The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-04-15
FOOD FOR REFLECTION.
The Senate and It's Four Hun
dred and Thirty Employees.

dred and Thirty Employees.
ALMOST FIVE TO EACH MEMBER.
Little Wonder That This Dignifled Body
Finds It Difficult to Transact Business.
Some Amazing Facts For the Plain Peo-
pie to Dwell Upon.
WASHINGTON, April 14.-[Special. 1.-The
senate is having great deal Of trouble in
reorganizing It's committees. Unfortunate
ly for the Republicans they lack a littlo of
having majority of the whole number of
senators, and as the opposition has COM
bined against them they can reach results
only by way Of compromise. The senate
is great place for committees One would
scarcely suppose body consisting of only
30 members (and now of only 81 would
have need for 80 committees, but that Is
the number tho senate has. Only is or so
of these aro of any Importance in conduct
ing the business Of the senate. Tho re.
mainder arc purely ornamental They
were organized for the purpose of providing
chairInanships, committee rooms and COM
mittce clerks for tho use of senators. Eff.
LYNNE committees require 80 committee
rooms, 50 clerks to committees, % or 80
messengers assigned to committee rooms
and i'll some cases assistant clerks and as.
sist0nt messengers.
Plenty of Servants.
The United States senate has a great
many cmDloyecs-an amazing number in
fact, in proportion to the amount of bust
ness turned out. Step into the senate
chamber some day. Tho vice president is
In the chair, There arc desks for 90 scna.
tors, but where are tho senator's? Only
10 or go arc within view. Not much ia
going on. Everything and every ono ap.
pear to be sluggish and Indifferent Sure.
ly an easy going body like this does not
require tho services of 43O clerks, assist.
ants, messengers, helpers, etc., does it!
Yes, that is Approximately the number of
persons regularly employed by the United
States senate.
In the office of tho secretary of tho sen.
ate thoro are 20 clerks on the pay rolls,
two messengers and five laborcrs. Tho
vice president has private secretary and
u messenger. There arc telegraph oper.
ator and telegraph page. There is tho
senatc's chaplain, and for n wonder he ia
not provided with u private secretary, u
messenger and IL room. There arc SO clerks
and assistant clerks to committees, and 10
messengers Carried on tho rolls us assigned
to committee rooms. Most of tho other
committee rooms have messengers detailed
from tho staff of the sergeant-at-nrms
Attached to tho office of the scrpeant-at.
arms arc seven clerks and assistants and
40 doorkopcers and messengers. Tho post.
Office of the senate employs ii men just to
look after the mail of senator's, including
four riding pages, whose duty IL Is to carry
notes for senators and members of their
families.
In the document room, where copies of
bills, resolutions and reports arc kept, nru
six employees. In tho folding room, where
speeches are prepared for tho mails, 25 per.
sons arc regularly employed, and in cam
paign seasons this number often runs up
to 100.
The People Foot tho Bills.
Down in the basement of the big capitol
and underneath tho great terrace there are
engines and boilers, and vcntilating ap.
parntus and electric machines and heat
ing and cooling appliances. Here arc re.
quircd the services of 4 engineers, II
skilled mechanics, such as carpenters, ma.
chinists, electricians etc, and about go
laborcrs and flremcn. In other work about
tho senate 20 other men, carried on tho
rolls us laborers, arc employed. Three
mon are kept in the senate bathroom, Q
in tho senate barber shop, 4 nre employed
as elevator conductors. arc in charge of
the scnates telephones. On the floor OF
the senate l6 pages are constantly en-.
ployed attending to the wants of senator's
Thirty senator's, being without committee
chairmanships and the services of commit.
tee clerks, arc given u clerk each at 81 900
year.
Forty thn Il .~f -
police, who AFRO stationed in the scnatc's
wing of the capitol captain, 3 licuten-
ants and 30 privatcs and watchmcn The
pay of these officers runs from $40. 60 Dor
month for watchmcn and $03 20 for pri.
Yates to ; 102. 90 for lieutenants and SI36. 30
for tho captain.
Six men arc employed in the senate sta
bles, where there arc about 90 horses and
as many vehicles. An average of half a
dozen persons arc hired to repair senatorial
furniture and clcun senatorial carpets.
Twenty messengers, janitors and firemen
arc employed at 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 10 or 20 persons
are employed in special work for the SEN
nto or for its committees, such rs stcnog-
A''pi'J,
Other Luxurics.
On the whole, the senate is n rather ex-
pcnsive luxury. Tho salary paid the 90
senators is less than one half the entire
cost OF maintaining this part of tho legis-
lative branch of our government Tho
expense of running the senate a year may
be summarized rs follows:
Salaries. so senator's. at IS, co.,. $3.50 OOG
Mileage. ........................:.. 5000
salaries, officers and employees. 465, 0O0
Contingent expenscs-stationery and
newspapers ........................... l62oa
horses and wagons. Observation-Disclosures. 5000
NGlI linafIe al.ua