The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-16
AN EXPENSIVE SENATE.
Nearly as Many Employees on the Pay
Roll as There Are Members.
Eighteen More than There Is Any Provision
for by the Statutes-The Fee and Sal
airy Bills that Are Pending.
THE EXPENSES OF THE SENATE.
Eighteen More Persons Employed than the
Statute Authorizes.

Eighteen More Persons Employed than the
Statute Authorizes.
There have been murmurs Of suspicion about
the Senate chamber, during the last few days,
that there were more employees on the payroll
than the statutes provided for, or the work
actually required Although it has been appar-
ent TO many of the senators throughout the
session. there has been no open complaint made,
and the matter, as a senator says, has been
half-winked at, upon the superstition that there
was no greater surplus Of employed labor
being paid for than is customarily
carried at every session. The warrants
for salary which the Lieutenant governor has
been called upon to sign have been matters of
surprise to him, and while he has occasionally
expressed doubts about the need of so
many persons about the Senate. he has, from
generous impulses. refrained from making any
protest which might deprive anyone of a sine
cure. Besides, he has supposed that although
the work did not require it, the employment of
all the men who held positions was upon the
authority of the Senate The work has been
done by about dozen men, and among those
who are occasionally employed there are some
alleged clerks who have not even come
near the Senate chamber for two
and three days in succession, while others have
not worked, on an average. an hour day. The
number of employees who have been noticed sit
ring around idle from day to day has occasioned
some inquiry during the last week. by few of
the senators who are sticklers for retrenchment
and economy, and there were vigorous expires
sions of complaint in the Senate lobby last Sat
urday afternoon, after Senator Day had intro
auced his bill providing for reduction of the
number of clerks and assistants.
AS MANY EMPLOYEES AS SENATOR'S.
An examination of the Auditor of States war
fantbook made by Journal reporter, reveals the
rather astounding fact that there are forty-two
persons employed about the Senate, under the
door keeper and secretaries, and with the COM
mite clerks the number on the pay -roll reaches
within two or three of being equal to the num-
Der of senator's The statute provides for the
employment of only twenty five persons. besides
the five committee clerks. The secretary, assist
ant secretary and door-keeper are each
allowed seven appointments, and the
number is amply sufficient for the work re-
4uired A resolution was passed at the present
session authorizing the secretary to employ
three additional clerks, allowing him in all ten
appointments There are, however, eleven per-
sons on his list of employees The assistant sec
rotary of the Senate has not asked for additional
clerks and therefore is authorized to en-
poy only seven. However, there were
nine on lis list Saturday night. One
OF the two extra employees had drawn $3.50 in
salary up to the 9th OF the present month ac-
cording to the warrant book The other has
been employed only one week. and has drawn
pay for that time. The door-keeper has fourteen
men, but he mas the authority Of the Senate for
employing them. The statute provides for the
appointment of three pages. The Senate passed
. resolution authorizing the appointment of one
additional. However there are five boys who
: are employed as pages. There are, in all,
eighteen more persons employed about the
Senate than the statutes authorize.
IRREGULAR BUSINESS METHODS.
In examining the warrant books few things
of a rather remarkable aspect were discovered.
The assistant secretary of the Senate on Jan.
Is drew $40: JAM 20, $50; Jan. 81, $40. and Feb.
=, $24l; makinga total of $44l within one month.
The salary of the assistant secretary for the
whole of the term of sixty-one days would
amount to 1866. Doubtless there are some ex-
penses for purchases especially authorized which
are included in the $44l, but the warrants do not
state for which purpose the money is drawn.
The assistant secretary has been absent from
the city since Thursday and therefore no
PLANTATION of the matter could be obtained from
him. The public printer states that all
purchases OF stationery are paid for upon
warrants issued to the Secretary of the Senate.
There is doubtless some explanation for the
matter, but the form in which the warrants are
issued is, to say the least, very irregular
The subordinate employees of the Senate are
the exception of the pages, who are given So a
day. The expense of the Senate work, there
fore, exclusive of the per diem of the fifty mem
bers, is about $225 day. The bill introduced
by Senator Day proposes to reduce the number
of assistant to the two secretaries to four each,
with six assistants to the door keeper, and the
pay is liked at So per day each.