The record-union., 1897-02-07
THE CooMBs COMMITTEE.


chair. and from the floor offered the re-
port of the special committee. consisting
of Coombs, Valentine and Bridgford, ap-
pointed by Dibble, in the chair, to revise
the payroll of the attaches of the AS
sembly
Following is the report:
Your select committee appointed to
revise the payroll of the attaches of the
Assembly hereby report and recommend
the adoption of the following resolu
ton:
Resolved. That the select committee
be and it is hereby authorized and en-
powered to reduce the per diem of the
several attaches and employees of the
Assembly, to report said reduction to the
House, and that said reduction take ef-
feet as of this 9th day of February,
1897"
Coombs moved to adopt the report,
and in support of his motion said that
the committee had been appointed to
revise the list of attaches and employees
and to weed out those who We're not
present not necessary, or not perform
ing their work. 1t was undoubtedly
true, he said, that the list could, with
advantage, be so weeded out, and that
1T would reduce the expense of the AS
sembly materially. But, he said, men,
bers had appointed their friends to these
positions-they were, in measure, re-
sponsible for them, and he was sure if
the committee reported a list to be
stricken from the roll he doubted if
of the House to confirm the committees
action al
take some action, and it had occurred to
them that the salaries of all attaches
could be scaled down a little so as to
make a saving of 500 to 5000 per day,
thus saving the members from the dis
agreeable necessity of discriminating by
vote between the worthy and the
worthless. He thought the attaches
were pretty we'll paid and it would hurt
no one to take a little from each, while
in the aggregate it would help out the
contingency fund, which is likely to run
out very soon.
Dibble asked Coombs If he meant that
the committee should report this seal
ing down to the House for confirma-
ton.
CoOmbs replied no, that would be per-
fectly futile; the committee wanted the
authority to act definitely in the mat
ter conferred upon them by the adop-
tion of this resolution. He said it was
no use to spend time and labor upon
the work simply to submit it to the
House to have more time wasted in
debating ii. He was willing to accept
the responsibility and whatever curses
might come with it, but he was rot
willing to do the work and have it go
for nothing
CALLED TO ORDER.
The two able parliamentarians
Coombs and Dibble, addressed each
other converse tionally across the flo )r
Of the House, calling each other by
name, until the temporary Speaker.
Clark, sharply called them to order and
bade them address the Speaker.
Dibble moved to amend the commit
tees resolution by adding 'if adopted
by the Assembly," and in support of
his amendment said he believed it
would be a parliamentary mistake 10
vest a committee with power to deter
mine finally an action which could only
properly be confirmed by the Assembly
itself. He thought the House would
not fail to confirm the action of so able
and trustworthy committee-onew which
he had appointed himself and of which
he was proud. Yet he must enter his
protest against an action which, he was
convinced, was entirely unparliament-
ary.
Cutter seconded Dibble's amendment
Jones said he liked fair play He did
not believe it would be promoted by the
action contemplated in the resolution
There was a large force of employees
doing their duties faithfully and always
present. They had been employed at
the beginning of the session at fixed
per diem and had kept their part of the
contract in good faith. Now, half way
through the session, they were to have
their pay cut down because a number
of useless and unnecessary ones had
been employed who must not be dis
missed. He opposed the resolution
Cutter said he thought they had bet
ter let the committee go ahead with
the work 1t couldn't hurt the attaches
very much, and he was afraid the con-
tingent fund was not going to hold out
Besides, it would look like economizing
and would be a sort of sop to the people
of the State, who We're expecting some
thing in the way of economy from the
Assembly.
Bridgford of the committee said he
was willing to accept Dibble's amend
ment. He had no desire to arrogate too
much authority to the committee. and
thought probably DibbIe's position was
correct
Malcolm said that, as a member of
the Advisory Committee but got no
further, for Shanahan rose to a point
of order and inquired What Advisory
Committee? Is that a committee of
this House,
Malcolm admitted that it was not,
and Shanahan said that no Republican
caucus committee could be recognized
on this floor. Then Malcolm went on
with his Grafton and demonstrated that
he was opposed to the cut in salaries
A MINORITY BEAR STORY.
Dryden, the paternal Populist. spoke
we'll on Dibbles amendment saving
that the House should assume all re-
sponsibility in this matter. and it was
time it did so. I'VE have been resoIv-
ing and Investigating, he said. and
nothing has come of it. This attaches
business has fastened itself on to this
Assembly until we are like the man
who had the bear by the tail, but was
bowling for somebody to help him let
co.
Dryden's story was appreciated by
those WHO heard it, but there was in
creasing confusion and Mead, another
member of the minority, on the ex-
treme left, probably did not hear it.
for little later he rose to speak to the
same question, which he also illustrated
with bear story-and it was the same