The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-31
SEN. PEFFER's BARBER TALK
Senators Discuss the Custom OF the
Government Paying for Ton
serial Work.


From The State Journals Special Cor
washington March 81. = Senator
PETER was the cause of some good
humored badinage in the senate the
other day when the items for Sena-
tors clerks and senate BARRIERS in the
Iegislative appropriation bill came up.
Senator PETER had been endeaVorlng
to have a number of items in the Dill
reduced and when it came to the pay
for the senate BARRIERS he objected to
it on the ground that it was an abuse
for the senators to have their barber
ing done at government expense. The
barbering question presented line OF
economy in which the senior senator
from Kansas had had personal expert
ence and he was prepared to deal
with facts.
That Senator PETER profited little by
free barbering was too good a thing to
let pass and several witty SallieS We're
made by other senators as to the self
ishnesS of Senator PETERS objection
The discussion was over the reduc-
ton of the number of skilled labOrers
among which are the senate BARRIERS.
Senator Chandler said:
Suppose the man is a barber; does
it not require skill to shave the other
senators-not the senator from Kansas
or myself. laughter If this bar
Der is doing this work, does it not re-
Quire skill in handling a razor upon
the faces of senatOrs?'
Mr.. Peffer-Not in my case. Laugh
teri
Mr. Chandler-The senator from Kan
sas has allowed the increase proposed
on page 5, which has been satisfactorily
explained to him, to go on; and now
in the interest of economy, the Sena-
tor from Kansas objects to the reduc-
ton, which is in some measure to
compensate us for the increase pro-
posed on page 5, and wants to strike
that out The senator wants to know
whether the provision means the en-
Mo .f -Irs1
the other senators of this body. 1
think it does. Laughter
Mr.. Peffer-Ny object is to get rid
of the BARRIERS in the senate.
Mr. Chandler: I will ask the SEN
ator If it is fair, because he and I do
not need barber, that we should not
be willing other senators SHOULD
have the little luxury of this skilled "a
borer. L want some large measure Of
reform, and 1 am willing that some
small measure of reform shall be
made. But of course, if the senator
insists upon having a vote of thesen-
ate on striking out the provision, We
will have it; but 1 think we had bet
ter seize, on reflection, the $4,000 and
fasten it on the committee. for other
wise there is danger, if it is not done
now that before the bill is disposed of
they will withdraw that economy
Mr.. PETER: What I object to is that
senators employ BARRIERS to do their
barbering work for them at the ex-
pSIlSe OI the people the country. 1t
is time that public attention should BE-
called to this and a great ma1tv
other items of expenditure which are
not only unnecessary, but are vicious!y
extraVagant, and it is time that a
halt be called somewhere If we go
through this bill we will find a great
many different items that ought to be
stricken out, and so far as I can
keep up with them I propose to ask
that they be stricken out not onIv in
reference to laborers and BARRIERS but
in due time for senators themselves. so
that we shall show a disposition to
ourselves as well as in larger trans
actions.
Senator PETER takes the chatting
about his long beard kindly and the
other day when something was said
about experience he remarked You
see have tarried along time atJa-i-
cho.''
On the same day that Senator PEI
fer was seeking to cut down expendi.
lures by looping off needless items
Senator Baker was trying to increase
them. He proposed an amendment to
the bill increasing the pay of 2I
clerks from S14,44O to 81 500 a year.
This would make a total increase Of
$3.50, which Senator Baker desired to
put into the bill.
In support of his attempts to reduce
the expenses, Senator PETER said:
Mr.. President, began pretty early
in the session to endeaVOr to tear down
the expenses or the senate by reduC-
ing the expenses of dead senators 1
discovered in the comments of the
newspaper press of the country that
there was a good deal of interest man
Tested to see whether we could not eff
feet some sort of legislation that would
reduce the expenses of live senators.
was very much gratif1ed to see a
short time ago that my amiable
neighbOr from New Hampshire TMr.
Chandler Joined me in what 1 thought
were 1audable efforts in the direction
of economy and asked for certain in
formation that the sergeant at arms
could give to the senate better than
any other officer of the body 1 see
that the newspapers in commenting
upon the figures that the senator him
self submitted to the committee, and
it is the general sentiment of the
newspaper men, say that a great deal
of economy could be practiced wisely
in the direction of curtailing not only
the number of officers attached to the
senate, but their cost. Now I find that
the senator from New Hampshire has
taken the other tack. 1 do not know
whether that is because he was con-
nected with the navy so long, but st
any rate it is a fact
ny 1xy