People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-07-15
A COmDarisOn.

Ex-senator PETER has found time to
examine the records OF the last two
legislatures and make a comparative
statement Of their expenditures for
incidentals. He published his obser.
vatiOns on the subject ia the Advo-
cate. He says:
while the last legislature did not
make an altogether satisfactory rec
ord, its reCCrd shows That The mem
beers had some regard for their con.
stituents' interests. 1T has already
been shown that the daily expense OF
the session was S542, compared with
81, OO2 at the next previous session. 1t
has been shown that It's work was
done with 50 senate and l02 house EN-.
ployeS, while in 1895 the senate had
l3l and the house 203. 1t has been
shown that the stationery cost 81, 67S
while in 1895 the cost was $3,SSS. 1t
has been shown that the eugrOsSing
cost S726, and that the expense for the
same purpose in 1895 Was $l,737.
Readers may wonder how these
savings could be made in such large
amounts. A comparison OF tie items
of expense for the house will throw
some light on the subject. The ser
geant-at-arms of the Republican house
IN 1895 did not begin keeping a record
Of the stuff he bought until February
10, which was nearly thirty days after
the session began, so tuat the POpu-
list report for 1897 covers twice the
time that the 1895 report does. The
first item is pocket knives. 10 1896
fOrty-fve dozen, costing 1910, were
purchased. In 1897 none was bought.
In 1895 there were rs members and
2O3 employees, total Of 1913. Forty.
five dozen or $40 knives would supply
every emplOye with second knife
and still have few left. Was this a
necessary expense? Did the house Of
1897 suffer any inconvenience from a
lack of sufficient supply of knives:
In 1895 lbs paper weights were bought
None were purchased in 1897. Nine
mirrors purchased in 1895, but none
were deemed necessary in 1897. The
fact that the 1895 legislature used fit.
teen dozen towels while the last one
used only five dozen, may, it is true
make bad showing for the POpulists
Perhaps the fact that five doze1
boxes of toilet soap We're bought in
1898, compared with two and One-hall
boxes in 1897 makes d similar showing
Five fine toilet sets were purchased
In 1898, but no toilet sets appear in
the statement for 1897. Twelve eXtrs
fine hair brushes with chains were
paid for in 1895, but no money wa,
spent for that purpose in 1897. Elk
actly the same number Of floor mop.
were required at each session. Ser
geants alarms were so numerous il
1898 that it was necessary to labe
them, so that the CHIEF sergeant cOulC
tell who was on his force and 1t re
Quired twenty-fOur badges for thi
purpose. No badges were neceSsar,
in 1897. because the number of officer
had been reduced so greatly that i
OccaSiOned no trouble to keep tab oil
them, Eight office Chairs, nine offic,
desks, fourteen Office tables, two type
writer desks and l4S heavy chair
were purchased in 1895, and nOtwith
standing the fact that there was littl
OF this left after the members 90
through voting it away to reporter
and employees and stealing it. them
selves the 1897 house bought none q
this class of furniture. In the list q
purchases for 1895 are found lively
chamoiS skins, but no similar iter
appears in the 1897 list. The sergean
at arms reports that he found on
large water tank bought in 1895 an
that it is the only thing on the lon
list Of 1895 purchases which he di
hnG. 1t is presumable that it re
manned because it was too heavy to b
carried away"