Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-29
OUR SENATORS. .
The Public Hears but Little OF
Senatorial Indignity.
Many of the Senators Make Servants
Out Of Their Private Secretaries.
Stanford's Magnanimity.
His Private Secretary Draws the Senator's
salary-work Before the Two Houses
of Congress This Week
Our Grea. Political Club.

Special to the Gazette.
WASHINGTON, May 25.-The senate of the
United States contains gentlemen and others.
No better proof of this fact is needed than to
watch from the press gallery the way some Of
the senators make use of their secretaries,
few facts regarding the the latter and their
duties may not be undressing. Each senator
who is not the chairman of committee mas q
. clerk who is paid Sc per day during the session
for the purpose of aiding a senator in his work.
The chairman of a committee eIacts this duty
from the committee clerk IN addl-
tiion to the latter's work for the committee.
Some OF the committee clerSships are annual,
but most of them are per diem. The. duties of
clerk to senator depend very much upon the
wind of a senator he is working for. Some are
princes and some otherwise. Foremost in
the former class stands Senator Stanford, who,
besides being rich IN pocket, is also rich in
many good qualities which make up big
hearted man. When he first came to the senate
he was of course accorded a clerk. To this po-
sition he called a poor, but hard working
newspaper man in the person OF
Mr.. John Mccarthy, then representing
Mr.. Mccarthy only the usual salary paid by the
government. Finding his usefulness worth
more; Mr.; Stanford said to him one day;
We'll, John, we have been together for some
time, and don't like the way things rum
ming, that is. don't like your salary. | guess
yeu dom either. You Just draw my salary as
senator and as I am about to nave a chairman
ship, and clerk al 5000, you just take that too.
This viii be a little better than S. per day.
which, however, the class IS not large. As an
other instance OF
SENATOR sTANFoRD's GENEROSITY,
it 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
the little Ganymedes. AT the last dinner each
page was presented with pair of gold sleeve
buttons by Mrs. Sanford.
Then there is another variety in this political
he ia than
club, and to this class belong the men who look
upon secretary as wage worker, whose duties
extend from the writing of a tariff speech to
making calls with the ladies of the senator's
family. l know of many cases where these
clerks have been called upon TO do manual
labor, and know of several instances where
clerk properly refused to sacrifice his manhood,
and was discharged. 1t was only of recent &C.
currence that the secretary of a cabinet officer
reGigned his position because his time was large
ly taken up with preparing and addressing
invitations for dinners and receptions at
the home of his chief. 1t is a common
occurrence for a senator to send his secretary
to the railroad Office to secure sleeping car
commodations. purchase railroad tickets.
Another favorite pastime which the secretary is
allowed(?) to indulge in is the keeping of per-
sonal account with the senator, which covers
the purchase of the dear senator's wardrobe, or
an article of daily use, like a tooth brush. Of
ten times there is a squsbble between the SEN
ator and the secretary as to the amount paid for
articles, and there is always a kick on the
item, postage stamps Another duty OF the
secretary after his legitimate work is
performed in transcribing dictated letters and
attending to the chores in the various depart
ments, is to calmly sit for hours on the sofas or
IN the cloak rooms to await the summons of his
chief, who in many instances does not desire
anything except to know that his lackey (for to
many senators he is 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 dissgreeable features. and they are
numerous, but why is it necessary for a senator,
who is supposed TO have dignity and force OF
character, and at least
SOME CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS,
to have his clerk ION tap to do some little
service which page is paid to perform, is
tainly peculiar. A senator is not such mighty
and lordIy thing that it is necessary to consider
his secretary as a mental. If the senators sup
pose that this method of treating secretary en-
hances their own position in the minds of the
public, they greatly mistaken. We hear
much of senatorial dignity, but we hear very
little of senatorial indignity, and
the facts here given sufficiently prove
that they possess cousid cradle of the latter
trait. AS a rule the secretaries of senators are
well born and well bred, and among them are
men of more than ordinary ability and intehi-
gence. As men they should be treated as such,
and while they not obliged in all instances
to accept the office, the duties imposed upon
them should be Of public and not Of private
nature.
The government does not appropriate money
for the hiring of the servants of the White
House except the door-keepers and the steward,
that the terms Secretary and Servant are
synonymous, does not appear, and the sooner
they learn the distic ton, which is certainly q
wide one, the more will be thought
of them by their secretaries and by the people,
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.