Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-01-28
TO RAISE SALARIES
Members Of the Legislature Not
Well Paid.
PLAN ON FOOT TO INCREASE PAY
Retiring Members Are of the Opinion
That Something Can Be Done to
Better Care for the Members in the
Future.

Des Moines, Jan. PA plan is on
foot among number of retiring mem
bers of the legislature to raise the sal
aries of members so that in the future
representatives and senators can come
to Des Moines and save enough from
their terms so that they will have re-
ceived reasonable compensation for
the time spent in behalf of the state
Thepresentsalaryo members of the
senate and house is $3.50 per session,
irrespective of the length of the SEES
sion. The length of the session is
from rs to 125 days, averaging about
100 days, or, therefore, about S. per
day.
Many of the members are profess
sional men whose income, if at home,
would exceed this sum several times.
The cost of living in Des Moines is
very much higher during the session
than at any other time. The down
town hotels are always crowded and
the rates are proportionately stiff,
while people with rooms to rent and
houses available for members are not
slow in discovering that they have the
members at their mercy.
Three-fourths of the members of the
legislature are married, and large
number have families. A large ma
jorlty desire to bring their wives and
families with them to the session.
| When this is done, with the conse-
quently increased cost of living, very
little is saved from the salary paid
The new memDres who are looking
toward being returned TO the next
| general assembly are loath to express
their sentiment on proposition to
| increase the salaries, but the retiring
members and those who expect Meth
ing further are very willing to be in
terviewed on the question.
! OF the number who served in the
last general assembly it is claimed
that there are less than twenty who
saved more than hundred dollars out
of their three months attendance in
Des Moines.
The salary of members is fixed by
the assembly. In order that none of
the members may amenable to the
statute for increasing salaries during
their tenure of office, it is likely that
| if such a bill is introduced it will fix
a date several years in the future, af-
ter which time the salaries shall be
increased as proposed. No fixed sum
has been agreed upon, but it is under
stood that those who favor the
change are of the opinion that a mem
Der Of the legislature should receive
not less than 5000 month, which is
even less than a large number of the
4 members make in the practice of their
profession.
An objection is urged to the pro
posed change in that it would tend to
raise the office to such paying posi-
ton that better men would strive af,
ter it, and that professional men, and
especially lawyers. would be more
largely chosen than at present. In
the Twenty-ninth general assembly
lawyers predominant in both houses
while in the past the farmers have
always led. With the national con.
gress most of the members are law.
yers and this is said to have resulted
from the aspirations of the profes,
sional men to secure recognition in
this manner.
Senator Dolliver is said to very
much favor the plan to give the mem
bers of the Iowa legislature larger
salary. He is known to have congrat
ulated number of members on the
fact that they had moved to Des
Moines for the winter, rented houses
and brought their families here, and
: only deprecated the fact that all OF
the members were not able, on ac
count of financial reasons to do the
, same.
| While not pertinent to the question
: of the Iowa legislature, Senator Dolli
| ver's experience in Washington life as
related by him to a member of the
: Iowa legislature is amusing. He said
For the first time in my long resi-
, dence in Washington. l am going t
| have home of my own. l have beer
in Washington for more than twelv,
years, and have tried almost every
/ sort of life except the only true wa,
' of living. OF course, a congressman
l is not very certain of having a Ions
: tenure, and SO l never felt that | wal
e able to get home of my own on ;
: two year lease of life. Now that an
e assured of five years in Washington
, without interruption, am going to ge
t a house and live in Washington al
: well as l do at home. 1t is too ba,
Il that public officials are compelled t
1 go to the seats of government and liv
in a manner that they would b.
ashamed to do at home. During tn
twelve years in Washington l hav
lived at hotels-of late have been il
e a fiat, a folding bed arrangement of
house. It's all right. only it's to
S small to turn around in Now | ar
e going back to Washington, and tn
4 first thing do is to get house. wit
l. a lawn around it where the babies ca
: play if they want to, and where yo
l. can get some fresh air. and hope tina
for once | will be contented in Wast
r ington as | am when | am back i
e Fort Dodge and have all the room
a won't