The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-12-03

Indispensable to It's
deliberations.
Unique among 80
the number Is
Kennedy +. Rea. clerk OF the senate
committee on appropriations. He Is
unique because only a few years ago
he was imported from the house COM
mittee on appropriations, and last year
was only third in rank among the
clerks OF the senate committee. The
ranking clerk was Thomas Z. Cleaves,
who. next TO Jim" Courts OF the
house committee. knew more about
government finances than anyone else
around the capitol. When Cleaves be-
gan to feel the infirmities OF years ne
asked his friend Courts to recommend
him a good assistant. Courts decided
that II was chance for Rea and rec.
commended him to Cleaves. Cleaves
was III all last winter and Rea proved
his mettle by breaking In Senator
Hale as the successor Of the late Sen
ator Allison as chairman of the com
mittee. SO pleased was Senator Hale
with his work that although Pitman
Pulsifer who had made record for
himself as right bower to Senator Hale
while he was chairman of the COM
mitee on naval AFFAIRS. had been
brought over TO appropriations by Sen
ator Hale. he decided to make Rea the
clerk Thus are both appropriation
committees Of congress guided In their
deliberations by Democratic clerks.
Congress has applied the civil SER
vice law to all the departments. but
| tcfn " ha ri ~ H.
here to the spoils system in its own
affairs, and there are only few who
are able to render such service as to
make them immune when the politi-
cal complexion OF either branch
changes. Superintendent OF the
document room. George II. Boyd, Is
another senate employe who Is sure OF
| his Job whoever comes into power. Mr..
Boyd was long an understudy OF the
| late AMI Smith, and the things ANIL
| Smith did not know about government
documents were not worth knowing.
He was as remarkable OF mind as was
the late Ainsworth r. Spofford. for
so long the librarian OF congress Each
| of them grew gray In the service and
each saw his work expand more than
a hundredfoid. They kept track OF
every item of expansion. and no sen
ator ever thought OF consulting doc
ument index when AmZl Smith was In
reach. He was a human index or the
thousands OF different kinds or docu-
ments In his charge. He trained bo!d
along the same lines and many mas
been the time when Boyd has SHOWN
evidences OF as retentive memory
as Smith or Spofford possessed Such
a memory Is OF inestimable value
| when a senator wants some document
concerning which he knows neither
the number, the congress. nor the
session under which II was printed.
The senate press gallery anords an
other example Of the way a man may
make himself 80 useful as 70 De pey onu
| the pale OF the most inslsteht uena"us
OF patronage. The superintendent VI
the senate press gallery Is James -
Preston. Every newspaper reaueI ~
| the land is indebted to thls eeniai
| citizen. His highest ampl'ioh seen ,'
tn he TO make the work OF the WASH
In ytou correspondent easy and 10 SO
ASSIST kim that the whole worid na!
Lnow limits morning paper just What
banneneo in the senate the day before.
preston IL the right bower OF the
standing Committee OF correspondents
and looks efter all details OF ohclai
functions ~ which the members Oh
the press aye concerned. lie knows
thoroughly hhe tastes and idiosyn-
| cracies of EVERY correspondent onu
whether as superintendent OF the seh'
ate press gallery. executive clerk "
the standing committee or correspoii'
] danta or assistant secretary OF the
| National Press club jim Preston
ends a way TO be OF service to every
newspaper reader in America
| The employees OF the senate are
halter paid. as a rule, than those OF
the house. Only In the case OF the
appropriations comnlittee Oh .he
house does a clerk get as good pay
as the clerk OF the corresponding
committee Of the senate. VI course
the highest paid official of the senate
us It's secretary, whose salary 10 90
| age. Charles G. Bennett has held TINS
| position for a number OF years: re
| was formerly a member OF the mouse
from Brooklyn, New York, ana was
elected secretary OF the senate atter
his defeat for reelection. Ahe DuiK
| OF the business OF the senate 10 pon
sacled through the clerks under his
Jurisdiction. His principal assistant
ia Assistant Secretary Henry NJ
Rose. Rose is one Of the finest read
ers In the country, and the senators
ON the door are always glad when he
acts as reading clerk. A few years
| ago he had an offer TO engage In pri-
yate business, but the senate, In or
der to hold him, created the position
of assistant secretary and placed him
in q at a salary OF $4,000 year. THE
of,ces of the financial clerk. the sup
Eerintendent of the document room,
the keeper OF the stationery, and the
librarian are under the general drec'
ton of the secretary.
Few officers In the government ser
vice have mad such long connection
with IL as Financial Clerk Nixon, who
has been with the senate since 1867.
He has .disbursed over S6O,OOO,OOO.
When he began his period OF service
there were fifty-five senators; today
there are ninety-two. He has served
longer than any other disbursing Of
ficer Of the government, and next to
Judge Mills, Is the notary public OF
longest service in Washington.
Two important employees OF the
ora tho AnOr m % aauQara TOin