Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-12-20
LOADED WITH BARNACLES.
Salaries of Government Officials
Run on Forever In These Days.

Run on Forever In These Days.
Under the generous conduct of al
fairs in Congress, the generosity being
with the money in the public treasury,
no salary is allowed to lapse, says the
Cincinnati Enquirer. If, for example,
a member OF Congress dies-let us say
in January-his successor. elected in
the following November and taking
his seat in December, draws pay for
all the time from the moment that
the angel OF death called his prede-
cessor to his final account. The capt.
itol building in Washington is overrun
with appointees, at high salaries, that
are not needed. An experienced
Washington correspondent recently
estimated that 100000 annually
could be saved by dispensing with ap-
pointees and Injuries without which
the public service would no: suffer.
Even if this should turn out to be an
overestim2te, it is certain that very
large saving could be and ought to be
made.
The truth is that the government is
looked upon as good thing" by the
politicians, and the Holmans and
other economists are coughed down as
"cheese parers" who would lower the
dignity of our great government by
making it parsimonious. The more
Offices there are the more patronage
there is. The candidate who offers to
promise economy as an inducement to
elect him is laughed at as tenderfoot.
He is advised that he cannot have too
many appointments with which to
gain the favor of Congressman. The
Clerk, Sergeant-at.arms, Doorkeeper
and Postmaster only appoint their
subordinates nominally.
Barnacleisn RACES in the Senate as
wildly as it does in the House. The
Senate is notorious for never yielding
patronage. The two branches of Con-
gress are Jointly and co-ordinately re-
sponsible.
Only few examples OF extrava.
gance will be cited in this article. Two
postoffices, each with a postmaster
and corps of clerks, are maintained at
the capitol. The delivery of the mail
at both ends could be accomplished
from one Office. Indeed, the work
might be done from the Washington
City Office at great saving. Ali oil
the four Offices we have named in this
connection, and which are to be filled
to-day, have assistants largely in ex.
cess Of the actual requirements.
There are doorkeepers enough to
make a large police force for smart
town. They are paid fancy annual
salaries, and for at least half the time
they have nothing to do. Frequently
two of them serve at one door at the
same time, with reserve forces to take
their places when the sessions OF either
house are protracted. Not a theater
doorkeeper in the length and breadth
of the land gets as much money as one
of these congressional "doorbangers" !;
though, of course, the theater man has
much the greater responsibility.
Boys acting as pages are paid $3.50
a day, though there are hundreds Of
equally intelligent and reliable boys OF
the same age working in private occu.
pations and rendering much more ser
vice at So q week. These are but a
few items, but they illustrate the ex-
travagance that prevails throughout
the capitol, and, in addition to this,
the whole tremendous list of officers
and employees is voted an extra
months pay at nearly every session Of
Congress.