besides seeing your Con- gressman, see Hannegan, too. And besides writing your Congressman, every once in a while send letter to Robert Hannegan, Postmaster General, Washington, D. C. He can help get the President on your side. And that might help, too.