Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1902-04-10

wv as OONu as a oidChHhHllH anu DhCW
s75 pes month";
been afflicted with graduated eye
lids, whose sight has been so az
fected that he could scarcely see to
read the daily papers. He was on
the pay roll as a blacksmith at S75
per month, and he drew the money,
although, of course, he never did any
work for it. Col. Sterrett, of Texas,
was here at the time and he said: II
can understand how an energets1 TEL
low like this husky correspondent
could fold 100000 documents by work
ing day and night all during the hot
months of July and August, but l
cannot understand how this blind
old rascal shod any horses for the
money" That was q sarcastic char
acterization of the looting which was
fragrant and well known in the press
galleries.
Now while senators need additional
salaries and clerk hire there is exc
travagance beyond measure on the pay
roll of the house of representatives
Every member of the majority party
must have one appointment, no matter
whether the house needs the services
of a man or not. Then the older MEM
bers of the house manage TO work in
an extra policeman or two, in order to
provide places for their working con-
stituents and political hackers. There
are messengers, watchmen and assist
ant doorkeepers galore, whose services
might well be dispensed with; but they
are on the pay roll because of their
political pulls, and there they will re-
main until something like a political
earthquake strikes the republic. Up
to date, it doesn't seem to make any
difference which party is in the major
ity, the loot goes on.
Twenty years ago, when we were 50,-
900, 900 people, it cost an aggregate of
$500, 000, 900 for the yearly expenses of
the government. Now, with 10000
900 population, the expenses of gov
eminent are ranging up towards the
$500, 900 point. 1t may be true, as
the old song says, that "Uncle Sam is
rich enough to give us all farm" but
he is not rich enough to stand con-
tinual increases of expenditures out
of proportion to the national growth.
Nobody needs to be niggardly in or
der to be economical. The government
need not be niggardly TO avoid ex-
travagance. But it is not necessary
to pay an army of men in the civil serv-
ice salaries of from s., 900 to IS 900 per
annum for services of less value and
men in ordinary business pursuits for
approximately half Of that amount.
One of the auditors of the treasury
recently said to the writer: There is
clerk here drawing 81, 900 per annum
who could not get more than 5000 per
annum in my factory at home, but he
| is dogging the life out of me for pro-
motion, and has been sending his sena-
tors after me. l won't stand il much
longer, but will have him dismissed en-
tirely for the good of the service The
work done by him is similar to work
done in my factory and the employees
all go to work at seven o'clock in the
morning. They work until six in the
evening. with an hour for dinner. They
cheerfully put in ten hours of work
every day. Here the clerks report for
duty at nine in the morning, have half
an hour for lunch at noon, and quit
work very promptly at four in the aft
ernoon. That is six and half hours of
work, but they usually loaf at least
half an hour, so that they actually
work only about six hours day, and
not one of them ever soils his fingers.
Yet all want promotion. and "A few are
always fighting for it,"
That is fair characterization of
the average disposition of the we'll
salaried government clerk. 1t also
shows that the government is paying
the maximum in salaries for the mini
mum in talent. Ii comes from gov
eminent official who is a successful
business man, and whose common
sense has not been warped by his tenn
porary indulgence in office holding.
SMITH d. FRY.