The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-10-24
SENATORIAL PATRONAGE.

able readjustment and redistribution of
senatorial patronage. The patronage
referred to is that which pertains to the
Senate itself-the senatorial Offices. In
Guiding the positions in the gift of the
Secretary of the Senate, the Sergeant
alarms, the Postmaster and other Off
GERS of the Senate, there is a large
amount of patronage to be dispensed.
By the courtesy of the Senate and the
traditions of the lobby, this patronage
Is distributed by the principal officers of
the Senate among Senators themselves
according to the supposed merits, claims,
craftsmanship, influence, etc. Senator
successful candidate for Secretary, gets
one or two clerkships under that func-
%tionary. Senator Jones, who got several
votes for the successful candidate for
Sergeant-at-arms, is allowed to name
two or three of his su~bOrdinates, while
Senator Robinson, who managed the
campaign for the Postmaster Sf
the Senate, gets his share of
patronage in that office. I'm this
way officers of the Senate make
themselves solid with the Senators, the
latter make themselves solid with their
constituents. and there is a general feel
ing of sOlidity all around. But the adj
mission of four new States is going to
change the status quo. Tine eight new
Senators must be provided for. Each of
these will have q vote for Secretary,
Sergeant-at-arms, etc., and each one
will claim his share of senatorial patron
age. This involves the necessity of a
new deal. The senatorial dignity of the
new States must be recognized. The
proper recognition of the new Senators
means a curtaiiment of the patronage of
the old ones. Our Washington CORE
spondent says:
Many Of the I'D men, who have been held
in inferior positions, will undoubtedly be
asked to give way to new men, that the
new Senators may be given their share of
the patronage. 1t is understood that the
| present Sergeant-at-armS is calculating to
give to each of the new Republican Sena-
tors one position worth from 81. 200 to ST.
500 a year. This the new Senators will not
consent TO, as there are many of the old
Senators who are given patronage under
the Sergeant-at-arms and under the Secre-
tary of the Senate, aggregating away up in
the thousands, some of them having twice
as much patronage as their own salaries ag-
gregate.
This is a very serious situation. An
old Senator who controls two clerkships
and a spittoon-cleaner will hardly con-
sent to be put off with two spittoon-
cleaners and a clerkship, nor will new
Senators representing the great State of
Dakota or Washington be easily salts
fed with a smaller slice of patronage
than goes to the Senators from the little
States of Massachusetts or Rhode
Island. Unless the number of spittOOn-
cleaners, laborers, mail messengers, rid
ing pages and perfunctory roustabouts
is largely increased there will not be
places enough to go around and give the
new Senator'S their share without lower
ing the dignity and curtailing the pat
rOnage of the old ones. The country
will wait with bated breath to see how
this important problem is TO be solved.
There is one calamity which it is to be
hoped may not occur. One shudders to
think what the result might be if the
President were to attempt to inter-
fere in the control or distribution
of this senatorial patronage. If he does
Senators should Immediately take mea-
sures to protect the dignity and MAIN
tain the prerOgatives of the Senate.
They should assert the awful power of
senatorial courtesy and the traditional
independence of the body. They should
remind the President that under the
Constitution the government is divided
into coordinate branches, and that as
chief of the executive department he
has no right to interfere with senatorial
patronage. They should inform him
plainly that rs the responsibility for the
proper transaction of senatorial business
rests on the Senate, Senators alone
should have the power of electing its
principal officers and naming their
subordinates. They should respectfully
but firmly protest against any attempt
on the part of the executive to dictate
to the Senators in regard to the exercise
of a prerogative so peculiarly and ex-
clusively their own, and they should in
sist that such interference and dictation
on his part would be fatal to the divis-
ion of powers and the system of checks
and balances on which our government
is based. In short, they should take
high ground against executive interfer-
ence with senatorial patronage. If the
President, in turn, should mildly pro-
test against Senators trying to control
executive appointments and patronage.
they should tell him that that is a horse
of another color, and that senatorial
courtesy would not permit them to dis
cuss it.
AN OLD STORY TOLD AGAIN.