The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-12-30

prairie states want to be members of
the committee on public lands; while
those from the Pacific states want to
be members of the committee on mines
and mining. The candidate who sue
ceeds in getting their votes must prom
Use and assure them such committee
appointments as they desire. After
the election, however, it will be dis
covered that no one can or could DOS
sibly keep all of the promises which
have been made.
1t is giving away secret, but it may
as we'll be known, that there are sew
eral useless committees of the house;
and the sooner they are abolished the
better for the congressman and for the
people. For example, there is the com
mittcc on expenditures in the interior
department" That is but one by
way Of illustration. That committee
holds probably one meeting during an
entire session of congress. But you
will ask what of that, so long rs it at
tends to its business. In reply, you
must be Informed that the chairman of
that committee has the appointment of
a committee clerk, who draws So per
day while congress is in session. He
gets that money out of the treasury,
and does nothing in return for it. Dur
ing long session of nine months, which
means two hundred and seventy days,
that committee clerk draws about ST.
600. Now, if you multiply that by ten,
the number of dress parade committees,
you will see that during session about
$4,000 are stolen CHATS hard word,
but u good onc) from the treasury of
the United States
The new member knows nothing
about these committees. He is purely
business man and wholly ignorant of
the ways that are dark and tricks that
are vain in parliamentary life. There
fore he gets no choice in the rattle of
these choice committees. They are
promised and pledged by the candi-
dates to the subordinate older members
in return for effective work done during
this contest. But you want to know
why member should want n chair
manship of n committee which has
nothing to do. III tell you. The clerk
of the dress parade committee has
nothing to do; SO the chairman uses
him as Il private secretary, and the
government pays him, while other
members have to pay for their private
secretaries out of their own pockets.
The chairman requires his committee
clerk to attend to all of his core
spondence, look after his interests in
the executive departments, write all OF
his bills and resolutions for him, and
look up the law on important points.
In this way n public office becomes a
private snap, instead of public trust.
In n recent letter about private Sec
retaries, advocated the idea, of giving
each member OF congress a private Sec
rotary at $4,000 per annum. It ought to
be done, although it would cost the
country about 100000 per annum. 1t
is because Of the fact that private sec.
retarics are needed that these dress
parade committees have been created;
but it is unfair to cheat the people in
that way and thus give private sccrc-
tarics to shrewder older members,
while all the others are obliged to pay
for such services out of their congress
sional salaries. presume that some of
my congressional friends will blame mo
for telling this story, but it is better for
the people to have the facts placed be-
fore them. They will ultimately reg.
ulate matters when they understand
them. Besides, it is but fair that the
new members should know of the ex.
istence of these committees, while they
are making their deals in this contest
SMITH d. Fry.