The evening times., 1896-03-07

the retrenchment OF expenditures in the
Senate, Senator Chandler has sent q letter
to Chairman Pritcharl, of the Commit ee
| on Civil Service and Retrcnchment, and
| Senator Jones, chairman OF the Committe ee
! on Contingent Expenses OF the Senate, in
which he calls attention to the many extrav-
| agant expenditures or the body he now
! seeks to have investigated
| Senator Chandler accompanies his letter
| with u table OF facts, from which he draws
some very interesting conclusions. He
| shows that the total number of employees
under the Senate aggregate 1853, among
whom are 121 clerks, % messengers, 81
| laborers, 23 pages, ! g folders, and 10
policemen. The herdcpartmentsare much
smaller, there being. for instance, Z mail
| carriers, 8 watchmcn, conductors of ee-
yators, 4 messengers acting as assistant
dOOrkeepcrs, assistant engineers, fire
men, etc. =
According to the figures submitted to
the committee ny Mr. Chandler, the Senate
employees receive about S4s2, 900 annually.
| The annual payroll has increased from
| S31T,9 ,931 in 1907 TO $4s1.2sO in 1895,
and was higher than this by $4,000 in
| 1894
1t was increased S2O,742 in 1888 and
S9I,I5 i'll 1859; decreased $45, ,793 in
| 1890 and increased again SS1, ,125 iii 1891.
wave of economy reduced the eX
pclses Oh tle senate .lSaiH III 1897 Dy Sl4,-
100, but the following year they were
again increased So ,3S4.
WAVES OF ECONOMY.
4 further increase OF 81 ,s97 was made
in S94, and last year occurred Il reduction
again OF S12,SS1.
The total increase since 1855 has been
S266 ,214 and the total reduction $1O2,-
s65 ma king Il net increa ST OF $163,343.
The total expenditures of the Senate.
less the salaries and milage OF Senators,
which amounts to about $3.50. 900 Il nnually,
has ranged from SAT- ,232 in 1887 TO
S699 1sS in 1894. This year there was a
reduction to S64s POI. The total increase
in all expenditures has been $41S,O92 and
the total dccrea Sc S21T ,124, leaving a net
Increase of 5000 ,96S.
1T will he seen by these figures" Mr..
Chandler says, that there were about four
employees to each Of the ninety Senators.
Deduct the policemen and there still remain
33S persons engaged in attendance upon
Senator'S. 1t must be manifest to you upon
the briefest possible consideration given to
the subject that the force is excessive and
extrayaganr..
Deduct from the 121 clerks the ninety
secretaries of Senators and there remain 81
clerks. These might not be in excess il
1t We're not for the large additional force
described i'll the list. What are 81 nessen-
gers and 81 laborers doing? 1t cannot be
possible that they are all usefully employed,
giving full service for the money received by
Ihem."
Mr.. Chandler then proceeds to compare
the pay roll of the Senate employees with
the expenses OF the Military Academy at
West Point. That bill carries an appro-
priation of $3ac .i39 for the pay roll and
current and ordinary expenses, :.eiUiing
the salary OF 3I5 cadets n: x54O q year.
-uI Al nvrax,c
preparation for ,;.- purposes of $365.61S.
These er Dcnses. Mr.. Chandler says, include
all the expenditures for the maintenance
or the schools, except the salaries of the
military and naval Officers on duty.
SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED.
Continuing, he says: Into the details
of the expenditures of the Senate, which
have grown so enormously, have not been
able 10 go. have not deemed il necessary
in order 10 justify me in pressing the resO-
luton which have offered. Those deta lis
should be investigate ed by your two commit
tees with view 10 the dismissal of every
surplus cmploye and the omission here
after of every needless expenditure.
1T is impossible that the public scrv-
ice requires such outiays. The Senate wing
of the Capitol is kept in repair by the arcbi-
tect and guarded by the Capitol police.
For the comfort within the Senate wing
or ninety senators ana 10 tnable them TO
perform their flnct ions it cannot be pos |
siblc that 33S Officers and employees. at |
an annual salary of 100000, are ncces- |
sary, and in addition nothcrcxpenses amount |
ing TO S165,000.
There is fault in some one; do not !!
know whom; there is extravaganza some |
where; Go rot pretend 10 know exactly |
In what place.
But in this crisis of diminishing revc- |
nues and hard times for the poor he Senate
should set an example OF retrcnchment; |
and l hope you VIII begin the work by |
the passage OF the two rcso- |
lutions. and cheerfully and efficiently labor |
under the authorit y of the Senate fol- the pro-
motion CT mUch-nccled economy and re-
form"