Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-12
PLUMSOF PATRONAGE
Benefits That Accrue to the Party
Which Organizes the Senate.
SALARIES OF TEE SUBSTANTIAL SORT
Over Two Hundred and Fifty Posi-
tons at the Disposal Of Senators.
THEIR NEXT DISTRIBUTION

To Organize the Senate is more than
an honor 1t means the distribution Of a
large amount OF patronage and the wielding
of great deal of power. Therefore IT Is
a matter of great importance politically,
and Ii is no marvel that the power to affect
an organization should be sought by both
of the parties with great eagerness. or
course, the main object Of the majority in
either house of Congress is to secure
enough votes to insure the passage of bills
proposed by the party. To that end leSis-
latures are carried and Senators are elected
to Congress. But incident to this is
the matter OF the ability to elect the
various officers of the Senate, to choose
the members of the great machine that
works almost unseen, but which costs a
great sum of money annually. The annual
salaries of the Senators aggregate Si4UOJO,
while the majority In control of the Senate
may distribute patronage worth S'jUol2
each year This sum is divided among loo
people of all grades of work and remunera-
ton, making an average of s1,431.
Pleasing to i'icIS From.
The patronage ranges all the way from
the secretary of the Senate, who gets more
than a Senator, 1896, down to laborers at
$50 a month. 1t includes clerks to COM
mittees. pages, messengers, watchmeu,
clerks. mail carriers, folders, firemen and
engineers, and all branches of service. 1t
Is generally distributed as follows calcu-
lating on the basis OF the last Congress:
In the secretary's office, S0112; clerks
to committees, controlled by the members
Of the majority, sli1.23O; In the othce of
the sergeant-at-arms, SI2,O64; in the post
office. $1S,1SS; in the document and folding
rooms, S30,154; in the stationery room,
sl8,294 at the Maltby building and Oh mis-
cell IIo
The choicest places are these: Secretary
at $500; chief clerk at 5000, financial
clerk at 5000, sergeant-at-arms at 81, $40,
clerk to the committee on appropriations,
5000; minute clerk, s., 502; enrolling clerk
S2,JJ2, reading clerk, y, 40; superintendent
of the document room, $500; assistant
dcorkeeper Of the Senate, $3O02.
Anzi Smith nnd Captain Bassett.
The two last named places are not con-
sidered to be at the disposal of anybody
for they are now filed by incumbents who
are regarded as fixtures. Amzi Smith, in
the document room, is considered as one of
the most useful servants of the government
He has been in this place for many years
and is of great service to all who have busi-
ness with this department.. He is not only
paid a large salary and kept in office from
Congress to Congress, but he is annually
named in the appropriation bills for an ,x-
ira sum. Capt. Bassett is, as he has been
for years, the assistant doorkeeper of the
Senate, and he shares the good fortune of
Amzi Smith, being also named for an extra
sum. The clerk of the committee on ap-
propriations, MIR. Cleaves, is thought to be
so valuable man in that place that he has
not been disturbed by the democratic al-
ministration of the Senate, and Will doubt
less remain at the post in case OF an over
turning of the force after next March.
other Places Probably Exempt.
There are, In addition to these places, sew
hot O., x1rayr .IaI
emptions from the general rule about the
division Of the spoils. But they usually hold
minor positions. The rule is for the ma
jority to name all the important people, and
for the chairmen of the various committees
TO choose their own clerks. This places a
vast amount of patronage in the hands CT
the majority, for the best OF the plurns are
controlled by these committees. In the esti-
mate Of the aggregate given above the
committees now headed by members of the
minority are not included. Some Of the
laDOrers and messengers are chosen by
members OF the minority. They are often
attached to committees and therefore their
choice is given to the cnairmen, VINO usually
have the disposition Of the places.
Senators Demand Equal Division.
As nearly as possible the patronage is
divided up amongst the Senators according
to fixed rule, and a careful tab Is kept
on the lists of appoin tments and removals.
The smaller the salary the more unstable
the place. The range of salaries is hish.
Even in the more menial Positions is this
shown. The Senators are generous in their
distribution of the funds ana spare no Op
portunity to increase the Duuget OF domestic
expenses. There is almost Always a cOnnICt
between the two houses over some IJelns M
these appropriations, with success resting
now on the one side and now ON tne other.
Mode OF Choosing the higher Oh4ciaIs.
In the case OF the more important places,
secretary, serSeant-at-aIms and chaplain
who gets 500 a year-a caucus OF the ma
jority party is called and nominations are
made that are aftarward submitted to the
Senate Minority nominations are also
made, usually of the incumbents, in case oI
q change in administration, and the votes
of the Senate are taken upon these names
in a peculiar way. TIE form is Tor the ma
iOrity to submit resolution declaring
certain person to be secretary, and then
the majority moves to substitute another
pame. Thus the question comes up on only
one name al a time, and SO until u
proposition is affirmed. The famous Rid
GIaDergcr- Malone fight of the FOrty-eighth
Congress was over the organization of the
Senate. These two NIrginlanS held the bal
ance of power, and aIter three weeks of
struggling ard long sessions, marked b.
the most determined flbusterinS by the
democrats and the most adroit maneuver-
ing and wire pulling on all sides, the Nir-
ginia Senators gave their votes to the re-
publiCans, and the organization was erect
ed by the adoption of the republican reso-
lutiOnS.
PopuIists Arc EyeinG the Pap.
Such struggle may occur next year.
With the populsts holding the balance of
votes it is entirely possible that there may
be a long and determined deadlock. The
democrats are now seeking comfort from
certain utterances of Senator Stewart who
saws that the pOpulists viii hold together
as a party and will not vote with the re-
publicans. Then again, Marion Butler, the
leader of the North Carolina fusionists is
quoted as saying that he looked more
hopefully to the democratic party than to
the republicans for that peculiar legislation
that has made the third party of latter
days famous.
Rut the republicans need so small a
margin to insure an absolute majority that
the consensus of opinion today is that the
organization of the Senate for the Fifty
fourth Congress will be secured by them.
The coming session, the last of the Fifty