The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-07-06
RULERS OF TEsENATE
Senator Tillman's recent fight 20
have referred TO the committee IN
Pe FtFHCiviHafd Tribesa bin <a,

Senator TilIman'S recent fight 20
have referred 10 the committee. IN
F,t FtyHCiviH4ad Tribesa bin . att-
me nose Indians served III ca -Iil lIn-
ton to the number Of committees in
the senate ana tdthe ai that prac-
ticaily al The work Of thai body j.
done by a few committees.
The standing and select committees
81 the senate number. sixty=fye. so
Tar as peramnency is concerned ley
are all standing, and nearly hair tOf
them are standing in anther sense,
fr they never ST. Some Of them
nave never had a meeting; others
were called into existence years ago
for a particular purpose which never
again appeared, while still others oc-
casiOnally-once in one year, or two
or thrce-have stray bills referred 10
them provided always that an expen-
diture OF money is not involved, for
If it does the measure goes TO the
appropriation committee.
Ordinarily the Committee char
manshps are supposed to be perqui-
stiles Of the senators belonging to the
majority party. In the present SEN
Hte the republicans, with The largest
majority ever, known, did not. have
enough members u fill all of me
chdirmanshlpS, and. after supplying
all Of their own party with comfort
able rooms committee clerks and
TlGzCG1 Or1rC urIrn ph1r =, rl- - 49,
democratic. senators with like rcae-
T~eniences, In addition, the leader of
the minority has the minority con
ference room, with a clerk End a
messenger. r. - .5LSrCU. O.
Senator TiIlman, in his" endeavoF to
find some work for his committee, .ac-
knowledge that if the bill is quues-
ton, over which it plainly had jurs-
dictiOn, was to be sent to some other
committee his committee had, 40 ex-
cuse for f.. existence He 1alse- called
attention TO the fact, that. during his
term as chairman OF, the committee
on revolutionary claims, his previous
assignment, only a bill was, ever
assigned to it ,r-- rar-...- $3.50. .
1t. is, therefore, safe to say that #
the senate c4mmittees depend for
their existence upon the amount o
public business they transacted, near
~ half of them would be abolished.
They do, however, supply some useful
purpose, for they furnish the sena-
tors with comfortable rooms in which
To receive friends, provide them with
clerks to take care of their official
and private correspondence, and. to
Distribute among grateful constitu-
ents. the. tons of useful public docu-
ments. allotted them, and, last and
not least, gve them, 4 little patronage
in the opportunity to appoint clerks
and messengers, ~. ,ra '.a, D
Each Of the sixty-fver committees
has a clerk, with a salary somewhere
between $500 and $500. a year;
thirty-four assistant clerks are. also
employed at from s., LAO. to $4,000 i
wear. and fifty-six Of the committees
have messengers at s1.440 a year, As
the session of the senate averages
only about five months in the year
and these employees have practically
seven months vacation, they are fir
Iy well paid. '.tr d
Many of the secretaries acompany
their senator's to their homes dining
the recess, and there continue the
work OF attending to private. cores
popdence. Even with such salaries
aud such short hours, several Of the
SENATOR'S especially those haVin4
. large private. business interests, I'd /
from their Nv pockets to- the pay Of
secretaries. -~,- 800 =
Twenty two demQcratiG senators
who are not provided With commttte1
chairmanships have ofice" rooms and
: secretaries, but no. messengers. Then
secretaries receive only $500 a year.
and this DISCRIMINATION lead Senato4
Bailey Of Texas TO offer Il resolution
B. calling upon heosecretary of the ssh.
ait for Il list OF all secretaries, clerks,
messengers, etc. and their salaries
with the object of bringing the unfair
Ress of the present Arrangement t
The f&ttentiOn OF the Senate. He d
sn ed a readjustmept of. the sa-aries
of the twenty-five secretaries and
those # the twenty-five or thirty
clerks of committees which neve:
meet. but who receive $500 OF s.,
200 ! year for performing precisely
the same service. as the secretaries.
The dominant cpmm;t:ee Of the
senate is the committee on l%ppr0pria-
A4|ILC' SliiN AGS tPo"S4 .HoS. SNCh SlNotS
Il few years ago. before a revolt OF
the yOunger. senator's brought .abou,
a partial distribution among other
committees of the great money car
rying bills. Until then It had juris :
diction oyer the thirteen great ap-
p~ropriatiOn bills, and in addition III
most every measure that carried an
expenditure came within its ken. Fivt
OF the annual bills are still within its
control. and. as they, are the measures
in which senator's are chiefly interest
ed, the committee is potent: Tn
clerk of this Committee. Thomas 6.
Cleaves, has flled his. office for thir-
W-three Years, and 50 valuable is lis
knowledge. that he has been retained
through the various, changes IN po1i'i-
cal control He receives s4.560 d
wear, which is the highest salary paid
q committee clerk.
The. regular compensation. Of the
Office is $4,000, but the senate adds
S500 q yc9r 70 hic Ca1orv --.---5NjA' = I