The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-05-20
VACATION CLERK.
Il Is Robbery for Each Con-
gresham to Have 500,
Allowed Him Per Month for a
Clerk During Holiday
BAKER THOUGHT YES.
Only Representative That Voted
Against the Bill.
Manp Members Will Pocket the
Fund and Hire No Clerk.
BAKER THOUGHT YES

FROM our Special Correspondent
washington. May 20.-The charge OF
assteal" which has been made in some
quarters against the action Of the
house Of representatives. in voting It's
members annual clerks depends for
its truth upon how the matter is look
ed at
The action Of the house viii cause the
expenditure Of S21e. 900 for the period
between the close Of this session and
the beginning Of next. providing each
member draws his fun allowance Of
SEC per month for clerk hire
And Of course no one expects that
any member VIII fail to perform this
little duty.
But while It is true that dozens Of
representative perhaps. do not need
clerks during the vacation and in these
Instances the appropriation viii be i'm
the nature of "a steal, there are scores
of others, if not a decided majority Of
the members who need a clerk worse
during the vacation than during the
session
Members so situated have paid out
money for the necessary help from
their own pockets
The mistake made by the house in
voting themselves annual in place Of
session clerks which they had previous
~ been allowed, was in not putting
these clerks on the regular payroll Of
the house
Then there could have been no pos
HAbiIty of the member drawing pay for
clerk hire without employing q clerk
The resolution which passed the house
however, gives each member an all
loWance Of 500 per month for clerical
help Thus the name OF the person en-
pioyed by a member doesn't appear on
the house pay roll at all. his employ
ment is a. private tranactiOn between
the member and himself So a mem
Der If SO minded may hire no clerk at
all and fatten his own pocket with the
elee. or he might hire a clerk for SO
or even $50 month and put the re-
mafnder Of the 800 i'll his pocket. TO
be sure the member when he draws the
&1oo has to certify that he has paid it
cut Tor clerical help but a few breaths
Of Washington air have such soOth-
ing effect on conscience that such a
thing is easy to do
But while undoubtedly many mem
eers VIII use this allowance for their
own private benefit the great major
aty vii pay it out honestly for the pur-
poses for which It is intended
Representative need annual clerks
8ust as much if not more than sena-
tors The public has no right to make
congressman messenger boys and claim
agents by asking them personally to
perform an manner or petty services
which the person making the request
might perform for himself by a proper
IS directed letter
And yet this class of work has been
thrust upon most congressman with
out limit to such an extent that If they
naa no clerks TO help them they
wouldn't have time to attend the ses-
sions of the house.
Every member Of the Kansas delega-
ton ign the house voted for the annual
clerk resolution except the Populist
Baker. And there isn't a member of
the Kansas delegation but that needs
q clerk all the year.
Probably no constituency in the Uni
TED States is so free to write to its rep
resentatives I'm congress as Kansas and
# is doubtful If any delegation gives
such prompt attention to the wants and
requests of its constituents as the kan
sas delegation
Kansas man would rather write
ne his congressman for bit of informa-
tIon and wait the necessary four or five
days for reply, than to look the same
thing up himself in an encycIopaedia
"a eve minutes.
For this kind Of reasons and on ac-
count Of the enormous pension business
each has to attend to, Kansas congress
men, all Of them, keep their clerks
busy all the time. And the correspond
ence IS almost as large during the re-
cess as during the session, SO ft is only
Just and proper for representatives who
have this heavy public work to be fur
nished with help by the government
which they otherwise have to employ
out Of their own pockets
None Of the allowances for clerk hire
drawn by Kansas congressman has any
chance to ind its way into their own
purses their constituents keep them too
busy.