Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-16

tive records and attends to sending out all
election supplies. cuts no ice with the demo-
cratic senator. He wants the democratic
papers to get the soup, and besides ne Is
the editor of a democratic paper.
The employees question continues 10
bother the members of the majority in the
sonata and IL is said a movement is on foot
among some of the more conservative to
cut down the list already appointed, In
stead of following the lead of Senator
Howell OF Douglas, who has sixteen Doug
las county constituents on the payroll al
ready. and cutting out the statutory en-
ployes' limit of forty-nine. The situation
promises some lively times before It is set
tied. as a number of radicals object to
the manner in which the law has been dis
regarded so far, aside from aking steps
to increase the number of helpers.
As a matter of fact the senate is ham
pered with a list of persons not qualified
for the work to perform. Instead of en-
gaging clerks who might be transferred to
the important duties Of committees, the
committee on employees has loaded up the
body with a number of custodians and as
sistant b~roomholders who have the mod
ern idea that a state job means all pay.
When there is a hurry-up call for expert
aid, a horny -handed son of toll presents
himself In attention and asks for orders,
whereat the senator desiring his services
collapses and sets him at work cleaning a
committee room.
But il appears there Is even an emanci-
pated order of broomholders and copper
cleaners, for today the maddest mar in the
senate chamber was a custodian who, with
a capitol full OF assistants, was unable to
find one TO put the copper fixtures back
by the members desks. A Douglas county
man had been assigned to the work, and
then refused to finish 1t up, so the Gus
tcdian was out with a scalping knife, but
the state employe at fault was nowhere
to be found, though his salary was going
on at a mile-a-minute clip.
An interesting situation was also pre-
scented by Henry J. Rupprecht, assigned to
do duty as a prOofreader. Mr.. Rupprecht
apparently does not know upper case from
lower and would not recognize a paragraph
mark II he should see 1t, so he was as
signed to hold copy.
Today Henry reported to headquarters to
learn whether a c~opyholder was subordinate
in position to proofreader and IL it was why
he had been thus assigned and whether or
not he should not have a commission signed
with a gilt seal TO assure him of his au-
thority.
The house and senate is meanwhile pick
ing out the expert clerks from the lists
and dividing them up as imperative needs
may require and 1t is quite likely that
some OF the other employees may find their
abilities inadequate TO the services re-
CURED.
The child labor question also has come
to a head in the senate Truant officer
Davis, after chasing two senate pages
through the corridors of the state house
and a block from the capitol building. only
to lose them, finally resOrted to a search
of the records in the hope of proving them
ineligible. The names appeared. but not
their ages. The boys were John Majors,
nephew OF Senator Majors. and Reginald
Woodruff, son Of L. d. Woodruff, member
Of a local printing firm, who furnishes sup
plies to the legislature. Mr.. Woodruff says
his boy is not under age. Neither one APP
peared for service today and the question
Of deciding whether a page works may
never be settled. The question Of right to
emain out OF school will come mp II the
boys report for duty again.
one OF the bills to be introduced soon is
aimed TO prevent nepotism. 1t Is a copy OF
the law at present on the Oklahoma stat
utes. 1t prohibits any executive, legislative
or judicial officer from appointing TO any
position OF trust any person related TO them
even remotely. The Oklahoma law does not
specify judicial officers in the prohibited
list, bu' the law as drafted for Introduction
in Nebraska specifies members OF the SUI
preme court and judicial officers As we'll