The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-04-14
Senate'S Four Hundred
and Thirty Employees.
This Gives Nearly Five to
Each Member of the Body.
Little Wonder It's Difficult to Trans
act Business.

WASHINGTON. April ~ Special 1.-The
senate is having n great deal of trouble In
reorganizing It's committees. Unfortunate
ly for the Republicans they lack little ol
having a majority Of the whole number OF
senator's, and as tho opposition has com.
bined against them they can roach results
only by way Of compromise. The senate
Is "a great place for committees One would
scarcely suppose a body consisting Of only
90 members land now of only 87) would
have need for 90 committees, but that II
the number the senate has Only 15 or sc
OF these are Of any importance In conduct
ing the business of the senate. The re.
mainder are purely ornamental. They
were organized for the purpose OF providing
chairnanships, committee rooms and com.
mittee clerks for the use of senator's. Eff
ty-nine committees require 80 committee
rooms, 80 clerks To committees, 25 or &c
messengers assigned To committee rooms
and in somc cases assistant clerks and as.
sistant messengers.
Plenty Of Servants.
The United States senate has a great
many employees-an amazing number, IN
fact, In proportion TO the amount Of bust.
ness turned out. Step into the senate
chamber some day. The vice president is
In the chair There are desks for 80 sena.
tors, but where are the senatorsp Only
15 or 80 are within view Not much IL
going on. Everything and every one ap.
pear TO be sluggish and Indifferent Sure.
ly an easy going body like this does not
require the services Of 430 clerks, assist.
ants, messengers, helpers, etc., does It'll
Yes, that IL approximately the number Of
persons regularly employed by the United
States senate.
In the Office OF the secretary OF the sen.
ate there are 20 clerks on the pay rolls,
two messengers and five laborers The
vice president has private secretary and
a messenger. There are a telegraph oper'
ator and telegraph page. There is the
senaJc's chaplain, and for wonder he L.
not provided with n private secretary, o
messenger and room. There are 63 clerks
and assistant clerks to committees, and 10
messengers carried on the rolls as assigned
to committee rooms Most Of the other
committee rooms have messengers detailed
from tho staff of the sergeant-at- arms.
Attached tn the Office of the sergeant at
arms are seven clerks and assistants and
40 doorkereers and messengers. The post
Office of the senate employs IA men just to
look after the mail of senator's, including
four riding ragos, whose duty 1t Is to carry
notes for senators and members Of their
families.
In the document room, where copies Of
bills, resolutions and reports are kept, are
six employees. In the folding room, where
speeches arc prepared for the mails, 90 per-
sons are regularly employed, and in cam.
paign seasons this number often runs ur
to 100.
The People Foot the Bills.
Down in the basement Of tho big capitol
and underneath the great terrace there are
engines and boilers. and ventilating ap-
paratus, and electric machines and heat.
ing and cooling appliances. Here are re.
quired the services of 4 engineers. II
skilled mechanics. such as carpenters, ma.
chinists, electricians, etc. and about 90
laborers and flremen. In other work about
the senate 25 other men, carried on the
rolls as laborers, are employed. Three
men are kept i'm the senate bathroom, 2
In the senate barber shop, are employed
rs elevator conductors, 2 are In charge of
the senato's telephones. On the floor OF
the senate 1G pages are constantly em.
ployed attending TO the wants of senator's.
Thirty senator's, being without committee
chairmanships and the services of commit.
tee clerks, are given clerk each at 81 zoo
o year.
Forty men compose the squad Of capitol
police, who arc stationed in the senate's
wing Of the capitol-l captain, 3 lieuten.
ants and 80 privates and watchmen. The
pay OF these officers runs from $76. go pei
month for and Goa IN fov pri.
Yates to Sl02. 90 for lieutenants and S136. 80
for the captain.
Six men are employed In the senate sta
bles, where there are about go horses and
as many vehicles An average Of half q
dozen persons are hired to repair senatorial
furniture and clean senatorial carpets.
Twenty messengers, janitors and fremen
are employed ut the Maltby, sort Of sen.
atorial annex where senators have private
rooms. Twelve persons are employed as
official reporters of debates and assistants
thereto An average Of Is or go persons
are employed in special work for the sen.
ate or for its committees. such as stenog
rapby, translating, compiling statistics, etc.
Other Luxuries.
On tho whole tho senate Is rather ex.
pensive luxury The salary paid the oO
senator's is less than one half the entire
cost Of maintaining this part Of the legis
lative branch of our governments. The
expense of running the senate year may
be summarized as follows;
Salaries % senator's at 5000. ........ e45O,oN
Mileage. .......... ................... 45,OU
Salaries officers and employees. es..u... <65,0U
Contingent xpcnscs-stationery and
newspapers ......................... l6.2a
Horses and wagons. ns.................... 5,ON
Folding speeches s.,.............,......, s,0OC
Fuel ...................,....... e,OOc
Furniture and repairs ................. eJc
Packing boxes for senator's. ........ loo
- - 4 lr,.