Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-30
Members of Present General
Assembly Convinced of Ne
cessity of Such Action
FOR FEWER COMMITTEE CLERKS
New Law Will Provide For Less Than
Thirty Clerks in Each House, All of
Whom, Will be Competent Persons
Complaint Over the System Which is
Now In Force.
Special to Times-Republican.

1.-THE fact that the members of the pres
to hold another session, or that of the
| Thirty-first General Assembly, on &C
count of the almost certain adoption
of the constitutional amendment pro-
viding for biennial elections they re-
gard it as perfectly proper that they
should be the ones to institute reforms
| In regard to the legislature itself. They
have also been convinced that some
reform is necessary. The committee
| for consideration a bill which will rev
olutionize the incidental expenses of
| the legislature, particularly relating TO
employees. The present system is the
result of steady growth in the direo-
ton OF extravaganza and graft 1t
is not due to any desire on the part of
any member that the state should be
the victim of politics, nor could 1t be
expected that any one legislature could
reform itself. But the fact is that the
employees of the legislature outnumber
the members. AS each legislature
comes to organization ii finds prece-
dents set and the claimants for position
are so numerous that it is hard to
make any change. Each legislature is
fully organized on the old basis before
the members can know anything about
the real situation.
The statutory committee on retrench-
ment and reform. composed of the
tr,,,n nf w. frnz ff70 OF
mittees in each house, will provide in
the bill that the doorkeepers shall be
under the direction OF the sergeant-a at
arms, and there shall be no chief door
keeper. There is no difference in the
doorkeepers In fact, but the sergeant
alarms has no control over them. 1t
is probable that the pages VIII be Sc
lected by the sergeant-at-arn also,
so that he may better control them.
Then as to the ianitors and other help
ers of various kinds they VIII be Sc
lected, not by the general assembly but
by the custodian Of the capitol, and
when he desires that certain work shall
be done the extra employees will not
send the custodian and the members
to find out If 1t can be done. This will
apply also to the elevator men who
are needed extra during the session,
and to the document clerks Of all kinds.
Another reform will come in the
matter of the selection of the com
mittee clerks. They viii be selected
with reference to competency, and 1t Is
probable that all or nearly all will be
stenographers. There are now forty
five committee clerks in each house.
The idea of having practically one
committee clerk for each senator and
one for each two representatives is so
ridiculous that the members feel almost
ashamed of the record; and yet 1t is u
notorious fact that there is much of the
time that the legislature is short of
clerical help and members find it i'm
possible to get their work done by
competent persons and promptly
There are many of the clerks who do
very little during the session and who
are In fact away most of the time
There are others who are so incompe-
tent that members give them as little
work as possible. In short most of
the work must be done in fact by a
small percentage of the clerical force,
merely by those willing and competent
ones who have not tried to work the
graft. The new law Will provide for
less than thirty clerks In each house
and they will be competent persons.
For each of six or eight of the lead
ing committees a clerk will be as
signed, and the remainder will be as
signed to committee rooms with orders
to do all the committee work accom-
plished in those rooms. They viii be
assigned to members for typewriting
an q ,npre
will be treated alike. The work will be
better done by half as many clerks.
AS a matter of fact there are a
number of most excellent and compe
tent clerks in both houses who have
done excellent work; but many men,
bers have complained because of in
ability to get their work done. In the
senate it works out that each clerk is
practically a private secretary to one
senator.
1t has been fortunate that the pres
ent legislature and the Twenty ninth
General Assembly We're both entirely
free from anything In the nature of
scandal on account of the conduct of
members or of the employees. Other
legislatures have not been so fortunate
and it is regarded as entirely possible
that If the tendency to constantly in
crease the number of committee clerks
and especially of young women, con
tinues, the time may come that so much
of idleness might be dangerous. 1t Is
proposed that there shall be a less num-
Der of employees and less chance for
mischief.
Another reform contemplated is in
the matter of pay of the employees. The
jor portion of the employed force
gets So Il day. The chief clerk and as
sistants and the enrolling and en-
crossing clerks, bill and file clerks get
S. a day. But it is proposed to raise
$3.50 day. 1t was formerly 81 day.
In some states it is as much as $40 a
day. The chief clerk and the secretary
of the senate both have positions of
great responsibility and they are re-
CURED to work long hours. But the
chief clerk and the secretary do their
work and get the same pay as an en-
forms work which could as we'll be
done by any intelligent young lady who
can copy, and who works but few
hours a day.
The reforms suggested will cut the
total expenses of the legislature for
help of various kinds nearly in halves |
Instead of $270 day for the extras it |
will be less than $3.50.
Another change may be made that |