The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1871-08-24
The Democratic Party ms a
Rctrenchme ent Party.

was fixed ut 1 chief clerk. 2 assistants,
iiranscribing clerks, librarian. ser.
geaut alarms and 2 assistants, | door.
keeper aud 2 ASSISTANTS, | messenger,
aud 2 assistants, superintendent Of
tho folding room and6 pastors and fold
ers, doorkscper of the roiupda. l post
master, fireman aud 5pascs--32 10
ail N irl.ly' r o..
The Republican Senate of,ls89 wui
organized 10 strict compliance with thi,
law. the Republican members present.
ing resolution for the election Of can
didates !oF the places above named, no
more and no less. But before their cleo.
ton took place, the Democratic mem
bers, TO show their conviction that thi,
was prov iding moro Offices than the
senate really needed, put forward Mr.
Burnett and Mr. M'Csndless to offer nr
amendment TO the resolution, for the
election OF q smaller number Of officers
to wit: by leaving out one of the as
sist ant messengers, the postmaster
aud all tho pastors and folders. Fol
this amendment all the Democratic
Senators voted, tho vote standing Il
TO 1S.
The Democrats Senators, when 10
tho minority, thus placed themselves
on tho record as believing that this wa,
all the Senate needed, 10 the way oI
ofiiccrs--ihat tho act of 1867 was il
fact, too liberal. sa
ln 1871 the Democrats had, acci.
dentally, q majority 10 tho Senate
Did tboy carry out, then, their pro.
grammo Of 1869 |? Let us see
They put themselves on record, thcr
as thinking that the Senate needed n,
pastors and folders, and that that
body could get along with less officer,
than the law allowed. But the mo
mcnt they came into power, they pro-
ceeded to elect not only all officers su.
thorizcd by the law Of 1868, but NOR,
than tho legal number, although thai
act positively prohibits the election o
any greater number OF officers by eth
er branch. As for instance
The law of 1868, allows heo assis
tant clerks; the Democratic Senat,
had three the law allows only fou,
transcribing clerks; they had fire; tn,
law authorizes tro assistant doorkeep
ers; they had three the law providel
for sic pastors and folders they had
eight; they had also three frcmen
where the law allows but one. AnC
one watchman, one jauitor, ono labor
or and one assistant librarian, fol
none of which was there any provision
Of law, to say nothing of nine pages
where they could legally employ bu
fire.
We thus find Is Democratic Soma
tors voting 10 1869 that. tho Senat,
sbouln have no pasters And folders
aud II Democratic Senators 10 1877
voting to employ aud pay mine Gin
cludins the superintendent Of thos'
useless officers. The same fifteen Sen
ators declared 10 1850 that tho lav
OF 1868 was too liberal by far
and allowed more officers thar
the Senate needed whilst the ii
Senators voted the number altogether
too small, and proceeded to multiply
now nfficers withaut .si.t. Tho differ
encc is, the 10 were in the minority
1t is q very retrenching and economic
cal party when it is cut of power, bu,
a very expensive one when it gets in
Tho law Of 1868 authorizes th,
Senate to elect or employ 32 officers
including every subordinate the Dem
ocralic Senate Of 1871 elected or em
ployed 40 ofliccrs-l7 more than th,
law allowed, and 26 more than tn,
Senate really needed. themselves be
ing judges, as is evidenced by thcil
vote for Burneit's resolution in 1860
Bet this is not oil. The act Of 1865
fixed the compensation of oil these
officers, and enacted that under nc
circumstances should they bs permit
ted to draw more pay or receive any
extra allowance. This wholosom,
provision Of law was totally disre
garded by these Democratic retrench
ers. The pay of nearly q Il the officer
is fixed by that law at 5000 each bu
the 40 officers employed by the en-
ocratic Senate have already been pait
S47, ,904 50-on an average of nearl,
q Thousand dollars each.
Look. people Of Pennsylvania, a,
these figures. Tho pay ofthe officer,
Of the Republican Senate OF 1870 wal
s2G, 466 65, and the total cost of the
session was $92, ,26O 35. The pay o.
the officers of the Democratic Senate
of 1871 wa, s47, ,904 so, nearly douJit
that Of The prerious session, and the
total expenses Of the session thus fa,
paid are sl40,757 6S. AS there arc
probably over $4,000 Of claims under
this head yet unpaid, it is perfectly
safe to put down the total cost of the
late Democratic Senate at Sl50,757 6S
An increase over the expenses OF
the previous Republican Senate Of
sjs,497 33.
This is fair Illustration Of Demo-
cratic precept aud practice. That party
is profuse in economical professions,
whom out Of powers but invariably
when in power, plunges into extravs'
ganco. Witness New York and the
Democratic Senate Of 1871.