widening of a river channel to the
advantage of the district or the improvement of the local harbour, and
the passage of bills providing for the erection in the district of new
post-offices or other government buildings. Many other measures may, of
course, be of direct local interest; but a member's chief opportunities
for earning the gratitude of his constituency fall under the three
categories enumerated.

It is obvious that two years is too short a term for any but an
exceptionally gifted man to make his mark, either in the eyes of his
colleagues or of his constituency, by conspicuous national services.
Even if achieved, it is doubtful if in the eyes of the majority of the
constituencies (or the leaders in those constituencies) any such
impalpable distinction would be held to compensate for a demonstrated
inability to get the proper share of local advantages. The result is
that while the member of Parliament may be said to consider himself
primarily as a member of his party and his chief business to be that of
co-operating with that party in securing the conduct of National affairs
according to the party beliefs, the member of Congress considers himself
primarily as the representative of his district and his chief business
to be the securing for that district of as many plums from the Federal
pie as possible.

Out of these conditions has developed the prevalence of log-rolling in
Congress: "You vote for my post-office and I'll help you with your
harbour appropriation." Such exchange of courtesies is continual and, I
think, universal. The annual River and Harbour Bill (which last year
appropriated $25,414,000 of public money for all manner of works in all
corners of the country) is an amazing legislative product.

Another result is that the individual member must hold himself
constantly alert to find what his "people" at home want: always on the
lookout for signs of approval or disapproval from his constituency. And
the constituency on its side does not hesitate to let him know just what
it thinks of him and precisely what jobs it requires him to do at any
given moment. Nor is it the constituency as a whole, through its
recognised party leaders, which alone thinks that it has a right to
instruct, direct, or influence its representative, but individuals of
sufficient political standing to consider themselves entitled to have
their private interest looked after, manufacturing and business concerns
the payrolls of whi