The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-03-22
CLERKS ARE TO
GET AN EXTRA
Continued From Page One.)

S~>~~>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
writing to the house document room,
! Washington, d. c., 1t provided for
gift of $500 to the clerk of the house
which is a bonus in addition to his
Irregular salary of $4,000 The sergeant
at arms, whose salary is also $4,000 was
likewise made a present of $500. The
doorkeepers' prize amounted to $500
The list of benefactors OF house resolu-
ton No. 426 covers six pages There
gislaton as house resolution No. 426
should Senator Aldrich set out to save
the people the $500, 900 which he de-
clares is being wasted annually under
present conditions
1.-The United States railway mail ser
vice represents the highest industrial
development in the world" declared
Representative Victor Murdoch of Kan
sas, in a speech in which he warned
congress not to attempt to strike out
| the paragraph allowing the railway
| mail clerks expenses to the amount of
| IS cents a day.
"The whole service in the United
States has attained an average of 1856
per cent Each man in the railway mail
service is not only a workman of skill,
| larly put through a most rigorous ex-
animation. He must not only know the
| stations in the states, the $4,000 post
offices in the United States, but he
must keep himself constantly informed
as to all the changes of schedules Of
trains. There are men running be-
tween Syracuse and Cleveland who
know whether to throw a letter d.
rected to a town in central California
north or south to obtain for it the
quickest dispatch across the country.
"There are men running from New
York to Washington on the railway
postal car who know more about the
postoffices of North and South Carroll
ma than do the members of this house
who hail from those states This is the
finest service in the world. Other
branches of the postal service halt at
some time in the day. This service
goes on continuously. There are men
who work for thirty continuous hours.
Nov, for the first time in the his
tory Of this government an attempt is
made by the committee to give these
men an expense allowance OF rs cents
a day when they have been out II
hours in the service. That plan is re-
ported unanimously by the committee.
! sincerely hope, and more deeply than
/ I have ever hoped on any single item
1 have ever had anything to do with
! in this house, that not a single man
| in this house will raise his voice against
the proposition. (Applause)
There has never been an army or
10000 men which has exhibited the eff
cheney that this body of government
employees do. They are not paid excess
sively. Their salaries range from $500
to $1,000 year. They occupy the
most hazardous place on the train.
Three or four years ago. out in the
west, when the cars of railroad train
went into the ditch they carried with
them eight men in the postal cars, and
to their death. This house ought to be
appreciatiye of good service
Representative Hughes of New Jer- |
sey, cited an instance of a young pos
tai clerk living in his district, who was |
compelled to remain at the end of the |
line every night when he had finished |
his run
I CAS- he explained the situation to |
me-" said Hughes, "this young man !.
was the son of a widowed mother, Nv !
ing in Jersey City, paying rent there |
and supporting his mother, but every |
night was compelled to go to summer /
hotel and pay for his lodging, pay for |
his supper that night and breakfast |
the next morning. This clerk was then |
receiving 1875 year; his salary now is |
$500 a year. How this man was able |
to pay his way is beyond my compre-
hension, because had some experience
in the summer resort at which the |
clerk was forced to put up each night"