Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-16
Patronage of the House Of Repre-
sentatiVes.
REPORT OF REFORM COMMITTEE
Some fragrant Cases Of Extor-
ton.
PAYMENT OF ABSENTEEISM


The manner in which these salaries are d.
vided among the employees, the absentee
lem among men who are on the pay rolls
and the way others perform their duties
are all shown in report Of the committee
OF the Council of the National Civil Ser
vice Reform League, In which the testi-
mony taken last February by the socalled
Moody committee Of the House Is given.
The entire investigation made by the COM
mittee had to be completed in six days, so
that the report WAS hastily prepared.
Testimony Is given to show that an ideal
patronage system exists in the House,
where all the places are filled upon the
recommendation Of members. and rep
resentative can replace any Of his appoint
ees at any time merely by indicating to
the doorkeeper what change he wants.
Among other things shown by the COM
mittee was the way in which salaries are
divided, how men are put on the rolls IN
one capacity and do entirely different work
and how assessments on salaries nave
been made in order to pay some one else
to do work.
Men Paid for Work They Don't Do.
The place of House telegrapher, the
report states. rs held by o. M. Enyert.
who, In point of fact, has never served in
that position, but tor time was detailed
to the stationery room and then to the
House library, where he now is. ]. J. Con-
stantine actually performs the duty of
teIegrapher, and mas done so during the
Fifty-fourth Fifty-f1fth and Flfty-sxth
Congresses. During this time ne mas peeh
paid from appropriation carried IN -the
legislative act as follows: Hire Of horses
and wagons and carriage for use OF the
clerks office, $500
He gets the whole OF that $9oo' anu
then in order to do the work l pay $40 a.
month to a teamster, who hauls boxes ana
stationery for the members the clerk or
the House testified. go
1t was shown that Enyert was compitlhg
biographical dictionary or congress. 'he
report continues:
Another odd appointment Is that OF John
J. Conroy who is carried on the rolls as
page a $500 year, and Is employeo actu-
ally as driver of the House wagon In re-
gard to him, Mr.. Glenn, the doorkeeper,
testifies: The man employed as driver Is
scrubbing the floors and cleaning spit
toonS.'
Conroy himself was examined by the
committee and complained bitterly because,
although employed as a driver, and being
kept out in storms. etc, he was not get
ting a drivers pay, but merely page
salary!
winthrop c. JONES' says the report of
the Moody committee, lis carried on the
roll as locksmith under the clerks de-
partment at a salary of S1,44O, while in
point of fact he performs the duty of
messenger under the dooTkeepers depart
ment at the southwest door of the House
lobby, and his duties as locksmith are per-
formed by Daniel p. Eickling, who is on
the doorkeeper's roll as a session folder at
SIS a month. Thus the position of lock-
smith, the duties Of which require only
payment of S75 per month during the SEES
sion. pays to a man who does none Of Its
duties 81 40 per annum. And this is not
all. There are four other men serving with
Jones as messengers at the southwest lob
by door. The five men all do exactly the
ANA W. a re- al n
pay different Thus. while Jones re-
ceives $1.440, George e. Page. a folder, re-
ceives $40, Willard Wilson, also folder,
receives $500; John Dearborn, the
senger's roll. receives $1,000, and George
Jenison. q special employe by House reso-
luton. receives $1,000 per annum.
The House Library.
The library OF the House consists OF
10000 volumes, scattered from the dome
to the basement Of the Capitol. Many of
the books are piled in unused rooms like
wood or coal. The present librarian, John
j. Boobar, testified:
1T would be all right for a barnyard.
but for books 1t was terrible
While this condition Of the books ex-
listed 1t was shown that the library force
was not even expected to put the books
in order, and that they went home during
the recess Of Congress, leaving the place
partly In charge of man who volunteered
for the work and who was paid a trifing
sum by them.
Mr. Guy Underwood, who is on the rolls
as a laborer. at $720 year. but who was
detailed to the House library, and was paid
81 800 a year by deficiency BILL offers the
following interesting statement Of his views
regarding the proper performance Of Off
cial duty:
@. (by the chairman). We get all sorts of
communications and among others Is a
communication that you have not been
here more than quarter of the time.
What have you to say about it?
A. would beg leave to vigorously deny
that statement and state that 1 have been
in the city and ready to do service prob
ably as much as any member Of the force,
because during the summer I would be
here and be willing to be at the library
part Of the time each day, because I had
some business matters, and 1 could write
my letters there, and it would not be in
conflict with any service could render the
library. 1t Is a good place to be, and
spend my summer here. Last summer
when Mr.. Boobar went away and Mr.. Sa-
bine went away 1 stayed here.-(p. 49,
Pay of Absentees.
A number Of instances Of men being paid
while absent from the city are given and
the report states:
But the case Of e. H. Keller Of New
York deserves more extended consideration
He had been upon the roll an employee
In the cloak room ever since July 20, 1897.
But when inquiries were made for him,
in the cloak room, could not tell who he
was. At last the superintendent of the
folding room succeeded in placing him. He
was transferred 70 my department. says
Mr.. Lyon. who further testified that dur
ing three years Keller had been at work
off and on for three or four months The
House committee adds In its report Of this
case:
1T is the opinion of the doorkeeper that
Keller worked six months. In any event
he has not worked over six months in the
nearly four years during which he has
drawn pay and has not been In Washington
for eleven or twelve months"
Mr.. Robinson, the disbursinR clerk of
the House. testified that he himself was
president Of national bank at his home,
and had been in the banking business all
his life.
Campaign Contributions.
Referring to the campaign funds the re-
port states:
A curious Illustration Of the trustfulness
of these campaign contributors is shown
by the testimony Of George w. Sabine.
assistant librarian. MI. Browning, the
chief clerk, once asked him whether he
could not put up S. a month";" und he
answered yes He never knew ha mr..