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Mail Fraud on Capitol Hill - PDF - / Send As Email
How to answer constituent mail and keep everybody happy.
by Mark Feldstein
In The Washington Monthly, October 1979, pp. 41-48 - Previous Article / Next Article

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Uncorrected Raw Text
Mail Fraud
Capitol Hjiiill
by Mark Feldstein
Quick-who's Milton R. Young? If
you don't know the answer you're not
alone. Yet Milton R. Young is a
member of the United States Senate, a
Republican from the state of North
Dakota. He has, in fact, been a senator
longer than any other Republican
alive. He was first elected back in 1945,
and every six years since then his
constituents have given him a pat on
the back and returned him to Washing-
ton. But because of his low visibility (to
put it mildly) the secret of his success
has always been just that-a secret.
Young certainly hasn't made it through
the prominence of his legislative
achievements. He doesn't pander to the
press. Nor is he any great shakes as an
orator. So how has he lasted so long?
Recently, we stumbled upon the
answer. Milton Young's greatness has
Mark Feldstein is a reporter with KAET-
TV, Phoenix, Arizona.
nothing to do with anything as mun-
dane as legislation or speechmaking.
His genius lies in one of those arcane
talents that count for so much on
Capitol Hill. Writing letters. When it
comes to answering his mail, Milton R.
Young is practically in a class by
himself.
At first glance, that may not sound
like much. Handling "legislative
correspondence,'' as they call it on
Capitol Hill, seems like a mechanical
process. Thanks to the congressional
frank, thousands of letters pour out of
Washington each day. Stock replies
are stored in up-to-date computers,
stamped out onto paper by expensive
word processors, signed by rob0
machines. aut looks can be deceiv-
ing-and they are in this case. While
mail has always enjoyed a special
status in politics (see sidebar), in recent
years responding to constituents has
assumed an even greater role in the
41 The Washington Monthly/October 1979


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