Cost Of Legislation

It costs the. people of the United StftteSj ti&fB a Washington correspondent, about $10,000 a day to support the House of Keprescntatives. A session of the House consumes froin three to four lionrs. Every hour's work is done at an expense of $2,500. Every minute of the session oosts $40. To-day, while bending over the bar of the Beporters' Gallery and studying with much interest the faces and manners of honorable ínemberg I heard a voice, offering a bilí tó Chango the name I of a steamboat on some AVestern rivr frtm "íohn íohnson'1 to "Thomas Jenkins." Some seconds- every one taking tram the National Treasury considerably moro than half a dollar - were spent in the procoss of "catching the Speaker's e.ye." Two minutes were occupied by the Speaker in announcing the bill and by the clerk in reading it. Three minutes more sufficed to pass it. Thus the detentión of national legislation in the Chamber by this little local bill to éhánge the name of a steara boat cost the people net iesa than $200. This is a ! single iiwtance of the tliousaud petty matters which prolong the sessions of Congress for weeks and months. There are many other instances in which debate on such little bilis has arisen and I consumed a whole hour of a session. While Congress as a boáy is thus hectóréd; its individual members suffer from importunities and demanda un liieii' time and patience of which most readers have no idea; It is s-jpposed that the people's.represeniatives are elected tol do their legislation. On the contrary, most mernbors of the House, and even eome Senators, find that they are elected to do their constituents' errands. Every lawyer and editor who wants a public document, every farmer who wants seeds, I every bristly-hairecl inventor seeking a j patent, or callow author demanding a copyright to print trash; men who have claims against tlie Government and BteB aöd wonien, too, wllo want places under Government; pensioners, people who Í have lost money in letters victims of lottery and colifidence circulara sent thi-ough tlie mail; pamphleteers and people with hobbies or schemes of reform - all write or come to their Representativo in Congress asking, begging, imploring, and often demanding immediate compliance with their requests for his service, aid, interference. Consequently the time that many a moniber niight and would assign to the study of mensures before Congress is occupied in anstiteïihg lettcirs on subjects Vvholiy diriconnected from his legislativo dtities, j or in running about among the department offices and boring secretaries and clerk. The penalty of non-compliance with requests from constituents is bo well understood that few Congressmen neglect them. ÍPrompt and süccessful attention to thoro segures votes nt tli next election. To waive such attention J is to lose voters. Bich and well-to-do members find it possible to do a groat i deal of drndgery tlu-ough hired clerks. ! Ben Butler, i'or instance, used to keep two secretaries who did nothing but attend to this kind of work. But the poorer members, who ha ving nothing but their salaries of $5,000 a year, are driven to sit up.late atm'ght üiid tise early in the morhing, and consume all their forenoon in attending, without any fee whatever.to the personal interests of thought less, selfish, stingy constituents. Here are a plenty of patent lawyeis, claim i agente and agents of every kind, ready to do almost anytking for reasonable Eees, and hundre'ds of clerks in the eevsral departments are employed to answer [etters of inquiry and do all business with the people ; but members of Congress are selected because they -vill be itraid to refuse, and will, moreover, svork for nothing ? I am asked by several members to protest in the names of Justice and Mercy against so sore an imposition.