Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-11-17
THERE ARE 1000
JOBS TO L.EI
At The CAPITOL |

SUCCESS OF. DEMOCRATS IN Sc
CURING CONTROL OF HOUSE
WILL GIVE "A SMALL ARMY OF
MEN GOOD SALARIES.
Washington, D. c.. Nov. 16.-(Spec-
ial Correspondence) Now that IT IS
assured that the democrats will organ
lie and control the next house OF rep
resentatives the question naturally
arises as to the personnel pertaining to
the organization of the house. Inere
are at least a thousand jobs about the
caEitol which arc controlled by the
party in control Of the house. These
range from laborers ont in the capitol
grounds, including police, engineers.
firemen, coal passers in the engine
rooms which supply heat, electric light
power, laborers and messengers,
clerks and stenographers, committee
clerkships and attendant messengers,
besides OF course the many high Off
cials, such as clerk of the house,
serge ant-at-arms, ct 'hese positions
great and small belong to the scalp
belt Of the victor and are not hedged
about by any civil service rules.
To start with in the remuneration
of the good things the speaker has the
selection of private secretary whose
salary is $500: a clerk to the speak
er,s table at $4,000, another clerk to
the speaker at $1,S0O and messenger
at 1,400 per annum. These are the
speakers individual and personal ap-
pointments. 1t is his little family, so
to speak, of clerical helpers.
The clerk of the house is one OF
the best in the gift of the victors.
carrying with it salary of s6,50O and
having under him some thirty-six en-
rloyes varionslv assigned to the con-
duct Of the clerical business Of the
house ranging in salaries from $4,000
to 5000 per year.
q In the clerks document room there
lisa superintendent and at least three
annual employees and nerhaps a score or.
more carried during the sessions ofs
scongreSs. all Tat good living salaries. Il
The librarian of the house is q ilire
easy billet and there are three assis-
tants under him.
The Office OF sergeant-at-arms Is in
many respects a most choice morsel
Of patronage. There all accounts are
kept and payments of salaries of
members made. In reality the SER
geaDt-at-arms Office is ths bank of
the house of representatives and many
members kept '.heir accounts there
and check against the credit Just IS
they would at their bank at home.
Then ones mind turns to the Office
Of ilcorkeeper under whor' come the
sunervisiop of a great number Of mis-
cellaneous employes, several hundred.
There are many good berths under
the superintendent of the folding
room. 1t is in this section If the
building that documents Of all sorts
are wrapped. recorded and stored
away in readiness to he mailed out to
the constituents Of the members as
they may call for them and still an
other stOrehouse of congressional
printed matter is the document room
and during the sessions the combined
forces Of these two places will be near
sixty men.
The Office of postmaster is really
good job. While Of course RESPONSIBLE
his assistants are trained and skilled
men of the highest, type detailed from
the Washington city postoffice and |
resentatives really has bnt little to do
session, look wise and draw his
salary.
furthermore there are some seventy
Inv ste 13y,e + %hno
carrying clerk. These clerkships
per annum. the general average being
about $2,4O0. Many Of the larger com.
mittees such as appropriations, ways
several clerks each and each COM
per month.
Each representative in the house is
entitled to employ q clerk at $125 per
and there are about 35 men on
the police force assigned to work on
the house side, and their pay is $1O0
per month.
In reality it is safe to say that the
party In control of the house of rep
has at its disposal nearly
700 good Jobs ranging from $500
down to 1920 per. annum. The corps
Of page boy appointments must not be
overlooked. The corps is about fifty
strong. equally divided as to appoint
nent between the dominant parties
These bright little lads receive $75
per month during the sessions.
E. G. Snyder.
Lincoln's Messenger Dead.
Des Moines, Nov. 16.-(Special.) 81
Captain Alex Young, aged 81, died here !,
.oday. During the war he carried mes
,ages from President Lincoln to Gen.
and had a fine war record
He was the first mayor Of Manning.