The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-21
MAY Be DROPPED.
Wrangle Over Senate Employees
Is Becoming TiresOme.
After Long Discussion 1t Is Re.
ferr0d to Committee.
M PR0GRECC IC MARE
NO PROGRESS is MADE
And None of Those on the List
Have Been Cut Off.
Cookies Bill for Soldiers MOnu-
ment Reported UnfavOrabIy.

The consideration of Senator Ny
erS' resolution that the committee on
employees be instructed to kindly
! dismiss % senate employees and add
4 more stenographers, came up in the
| regular order of business. Senator
| Myers moved the adoption of his res
| olution, whereupon Senator Stewart
| one of the old members of the sem
/ ate made motion that the resolution
be referred back to the committee on
| employees, with instructions to use a
part OF the employees designated in Mr.
Myers resolution as Janitors and door
| Keepers for the various committees
When IN session and the remainder in
such other positions as they might be
| needed; and after such assignments
| We're made if there should be any
without employment they be dis
charged.
In speaking to his motion Senator
stewart declared that all the commit
tee rooms thus far have not been pro-
Nioeo with necessary attendants and
the cnalrmen of committees are them
serves obliged to run around and hunt
up the members of their committees
committee rooms, he declared, should
pc provided with an attendant to no.
thy members of meetings and to keep
out persons having no business in the
room
When the employees are distributed
around as they should be / am sure
we VIII ind the senate has no more
than are needed" declared Senator
Stewart. 'I appreciate the desire Of
some members to make a record in
the matter of economy, but 1 think
we need all the employees we have pro-
V1ded for. The time to have brought
up this matter was in the beginning
when the committee on employees was
selected and instructed on the matter
or employees. At that time there were
about 40 senators importuning the
committee to give one or more constit-
uents Jobs and I am confident the
COMMITTEES has acted with Judgment
and has not allowed for more en-
pIoyeS than are needed
Senator Potter favored Stewards
motion, but wanted to add that one
man be designated to attend to the
ventilation of the senate chamber and
keep it at the proper temperature The
Stewart
ST feel like deferring to the older
senators as to the number of employees
needed, said Senator Hamilton.
and l believe I had more applicants
FOR jobs than any other senator, but
used no undue pressure on the COM
mlttee to secure appointments. 1t
should not be embarrassing to the
committee to discharge anyone who is
not working. We ought to hire and
discharge employees in the senate on
the same rule that private employer
would hire and discharge servants"
senator Stavely, chairman of the
com mfttee on employees, declared that
the present senate has not been extra
VACANT in its hired help He men
toned the senate of 1903, which has
been "glorified as working and &c
onomfcal senate" and which employed
48 more "hired hands, than the pres
ent senate. He referred to the house
reduction in employees as a grand
stand play" for during the first week
Of the session a senate empIoye had to
carry the mail for the house He
believed all the employees now on the
rolls are employed. eff any senator
finds any employe not doing his duty,
and he will report the employe to me"
said Senator Stavely, ''I will call a
meeting of the committee and decapi-
tate ths employe forthwith
The most emphatic opposition to Sen
ator Stewards motion, was voiced by
Senator Stannard.
1T seems to me-" he said, that in
doing the work for the senate the same
rule applies that would be employed in
doing work for the state or for our
selves. Would you employ 112 people to
serve 40? I don't believe I would If
had a foreman on my farm who hired
men to sit around and do nothing L
would not consider him a good fore
man.
"I have made some investigation in
this matter and don't believe we need
IL employees"
There are only Sc senate employees"
interrupted Senator Stavely
VERY well'' replied Stannard 'I
don't believe we need over 40 employees
outside the committee clerks Touch
ing on the question of 'grandstand
plays and senate employees carrying
mail for the house, that incident was
due to the failure of a house employe
to report What previous senates have
done should not be considered now.
The question is what are We going to
do? This is a time of Improvement
and progress.
"And I'll say to the senate, right here
that I'll take the contract to do all the
work to be done by the senate en-
ployes, with a force of 80 persons and
make nice profit on the contract
The matter was decided by "a viva
voce vote and the Myers resolution was
referred to the committee on employees
as moved by Senator Stewart.
The committee on cities of the sec
| ond and third class reported favorabIy
| on Senator Chapman's bill giving the
municipal authorities of second class
cities power to condemn and have re-
was amended to include third class
cities under the act.
An unfavorable report was sub
mitted on Senator Cookies bill giving
county commissioners and the mayor
and city council right to erect soldiers
| 81 600. and pay for the same out of
funds in the treasury. without submit
| ting the matter to a vote of the peo-
pie.
An interesting feature of the morn
| the senate in committee of the whole
of Senator GIenn's bill for reaDpor-