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fill the 7th District seat held by D. French Slaughter Jr. and, before that, by J. Kenneth Robinson. He entered Congress at a time when the Thomas hearings, the bank and post office scandal, and voter unhappiness has led many of his colleagues to retire. Others have been, or are in danger of being, removed from office at the polls.
“My first speech up there I said I didn’t come up here to be a member of the club,” said Rep. Allen. “Some folks said, ‘You shouldn’t be giving such a confrontational speech.’ ” But following that speech, he was approached by other congressmen who share his ideology, so “Right away, I found folks who shared my goals.”
“I think it’s a great time for those who want to reform things. . . . You can embarass them into doing what’s right,” he noted.
The congressman pulled is First Virginia Bank checkbook from his briefcase. He says he never had an account at the House Bank, adding: “. . . and I get my hair cut in Charlottesville.”
Rep. Allen wants to end what he calls abuse of the congressional franking privilege, which allows him and other congressmen to mail, freeof-charge. His studies show that much of the mail goes outside incumbents’ districts, to newly drawn districts where they hope to campaign. He also demonstrated how the cost of election year mailings is dramatically higher than non-election year mailings.
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