Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1902-04-10
THE PEOPLES MONEY
Useless Employees Devour Big Per-
centage of Our Revenue.
a state of Affairs for which No PO-
IiticR1 Party IL Responsible,
Hut which should lie AbOI-
IHhed ~ Once.

Especial Washington letter.
II ENERTING to the thesis that
IL imperialism exists in our re-
public, am has come to stay,
there must be uttered the corollary
that with developing Imperialism
there has developed extravaganza in
government expenditures which is
naturally imperial in its nature and
boundlcssEess.
One Of the elements Of extrava-
gance Iong well known TO expert
enced newspaper men has been the
top-heaviness of the pay-rolls of the
senate and house of representatives.
The business of the congress might
easily be transacted with one-half of
the number of employees now on the
pay roll. Com petent men and wom-
en- might also be obtained for small
er salaries: and each individual have
a competence, with enough to lay
aside for n rainy day"
Only recently there came before
the senate resolution providing for
the appointment of 20 additional
clerks to the senate clerical force;
and IL would have been adopted but
for the vigorous and determined OPP
position of Senator Allison, of Iowa,
the chairman of the committee on
appropriations. You must under
stand that eacn branch of the con-
gress has "a contingent fund, and out
of that fund each house pays its ern-
ployes regardless of what the other
house may do. Neither the senate
nor the house Of representatives en-
croach upon the contingent fund of
the other. Consequently, If the pro-
! posed resolution had been adopted,
! the contingent fund of the senate
would have been increased and the
! additional clerks have been employed,
while the general public would have
! known nothing of il whatever. I'm
mediately thereafter, the house of
representatives looking after its own
rights TO the spoils of Office, would
| have increased its contingent fund,
and employed 20 additional clerks,
| although their work is not needed.
Now as to the effort TO have 20
additional clerks appointed for the
senate, there is one reason worthy of
your attention. The senate pay roll
| has been increased from time to
| time. because the senators have so
much required of them that they
cannot attend TO all of their duties
without additional help. Instead of
appealing direct TO the people for adj
ditional help, the senator's have an
ticipated that the people would OBJ
| ject TO direct additional expenditures;
and so they have voted additional
clerks, messengers and laborers for
the senate. But those employees have
not worked for the senate at all.
They have worked for individual
senators as stenographers and conf
dental clerks. Thus the senators
have gained by indirection what they
dared not take directly. although
they were entitled to additional help.
The senator's who opposed the re-
cent attempt to add 20 clerks to the
senate pay roll are in favor of going
directly To the people aud telling
them that the salaries and emolu-
ments of every senator ought to be
increased. That is true, and it would
be the more honorable course. The
salaries of senators should be in
creased from $1,000 to $4,000 per an