Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-01
POSITIONS WORTH HAVING.
Th. Speaker a Greater Man Than the
PresIdent-Where His Power Lies
WeII-PaId sinecures In COngress-Mor.
ton as Presiding OnIcer of the Senate.

/ tcoRREsPoNDEEoE OF THE DIsPATcH.1
WASHINGTON, d. O., November 2S.-Before
| these words reach the printer the autocrat of
the House Of Representatives, otherwise known
| as the Speaker, will have been selected by that
| other autocrat, known as the caucus, and the
lively contest for the chief Office of the House.
and almost the CHIEF Office of the Government
will be at an end. While there has been a very
warm contest and the arguments used in the
! interests of this or that candidate were not
always fair and manly, in the main the candi-
dates and their supporters have been generous
| and courteous to each other. The contest has
been waged mainly on the basis of the fitness
of the individual. While the silver question,
the tariff question and the question Of corpora
tive influence have been used to some extent
they have had little effect, mainly because
all Of the candidates were of that order of poll
tician who is constantly dominated by the
professional principles of his party, and there
fore that which could be laid honestly at the
door of one could be charged to all of the 9TH
ers with equal truth. No one is better than
his party, or has shown any desire to be so, and
upon those questions on which there is some
measure Of disagreement within the party
ranks, these candidates have pursued so diplo-
matte course that no one could be said to go
farther than or fail short Of the specifications
or generalizations of the party platform.
The memorable contest in 1883, between Car
Isle and Randall, was fought on the issue Of
the tariff. 1t was square contest between the
protection and free trade factions of the Demo-
cratic party and upon that Carlisle won by
great majority. No feeling of that kind, nor
any sincere feeling in regard to any great ques-
tion, entered into the present contest, and II, as
is now the prospect, Reed. Of Maine, be select
ed by the caucus tomorrow il will be because
of his acknowledged experience, his known 1T
ness for the place. and the fact that he has
been the nominee of the party for Speaker
when the nomination was but an empty honor;
while his opponents are without experience,
though they are all acknowledged to be gentle
men OF fine abilities
Bigger Man Than the President.
In many ways the Speaker of the House is
more powerful than even the President of the
United States The President can veto legisla-
ton; but that is serious matter, to refuse to
sanction lawwhich has been enacted by the
exercise of the wisdom Of 325 members of the
House and 70 members of the Senate. 1t is an
assumption Of superior sagacity for which
President rarely cares to take the responsible
ity, and when he does it is almost invariably at
the request Of large proportion Of the mem
berS of Congress, just as the Queen
Of Great Britain dare not exercise
the veto power except by the request
of Parliament But the Speaker Of the House
may block legislation in a thousand ways, and
to great extent he can make OF mar the infu-
ence and prominence Of any member of the
House. He is practically the creator of the
rules of the House. His construction of the
rules can only be vitiated by the vote Of u ma
jority of the House, and upon those of his own
party who do not vote to sustain him he can
quietly but successfully visit the full extent of
his displeasures. Even the most prominent
and brilliant may be snuffed out, and the
Speaker may not discover to any except those
l1r nPon a01r koo oh he Fo
that he is deliberately ignoring the person who
has aroused his dislike. And as TO legislation,
Speaker who has thorough command of him
self and of the rules can absolutely defeat the
enactment of any law which does not suit him,
and that almost without exposing the fact to
any one that he is set againstit it
The Speaker gets 5000 year, the same
States. who is also, by virtue of his office, the
presiding officer of the Senate. He is allowed
a private Secretary at a salary of a little more
than S2,U00 and q similar salary is paid to q
special clerk for the Speakers table"
Some Profitable Positions.
The Clerk Of the House receives the highest
salary Of any of the officers of that body-S4 600
a year. He has considerable patronage, and
command Of quite large corps Of clerks The
Chief Clerk. Journal Clerk and two Reading
Clerks each get S3, 800 year, the Tally Clerk
So 900, the Printing and Bill Clerk and the Dis
7bnfstng Clerk $500 each, and q number Of
others from 81, 400 to s., 900 each.
The Sergeantat-Arms is, after the Clerk, the
officer drawing the highest salary. He has
s., 600 year, a good deal Of patronage and some
perquisites. He is not only the chief Of police
of the House, but is also the head banker.
His deputy sergeant receives g, 900 year and
the cashier of his bank s.. 600 The doorkeeper
has the largest patronage Of any Of the officers
of the House, and very nice perquisites. He
receives q salary of S. 600 year, and may 1egit-
imately swell that sum by several thousands.
He can be Of much service tomembers and all
who have business with the House, and he can
quietly cause a deal Of annoyance to such
people If he has mind to do so. One Of his
perQuisites is the privilege to sell the waste
document rooms, and this amounts to q nice
sum in the course Of the year; and it is
whispered that at times paper and
could hardly properly be classed as
waste" but this may be one Of the ISLANDERS
that are always circulated in regard to places
that are thought to furnish opportunity for
crookedness. No member Of Congress has at
his command the appointment Of SO large a
number of officials and employees as the door
keeper Of the House, with his retinue Of clerks,
watchmen, doorkeepers, pages and laborers,
and this, and the salary and perquisites. make
it an office much sought
The postmaster's is also an elective Office. and
the postmaster receives salary of 50, 500
year. He is not really postmaster, but is a
clerk who receives and distributes and gives
out the mails OF the members and officials. He
has an assistant, who gets 5000 year.
Nice Little Sinecures.
Outside of these offices, those having the
highest salary attached are the clerkships Of
committees, the pay for which is from g, 900 to
$500 year. The clerk of committee is also
in some sense the private secretary Of the
Chairman Of the committee, and, though some
of them are worked hard enough, the majority
have an easy time Of it. and the office is con-
sidered one Of the most desirable within the
gift of the House. These clerks are chosen by
the committees and are not elected, as most Of
the high salaried officials are. In the Senate a
private secretary is allowed each Senator, ex-
cept the Chairman of 3 committee, who is ex-
pected to utilize the clerk Of the committee.
A number of the clerks of Senate committees
are sons or other relatives Of Senators. and in
such cases the work of that clerk usually de-
wolves on other employees, while the clerk draws
and spends his 5000 or more per year.
While the offices of the Senate may be re-
organized to some extent, it is not likely that
General Anson G. McCook will be ousted from
his position as Secretary OF the Senate, in which
ting no less than S6.096 per year. The Chief
Clerk and Financial Clerk get $1,000 year
each, and several others S2.500 each. The best
paid clerk of a Senate committee is he Of the
Committee Of Appropriations who gets S, 900
year. The Sergeant-at-Arms receives s4,920 q
year, and has number OF assistants at about
1000 year. Isaac Bassett, nominally the as
slstant doorkeeper, who was appointed page
by Daniel Webster, and has served about 55
years in the Senate, gets 81 592 year for rising
occasionally and announcing, "a message from
the President OF the Ontea states OF, "A
When he became TOO old for active work an
'tactive assistant was appointed to relieve him,
and he is now virtually pensioned at his COM
For Inc 'f first time since 1890 the Senate will