The record-union., 1896-12-10


grapher, though that concession Is un-
warranted, there are sixteen Sergeants-
alarms, two porters and seventeen
messengers employed by the commit
tees at a daily cost of SLAB. It is modest
to demand that these be reduced two7
thirds in number, since it Is notorious
that at the last session these employees
were falling over each other I'M the en-
deavor to appear employed. and since
it is notorious that they were, save In
perhaps three instances, unnecessary,
such reduction would make a saving Of
over $6,4S1.
Thus in mere clerical and servant en-
ployment the Senate can practice an
economy of $24, ,127. and over. which
sum we unhesitatingly declare Is wasted
and spent without business or necessl-
tous warrant and simply to feed 1.-The
push" and scatter crumbs among po-
Iitical servitors, not to conserve the in
terests Of the State or further the dis
patch Of business.
The Assembly at the last session had
no such list of Sergeants- alarms as
had the Senate, nor any such long array
of messengers, proving that the smaller
pendents. The Assembly got along with
one less Enrolling Clerk, and
yet it had more bills to en-
roll. but it made UP for this
economy by employing three more En-
crossing Clerks than the Senate. One
Clerk for each place would have been
too many 1t employed two more AS
sistant Clerks than the Senate did AS
slstant Secretaries; 1t doubled the num-
Der of File Clerks, and went the SEN
ate one better on Watchmsn.
Strange as 1t may seem, while the
Senate, consisting of forty members.
voted that 1t required thirteen pages,
the Assembly with eighty members got
along in a chamber twice as large with
five less. It discovered some soft snaps,
however, which the Senate overlooked,
as for instance the "Clerk to Governors S
Messages" was created, and the incum-
bent drew down $5 day for doing abso-
lutely nothing, since the Governors
messages take the same order as do
other documents presented to the
House, and appear on the minutes in
the same way. But that was as moth
ing to the trick OF voting a So CLERK to
the Democratic Minority" 1t also went
the Senate one better on the Book
keeper business, and indulged In the lux
ury OF Watchman to the State Li-
brary, another thing the Senate evi-
IDENTIFY overlooked. Assuredly, II the
Assembly needed a Watchman in the
library during the legislative session,
when at all other times It has none
outside Of the regular Capitol Watch
men, the Senate should also have posted
a man in the same luxurious chambers
to do nothing under the sun but draw
his 81 a day and toast his toes at the
registerl
All in all, the unnecessary employe
expenses Of the Assembly may be safely
put down at $4,000. Thus S44, 1877 may
be saved by the incoming Legislature,
and the public service be not one parti-
Gle harmed. In a season Of depression,
where there is demand for economies
on all sides and taxpayers Of the State
find the duty Of supporting the govern
ment treasury more than usually bur-
densome. the legislative body of the
State can well begin economic retrench-
ment with the domestic matters of the
two houses
matter OF legislative expenses that
should be, the saving will be consider.
ably more than the total figures we
have above indicated. The concession
Of expenses made to committees which
we granted earlier in this article should
be withdrawn, and full one-half of the
committee attaches cut off, raising the
sum that may be saved without hind
rance to State business to some $780,
900. If the Legislature Will break away
from the old and senseless custom of
taking the management OF the Capitol
building out Of the hands of the Secre-
tary of State. and instead Will permit
him to administer 1t as he does through
out the years when the Legislature Is
not in session, the saving to the people
because of such prudence will rise
in aggregate to about $50. 200 or $70.-
600. or over $1,000 day for each day
Of the session.
The dispatches tell us that Russia.