Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-29
LEGISLATURE ON
BUSINESS BASIS
LIEUTENANT GOV. CLARKE BE.
LlEVES MUCH NEEDLESS
MONEY is SPENT.
TOO MANY EMPLOYEES
Plans May be Made to Reform Clerical
Expenditures of Body by Reviv-
ing Measure Once Before
Introduced.

Des Moines, Dec 2S-ENer since the |
delivery of the address of Speaker |
George W. Clarke before Grant club
last February, urging reform in the
matter Of the expenditure of public |
money in the employment Of persons
by the legislature. during the session
of the general assembly, there has
been a feeling that the legislature OF
1909 would do business on business
basis
Since his address Speaker Clarke
has been elected lieutenant governor
of the state, and win be the officer
who will preside over the senate
which conyenes two weeks from to-
day,
In the legislature of 1904 when Gov
ernor Clarke was make speaker of the
house, an effort was made by the
house to cut down the expenditures to
which Mr.. Clarke referred In his
speech and to put the employment OF
persons by the legislature on bust
ness basis. bill embodying the re-
form idea was passed by the house,
only four opposing it, but it died in
the senate sitting committee. Speaker
Clarke now being transferred to the
senate side of the legislature it Is
thought not unlikely that certain bus
mess like methods Will be adopted by
the legislature in regard to this mat
ter.
The employees of the legislature
draw about one-third of the total
money expended by the state during
session of the assembly. In the
legislature of 1907 the employees re-
ceiyed $42,14s:05.
Save Forty Per Gent.
Under the plan for retrenchment
which was passed by the house in 1904
about forty per cent OF the expense
| of employes would have been saved,
as compared with the actual expen-
ditures incurred by the legislature OF
| 1907
| The pay roll of the employees of the
legislature and extra employees or the
state house on account of the leglsla'
tive session, for the first half Of March
1907, was practically $4,000 The re.
form proposed in 1904 would have
meant the expenditure of about $4,000
for the same half month. The total
EXPENSE for the whole month of March
was s16O55. Under the plan proposed
| in 1904 it would have been $10.1S3.
! The reform proposed in 1904 was
embodied in what was known as
House File 453 and was proposed by
the committee on retrenchment and
reform. It was introduced by n. T..
Kendall, who was one of the house
members of the committee. The com
mittee was composed of Kendall, Mat
ties and Temple of the house and Hay
ward, Dowell and Garst OF the senate
! Clarke was speaker and Herrlott was
j lieutenant governor. Now, Mates Is
I in the senate and Clarke is lieutenant
governor. Dowell is still on the com
mittee on retrenchment and reform
which is made up OF the chairnle,. o
the committees on judiciary, ways
and means and appropriations OF tne
Two houses.
/ The bill passed the house early In
April and the assembly adjourned
April 12, the senate not attempting tt
pass it: rather, not having the chance
because the sitting committee buried
it.
As to Committee Clerks.
The significant provision Of the bill
: as II passed the house related to com
mittee clerks.
4 1t provided, as reported by The com
, mittee. that these clerks must be Sc
lected by the committee on retrench
ment and reform, and assigned by th'
secretary of the senate and the clerl
of the house to the respective com
mittee rooms, said committee clerks
to be competent stenographers ant
: typewriters."
When the matter was considered
: an amendment was adopted provldln
"twenty-four committee clerks for tn
| senate and twenty-four committee
{ clerks for the house, who shall b.
/ competent stenographers and type
) writer's, at salary of So per da
4 each, shall be selected by the chali
/ men OF the several committees t
e which they shall be assigned by tn
: committee on retrenchment and !
s form" ETC.
1t is commonly supposed that tn
: chief extravaganza of the legislator
S relates to the employment Of commit
d tee clerks. They receive s. per da
l. for seven days in the week. In In
il session of 1907 the senate had fifty c
n these clerks on its pay roll and tn
d house had thirty-seven. The senat
It had forty committees and the hous
It had fifty-seven committees.
@ Not single bill was referred
y eleven of the senate committees an
o nineteen of the house committees.
cI Not a single report was made b
d ten of the senate committees an
n seventeen of the house committees.
a The committees on judiciary, a.
4. preparations, cities and towns, enrol
D. ed bills. insurance, railroads an
x schools. did the bulk of the work
l. both of the branches of the legisiautr
1t NO one familiar with legislatio
!, questions the statement that tt
II clerks OF such committees as judicar
e appropriations, railroads, etc, hay
n done such work as fairly to earn II
* state money they were paid And OF
y er clerks. of course, cannot be said