Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-01
Senate Employees Trembling at I'm
pending Official Decapitation.
1 REDISTRIBUTION OF PATRONAGE
Many Will Lose Their Heads Within
a Few Days.
REASONS FOR THEsLAUGHTER

lHeTc mas DeeN great uneaSlneSS Tor
week or two among the subordinate en-
ployes Of the Senate, owing to active, but
secret, preparations in progress among the
leading members of both parties for a re-
organization of the patronage" Some
time ago the steering committee of demo-
cratic Senators made certain propositions
to the corresponding men on the other side
Of the chamber that would give some meas
ure of effect to the republican control OF
the Senate ard would yet preserve to each
Senator a proportional share of the places
that are ordinarily designated by the broad
term Of patronage" Briefly, this plan
was to disregard the old rule whereby the
places were all given to the party then in
the majority, and to substitute therefor q
new plan, that would give each Senator con-
troll of just so many dollars worth Of public
Office, whether his party CHANGED to be in
a majority or not This was Intended to
substitute a per capita allotment Of the Of
fees for the old party plan, and the sug-
gestion was made that, II once accepted. the
rule might be retained as one Of the insti-
tutions thus doing away with much of
the friction that is b!ennially caused by the
induction of upward Of twenty or thirty new
Senators into office, often involving COM
plete congratulations.
The Present Organization.
AS is well understood, the present organf-
cation of the Senate is altogether unusual.
The republicans have A Senators, the dem
ocrats 80 and the popul!sts 9. with no party
in a majority. The democrats still retain
the executive control of the Senate. the Of
fees Of the sergeant-at-arms and secretary,
together with the subordinate positions UNI
der these officials, while the republicans. by
the grace Of the populists. have been given
charge OF the committees. The republicans
have since then held caucus and NOM
fon tod or6f lot fnp fhA oil Two nff
but, excepting those for the minor places.
these nominations have never been made to
the Senate, and 1t has been morally ac-
cepted that they would not be at this ses-
sion; that the effort to effect 4 complete re-
organization Of the Senate, in short, had
been abandoned for the time at least
An Agreement Reached.
1t is now stated that one Of the reasons
that actuated this change of plan on the
part Of the republicans was the offer of the
democratic steering committee to agree to
a proportionate division of the patronage,
which will be to the advantage of the re-
publicans and will operate disastrously for
certain democratic Senators and their pro-
teges. Thus. compromise has been effected
between the two greater parties that avoids
victory purchased al the expense of an al
lance with the populists. an expedient from
which both parties have thus far shrunk
far as possible. Under this arrangement
the six populist Senators will. Of course. re-
ceive their share Of the patronage, in the
proportion of six-eighty-ninths, but they
miss the more important goal for which
some of them, 1t is asserted, are striving
the capture Of at least ore Of the chief Of
fees and the control that this official would
have over the subordinate positions.
The WcedinE-Out Process.
The plan Of the democratic leaders was
recently submitted to the entire body of
Senators Of that faith in caucus assembled.
and, after some explanations and a few
protests. 1T was adopted. and steps were at
once taken to put 1t into effect. The rolls
were examined and list of Senators who
have more than the allotted amount Of
patronage was made up. The limit to this
class of patronage was fixed at 81 40 a
year, and for some days there has been a
great weeding-out process that is as yet
all on paper. Hence the uneasiness that
exists on all sides.
There are about twenty-five changes to
be made, twenty-five democratic EMPLOYEES
to be dismissed to make room for as many
republicans. This done, the list of SUBJ
ordinates falling under this designation of
personal patronage" will be balanced,
with 44-S9 Of it republican, $3.50 demo-
cratic and $50 populistic.
The Men Who Managed 1t.
1t has required some close figuring and
calculating to reach this result, and con-
SiueTdDle uiplOHldcy mas Deen brought INFO
play. The republican manager of the
change has been Senator Ekins, while Col.
Bright, the sergeant-at-arms, and Gen. Cox,
the secretary Of the Senate, have been in
charge of the details for the democrats,
with the steering committee behind them.
In some cases 1t has been possible to equip
two republican Senators from the same
state with the desired aggregate of patron
age, $3.50 for both, by making an unequal
! VI nd oil
the two Senators to name the incumbents
as they might choose. In the secretary's
office there will be three changes, all of the
offices being highly paid, but the majority
of the men slated for dismissal are special
messengers to committees, laborers, extra
men and the like, whose Senators may have
already retired from the Senate or are con-
templating an eclipse in the near future.
1t. is not known just when the changes
will be made, but it is generally expected
| that they will be announced very shortly,
so as to take effect approximately in con-
| nection with the first of the month.