Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-26
: OUR SENATORS.
he Public Hears but Little Of
Senatorial Indignity.
Many Of the Senators Make Servants
Out of Their Private Secretaries.
Stanford's Magnanimity.
Els Private Secretary Draws the Senator's
saIary-Work Before the Two Houses
of Congress This Week.
Our Great Political club.

70 lne OaZSttc.
WASHINGTON, May 25.-The senate Of the
United States contains gentlemen and others.
No better proof o; this fact is needed than to
watch from the press gallery the way some OF
the senators make use OF their secretaries, A
few facts regarding the the latter and their
duties may not be unInteresting Each senator
who is not the chairman of committee has
clerk who is paid Sc per day during the session
for the purpose of aiding senator In his work.
Tho chairman Of committee eIacts this duty
from the COMMITTEES clerk IN add1-
tiion to the latter'e work for the committee.
Some of the committee clerkBhlpB are annual
but most OF them are per diem. The duties OF
a clerk to = senator depend very much upon the
kind OF q senator he is working for. Some are
princes and some are otherwise. Foremost in
the former class stands Senator Stanford, who,
besides being rich IN pocket. Is also rich in
masy good qualities which make up big
hearted man. When he first came to the senate
he was of course accorded clerk To this Po-
9r. JOHN Mccarthy, then Fepresentins
sir. Mccarthy only the usual salary paid by the
government. Finding his usefulness worth
more. Mr.. Stanford said to him one day:
''Well, John, we have been together for some
time, and don't like the way things are run
ming, that is, l don't like your salary. l guess
yeu don't either. You just draw my salary as
senator and as am about to nave chairman
ship, and clerk at 5000, you just take that TOO
This will be little better than Sc per day
This IL sample OF one kind OF senator, OF
which, however, the class is not large. AS an
other instance OF
SENATOR sTANEoRD's GENEROSITY,
1t may be mentioned that the pages are ,remem-
bered by him every Christmas with gift of $40
each. He also gives them an annual dinner at
his.own residence, which is greatly enjoyed by
thelittie Ganymedes. At the last dinner each
page wss presented With pair Of gold sleeve
Then there is another variety in this political
club (for the senate il nothing more than
club, and to this class belong the men who look
upon o secretary as wage worker. W hose duties
extend from the writing of q tariff speech to
making calls with the ladies Of the EenAtor's
family. l know OF many cases whore these
clerks have been called upon to do manual
labor, and know OF several instances where
clerk properly refused TO sacrifice his manhood,
and WIS discharged. 1t was only OF recent oc-
currencs that tho secretary of cabinet officer
resigned his position because his time was large
ly taken up with preparing and addressing
the homo of his chief. 1t is common
occurrence for 3 senator to send his secretary
70 the railroad Office to secure sleeping car ac-
commodatioEs, or purchase railroad tickets.
Another faTorite pastine which the secretary is
allowed(?) to indulge in is the keeping OF PER
ssnal account with the senator, which covers
the purchase Of the dear senators wardrobe, or
an article Of daily use like a tooth brush. Of
tan times there Is a squAbblo between the sem
ateE and tho secretary as to the amount paid for
articles. and there il always q kick on the
is4m, postage staHps." Another duty of the
secretary after his legitimate work is
performed IN trAnscribing dictated letters. and
attending to the chsres in the various depart
nonts is to calmly sit for hours on the sofas or
in the cloak rooms to await the EumEons OF his
chief, who in many instances docs not desire
anything except to know thEt his lackey (fOr to
many senators he il considered nothing less) Is
near at hand and subject to his call. OF course
the man who accepts this position must take it
with all its disAgresabls features, and they are
numerous, but why is it necessary for . senator,
who is supposed to have dignity and force OF
character, and at least
soNB CONSIDERATION FOE OTHERS,
to have his clerk zen tap" to do SONS little
service which page is paid to perform, is GER
tainly peculiar. senator is not such mighty
and lordly thing that 1t is necessary to consider
his secretary az q mental. If the senators sup
rose that this msthod of treating a secretary en-
hances their own position in the minds OF the
public, they are greatly mistaken. We hear
much of senatorial dignity, but We heSr very
tt. .c Gi bss. gnan IR ns.E p- oRa
that they possess consid cradle Of the latter
trait. AZ q Iulo the secretaries OF senators
we'll born and well bred, and among them are
men of mere than ordinary ability and intelli-
genoe As men they should be treated a. such,
and while they not Obliged IN all instances
to accspt tho once. the duties imposed upon
them should be Of public and not OF q private
nature.
The government does not appropriate money
for the hiring of this servants Of the White
House exe4nsAhe door-keepsrs and the steward,
ffIsf fiSs terms ''sscretary'' and "Eervant'' arc
autonomous, does not appear, and the sooner
they learn the distiction, which Is certainly
wide one, the more will be thought
A secretary is public officer under the ruling
of the senate and he is allowed the privileges Of
the floor and is subject to the rules prescribed
by the senate for its own procedure.