The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-07-07
PEFFER'S TREND
To Figures Leads Him to Make Some
Comparisons of Legislative
Expenses.

Ex-senator PETER has found time to
examine the records of the last two leg
islatures and make a comparative state
ment of their expenditures for inciden
tails. He. published his observations on
the subject in the Advocate. He says:
w lille the last legislature did not
make an altogether satisfactory record,
its record shows that the members had
some regard for their constituents in
tereSts. 1t has already been shown that
the daily expense of the session was
$542, compared with 81 ,002 at the next
previous session. 1t has been shown
that its work was done with 80 senate
and 1O2 house employees, while in 1885
the senate had 131 and the house 203.
It haS~been shown that the stationery
cost $1,67S, while in 1895 the cost was
$3,S8S. 1t has been shown that the en-
crossing cost $685. and that the expense
for the same purpose in 1895 was $1,131.
Readers may wonder how these saw
ings could be made in such large
amounts. A comparison of the items of
expense for the house will throw some
light on the subject. The sergeant-at-
arms of the Republican house in 1895
did not begin keeping a record of the
stuff he bought until February Is, which
was nearly 80 days after the session be-
gan, so that the Populist report for 1897
covers twice the time that the 1895 re-
port does. The first item is pocket
knives. In 1895, As dozen, costing 1910,
were purchased. In 1897, none was
bought In 1895 there were 125 members
! and 203 employees, a total of 1928. For
ty-fiVe dozen or $40 knives would supply
every employee with a second knife and
still have a few left. Was this a nee
essary expense? Did the house of 1897
suffer any inconvenience from a lack OF
a sufficient supply of knives? In 1895
108 paper weights were bought. None
was purchased in 1897. Nine mirrors
purchased in 1895, but none was deemed
necessary in 1897. The fact that the 1895
legislature used Is dozen towels while
the last one used only five dozen, may,
it is true, make a bad showing for Pop
ulistS.
Perhaps the fact that five dozen box
es of toilet soap were bought in 1895,
compared with ~ boxes in 1897 makes
a similar showing.
Five fine toilet sets were purchased
in 1875 but no toilet sets appear in the
statement for 1897. Twelve extra fine
hair brushes with chains were paid for
in 1895, but no money was spent for that
purpose in 1897. Exactly the same
number of floor mops were required at
each session. Sergeant-at-arms were
so numerous in 1895 that it was a nee
essary to- label them, so that the chief
sergeant could tell who was on his force
and it required "a badges for this pur-
pose. No badges were necessary in 1897
because the number of officers had been
reduced so greatly that it occasioned
no trouble to keep tab on them Eight
office chairs, nine office desks, fourteen
office tables, two typewriter desks and
14S heavy chairs were purchased in 1895
and Notwithstanding the fact thau there
was little of this left after the members
got through voting it away to reporters
and employees and stealing it themselves
the 1897 house bought none of this
class of furniture In the list of pur-
chases for 1895 are found II channels
skins but no similar item appears in the
1897 list. The sergeant-at-arms reports
that he found one large water tank
bought in 1895 and that it is the only
thing on the long list of 1895 purchases
which he did find. 1t is presumable
that it remained because it was too
| heavy to be carried away"