Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-28
THRIFr IN CoNoREss.
Some Specimens Partly by
Members.

New York Sun.
The proposal to have n committee In
congress to check tie tendency TO appro-
pirate without scrutiny OF detail or knowl-
edge OF how money is to be spent has en-
listed the experience OF Mr.. Aldrich OF
Rhode Island. who has been more than
~twenty-etght years In the senate and
when he says that n he could regulate the
expenditure as a business man he would
ave the country many millions Of dollars
a year-one report Of his remarks makes
the amount $500 900 and another $500, q
WoWo-we welcome him as an economizer
who ought 60 know what he Is talking
about and who should be pressed into
service at once. We wonder only that
he has not volunteered before Mr.. Bur
kett Of Nebraska has told the country
that congress is slipshod and even ieno-
rant in its methods Of giving the depart
ments what they ask for. He it was who
urged that bulletins Illuminating the stew
ardship, the needs and intentions OF public
Officers should be on the desk OF every
senator and representative when more
money was solicited, He Is not a special
list as Mr.. Aldrich is, but II would be
Shortsighted to disregard the little ecomo-
mists who protest against duplication Of
accounts and multiplication Of place warm
ers. For instance, there is Hon. Martin
Dies Of Texas, an unfamiliar face In the
house, who, coming from Beaumont. an
uncomfortable town in Texas, Is dismayed
by the luxurious habits Of members Of
congress and the unprotected prevalence
Of nepotism. With the hardihood OF youth,
Mr.. Dies has told the house to its face
what he thinks OF the spectacle:
The house Of representatives Is com
posed Of less than 400 congressman, yet
we have 423 officers and employees. These
42S mysterious persons-and 1 use the word
'mystertous advisedly-receive large sal
aries, OF these employees 29 ~r~retvs7UA,
aries OF $1,000 and upward. 2
them get 5000 and upward evenly, ~.
$4,000 and upward, thirteen &c, s5.v.0 and
upward and two OF them receive $500
each. am sure I have never seen as
many as 10 per cent OF the entire number
around the capitol or office building. No
man has ever been found who can tell
what they do. OF course, there are some
OF them who work. Nearly all the doors
around the capitol have a doorkeeper, and
many Of them two doorkeepers. or one
thing l am convinced, and that is that
these 42S men are not all engaged in the
kind Of work which the records of the
government show them to be engaged in.
. .
Among the 423 officers and employees
l find one man employed on a salary of
Sl.4O a year as assistant in the bath
There are three others on the
payroll as laborers in the bathroom. II
members OF congress can charge their
baths and shaves to the people and make
the people pay the man who doctors the
corns IN their toes, what is to keep them
from charging their jewelry and groceries
to the long suffering public? My curiosity
is thoroughly aroused with regard to these
officers and employees. Looking through
the list I find that ninety Of them bear
the same names as members Of congress,
and I am curious to know how many OF
these 42S are related to those who employ
them at public expense"
1t is easy to laugh at homespun Mr..
Dies-quite the natural thing, in fact: but
In his way he is as conscientious as sena-
tor Burkett and as well meaning as Mr..
Aldrich of Rhode Island