The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-28
TURPIE AND HIS SALARY
REASON WHY ANY DOUBT EXISTS As
TO HIS HAVING DRAWN IL.
Secrecy Observed ON the Senate side
as to when Any senator RE-
ceives His Compensation.


airy more or less of a burning issue. AS
a United States senator he is entitled 10
salary or $4,000 annually, and since he
first took his seat in that body, twelve
years ago. should have received some
| thing like 10000. not mentioning, of
course, certain perqusites that all United
| States senator's enjoy. Nevertheless the
Hoosier Democrats, now urging his re-
| election for a third term, are arguing that
the senator ought to be returned because
he is a poor man. Poverty is usually re-
garded as proof of a public mans hon
esty, and is naturally SO regarded in Sem
ator Turpies case. The Republicans. on
the other hand, have replied to this that
Senator Turpie had boarded all the United
States warrants given him for his salary
in the last twelve years, carrying them
about on his person or locking them up in
| bank vaults, thus avoiding taxation. This,
they say. is the reason that the great
| Hoosier Democrat and able Indianapolis
lawyer appears to be SO lacking in this
worlds goods.
| The Republican argument appears to be
pretty effective one, for strangely
enough, it is difficult to determine abso-
| lutely whether a United States senator
has actually drawn his salary. 1t never
| seems to have occurred to anybody 10
! doubt that senator's draw their salaries
till Indiana Republicans raised the point
on Senator Turpie, but it is. in fact, true
| that only the senator himself and the
/ financial clerk of the Senate, Mr. r. b.
Nixon. officially know how and when he
| is paid. This information III naturally ac-
cessible for the security of the Senate
and certain clerks If other people do
! know in any particular instance it is an
accident or because the senator himself
| has told, No public report is made of
| and Mr.. Nixon says he is in the position
or a bank cashier, and can give no infor-
| f1dential manner, about senator's pay.
HOW SENATORS ARE PAID.
Mr.. Nixon, who has been in his present
position thirty-one years, dsburses the
| senatorial salaries in three different ways
| Sometimes he pays cash for the senator's
| public services provided that gentleman de-
| sires 1t. Sometimes he pays the senator with
check upon the United States treasury,
| or instead obtains a transfer check upon
one of the subtreasurers at Boston, New
York, Philadelphia, st. Louis, San Fran
cisco, or other city, as the case may be.
Again, when senators want their salaries
| paid In some place away from Washington
| they are frequently sent draft through
national bank just as any ordinary citi-
| zen would be paid money due him. There
| are certain banks, it should be remem-
| bered, designated by the Treasury DEPART
ment where public funds may be deposited.
! and mileage of senators, usually about $780,
| coo annually, is controlled by the secretary
of the Senate, General William r. Cox He
makes the requistion on the secretary of
| the treasury for warrant on the treas
urer authorizing the deposit of certain por-
tons Of that appropriation from time to
time with the latter gentleman. Rather than
keep the large sums at the Senate the
| by the treasurer and checks drawn on him.
| Senator Turpie has not retained any
| treasury warrants. as the Indiana Re-
| paid in treasury warrants He might have
! retained checks on the treasurer or some
| of the subtreasurers of the United States
but these are not good unless renewed
| every two years And then the senator
would lose interest to the amount of about
$500 annually. on every years pay that he
| retained Nobody here, of course. believes
! that the senator has done anything but
senator would do. Secretary Cox gives in his
annual report the lump sum paid out for
salaries and mileage, but such figures tell
| nothing about an individual senator. One
| might reckon the mileage for every senator
| and see If the remainder that was dis
| bursed from the appropriation equaled $780,
900 or $445,OOO for the last year, because
Oregon had but one United States senator.
That, however, would be very laborious
| task.
TAKES ALL HIS PERQUIsITES.
| There are numerous evidences that SEN
| ator Turpie has drawn other money from
| the government it being part of the per-
| quisites of his Office. The last printed ie-
| port Of the secretary of the Senate shows
that the Hooser Democrat received $4.99
for communication of allowance for stationery
| and newspapers during the fiscal year that
ended June 80, 1896. The same report shows
that Senator Turpie drew 1925 for commute
ton OF allowance for stationery and news
| papers for the first session of the present
| Congress. The auditor of Senate exp snes
| at the Treasury Department has no further
| figures, and nothing that shows directly
| that dollar of salary was paid to Senator
| Turpie or to any other United States sena-
| tor individually. The figures simply show
| that for the fiscal year 1897 $5265l2.4 were
| paid to senator's on account of mileage and
| Salaries
The system for paying salaries differs in
! several respects the House and Senate
| side. On the Senate side all senator's and
employees paid by the financial clerk.
| the payments are '$41666 for two sue
| ceeding months and $416.6S for the third
month, making an even VI 2oo Tor every
| al part of cent has been followed for isty
| years. More recently the sergsant-at arms
| OF the House. who pays the salaries Of rep
$4is as the salary for one month anu Sill for
each succeeding two months. thus making
| the total $1.2J0 every three months, senators
| and representatives each drawing 5000 a
| year. An effort was made to follow the
| same plan on the Senate side. Tut there
| was aversion to departing from The old Gus
| tom. <..,
SOME DRAW ALL AT ONCE
! Senators, as rule, are not so eager 10
! get hold OF their salaries as are members If
| the House In the first place more of them
| are very rich men and depend less unon
| their earnings in Washington for a living.
In some instances senator's leave thei- sal
aries with the disbursing CLERK and draw it
| all at the end of the year. Unless orders
/ are given to the contrary, the money is
| kept here for them during the recesses or
| Congress. Greater latitude Is also given
| senators in drawing on their salary account.
! They can go to the disbursing clerk AMI re-
| ceive part payments before the pay day
| legally comes. This is permissible because
| of the system or drawing on the salary APP
| preparation Settlements are made by the
| disbursing officer and the Treasury Depart
| ment every six months. Senator'S are cred
tied with their salaries on the 81 o. every
| month
! 1t is quite different the House side.
| Individual vouchers are returned to the
treasurer from that branch of the legisla-
| tive department every month, and the law
| salary before the 4th of each month. So
when a member of the House gets hard up
| he can have no relief from the government.
| However. the sergeant-at-arms has an ar
rangement with q local bank whereby
representatives order for his salary can be
discounted for long as three months In
theory no member of the House receives his
salary for any month until Speaker Reed
has signed a certificate for him. until the
member has receipted for his pay under the
Speakers certificate and 1t has gone to the