The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-01-16
READ (! READ
"A TERRIBLE SHOWING.
How the People Are Robbed.

to Congress.
This economical administration in
its two branches of congress, is cost
ing the country about $4,000, 900 a
year for its individual expenses. The
house, with 800 members, costs the
people considerably more than $780,
600 per annum. But it is the senate
which bears the palm for expendi-
lures the amount of which grow year
by year in volume; expenditures so
outrageous and indie feasible that it
seems almost incredible for men who
are plunging their hands So deep in
the public pocket to show themselves
with uncovered faces.
The house. with its 800 members.
takes T4l1 90 per annum to pay its
employees. The senate, With eighty
eight members, has taken $4iS,0 for
this year for the same purpose, and as
1T constantly Increases it's filching:
nGxt year ii will no doubt take more.
1t requires $4,000 to pay the mileage
OF members OF the house, but the SEN
ate cannot get along with less than
$4,000 annually for the same purpose.
In all probability there are not more
than half dozen Of its members who
do not travci on railroad passes and
cOolly drop the money which belongs
to the people in their wallets.
The house contents itself with
tifty-SeFcn committees, onc-thrd at
least Of which are of no use, but the
senate cannot get along with less than
sixty. The reason for so many com
mittees is simply because the
chairman has then private room for
his use and that of his friends, and
clerk to attend to his private business
without any cost to himself. The
titles of some of these committees
are highly amusing. When ingenuity
was finally exhausted in devising
names for committees, and its list
had grown to sixty for body of
eighty-eight men, it might have been
supposed That there would come a
halt, but oh, no. The bull was taken
by the hlrnS, and the senators for
whom no committee names could be
found were voted clerks anyway. And
so 1t IS that every member of the sem
ate has Il clerk of his own at bis indi-
vidual beck and call, with no drain on
his private purse therefor. The clerks,
messengers ana employees of one kind
and another around the senate wing
Of the capitol are as thick as flies
around a sugar barrel.
Each senator does not cost the
country less than $4,000 per annum.
In other words. each one gets $4,000
for wages. and it is much higher
wages than the majority of them are
worth. and, in addition, some $1,000
more to provide him with clerks and
walters to minister to his comfort
generally while he lives. and pay his
funeral expenses when he dies.
Many thousands of dollars are spent
every year in the summer junkcts of
senators, gotten up under the guise of
special committees to make bogus in
QuirieS and inveS LEGATIONS Pullman
palace cars and firSt-class watering
place hotel bills figure largely in this
species of legislative pastime.
"A very few years since it was
found there was not space in the CAPT
tol for senators who insisted uDon
having rooms for their own private
accommodations. The house was de-
luded into giving it's consent to the
purchase of the Maltby building. a
large apartment house under the
shadow of the capitol The promise
was held cut to the house that it
share in the additional accommoda-
tions. But the house never GOT a
toothold in the building. BY one act
OF grand larceny, unparalleled, the
senate took absolute possession, and
when the house growled and grum-
to do about it," It has been fitted nm
in the most luxurious style. Magni.
ticlent clocks of onyx have been put
into the rooms and a staff of some
twenty employees, more or less, have
been put IN charge at most remunera-
tive wages, and senators can stem
across the way from their OnerouS
legislative duties to find themselves
resting in the midst of oriental luxury
and elegance"
The above was clipped from lead
ing daily paper not long since, and
gives some faint idea of the criminal
reckles>nesS in the expenditure of
money by our lawmakers. A few
items of expense will be given in or
der that our readers may become sufli-
GENTLY interested that they will in
ycstigate for themselves.
Togiye you some idea of the offices
are multiplied and salaries piled I'D |
will state that the secretary of agri-
culture draws $4,000 per year: his as
sistant $1,000: chief clerk, 81 500:
private secretary, $1,000; steno-
phcr, l,4C0; private secretary to as
sistant secretary, $1,000: librarian
$500: assistant Librarian, 81 400: sta
tionary clerk. $1,000; two clerks of
class four, -, 600: three clerks of class
three, S4,SC0: four clerks of class two,
$1,000: seven clerks of class one, SIS, 400;
eight clerks tclass not given). $4,000;
six clerks, $5,C4O: engineer, ST. 600; fire.
man, 5000: assistant fireman, $720; an
other at $500: two night watchmen,
81, 400: carpenters, laborers, messen-
gers, painters and charwomen 81. 500
This batch Of salaries in the office
of secretary CT agriculture amounts to
$50. 800 per year.
Then comes the division of &C
counts and disbursements The sal
aries III this branch Of the department
OF agriculture amount to $40, 100.
Then comes the division of stats
tics with 81 In rios IN tho p,olc6y nj