The Topeka state journal., 1909-01-21
TAKES UP CUDCEL
Speaker DOlley Is an Advocate
of Rigid Economy.
Opposes House Hiring an Extra
Mail Carrier.
LONG. HEATED DEBATE
Centers Around an Old Soldier
Employee.
Gets No Farther Than the Talk
Stage.
LONG. HEATED DEBATE

They say that Joseph n. Dolley of
Wabaunsee, used to be sailor be-
fore he came to Kansas. He must
have served aboard a privateer and
sailed the Spanish main from the way
In which he stirred up trouble in
representative hall Wednesday after
noon. 1t was all over house en-
pIoyes. too. And after two hours of
discussion the matter was left just
where it started.
The committee on employees report
ed the addition of another to the post
office force, making four persons in
that department in all.
Dolley appeared on the floor of the
house and talked against the adoption
of the report, making a strong speech
for economy
He thought that two persons were
enough to run the postal department
of the house. It developed in the
course of debate that the assistant
postmaster is a lady and that she
could not be expected to serve as
mail carrier, so the employees com
mittee had last week installed an old
soldier as mail carrier. The old vet
eran was alleged to be slow in the
performance of his duties. hence the
move to add a fourth postal employe
in the shape of an assistant mail
carrier
At this point in the debate there oc-
Cured a tilt between Dolley and Jew
EFT of Sedgwick, chairman of the en-
ployes committee in which the latter
came out first best.
Do1ley. in a question put to the man
from Wichita, said:
''Wen, you will have four men in
the postoffice. will you not, if this re-
port is adopted?"
mo. sir" replied Jewett. 1--WE will
have only three men, the other is a
lady, hired by this house, and not by
the committee on employees"
Dolley Joined in the general laugh
that followed
But laughter did not help to clear
the situation One after another of
the memb bers expressed themselves on
the matter and no two of them held
the same views.
Dolley's plea for petty economy by
shaving down the house employees at
the expense of an old soldier OF the
union did not appeal to all the mem
bers but the state chairman, while
saying nice things about the old SOL
diers, stuck to his point not to have
any useless or incompetent employees
on the house payroll.
Let Members Do Own Sweeping
Then some of the members took a
different tack. Amrine suggested that
eight or ten more employees could be
shaved off the roll, and Cuilbert did
not see the need Of any janitors as
each member could easily sweep up
around his own desk and clean his
own spittoon.
Jewett of Sedgwick declared thar as
the chairman of the employees commit
tee he was proud of the fact that that
committee had kept the number of en-
ployes in the house down to "A which
was about half the number any pre-
viouS house or senate had been able to
get along with. He thought this work
was entitled to commendation rather
than life sized roast.
After eight or ten motions had been
Il w-rTTo 80 -. -
by the house, Dolley moved that three
sergeants-at alarms, one doorkeeper. one
janitor and one assistant in the cloak
room be cut off the pay roll, together
with the proposed addition to the
postal force making seven in all and
cutting down the total number of house
employees to thirty-seven. 1t looked for
q time as though this motion would
prevail. but Cunningham of Cowley
arose to a point Of order and contend
ed that the motion to amend the report
of the employees committee was out of
order. as the report must either be ac-
cepted or rejected in its entirety He
was sustained by the chair and finally
the whole matter was turned back to
the employees committee without any
thing having been accomplished.
The 125 members of the house, work
ing for the state for SO per day each,
had spent a half day wrangling over
the addition of a mail carrier to the
pay roll. This time cost 5000, yet the
mail carrier would only have received
$50 for the entire term. Still, as
Dolley said, there was nothing else to
de.
Plea for Old Soldier.
Griffen of Barber county made an
earnest appeal to retain the old soldier
on the pay roll. The veteran came
from Barber county. Griffen said: II
challenge any man on the floor of this
house to prove to me that this old SOL
dier Is not doing his duty in an ac-
fafA
spirarcy to do away with this veteran
of 81 want to know it. What you
are about to do is not right, or just,