The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-04-10
DEMOCRATIC ECONOMY
Majority in House Enforc- ing It-Champ Clark Dis
 cards Speakers Auto
tBy Clyde H. Tavenner.) )

doorkeeper of the House had his l thirteen year old daughter on the l payroll as "clerk to the doorkeeper" at salary of s1,2o0 a year with an extra months pay, was one of many unique discoveries made by Congress man A. Mitchell Palmer of the Ways and Means committee while investi- 1 gating useless positions on the House payroll. Palmer's retrenchment pro- gram was unanimously adopted by l the Democratic membership, reflect ing the greatest of credit upon the 1 young Pennsylvania member who has come to be recognized as one of the strong leaders of the House. The position of "clerk to doorkeeper" ! will be abolished.
 ] room and all the offices therein were abolished by statute in 1895, the salaries aggregati ting S6,260 went right 1 on The Republican machine needed 1 the patronage, and why be discour- aged by little thing like statute! Six useless but expensive house committees will be abolished Saw 1 ing, $12,000 year.
 A saving of S3,000 a year will be effected through dispensing with the services of two attendants to the old library space. These positions were ' created Capitol. The library was removed many years ago. Since then the two attendants have had nothing to at tend to but blank space. It was an easy job. Two night watchmen charged to Seventy-four policemen are on duty at the Capitol. and unless the two l stalwart Republican night watchmen watched the police, it is difficult to understand how they put in their time.
 wastefulness in running the govern ment: Before the telephone was in vented a telegraph wire was con- structed between the capitol and war department for quick communica- ton. Since the telephone has come into existence it has been used eX- clusively. But the jobs of the two telegraphers remained. At last they are to be abolished. Saving, $2,SO0 annually.
 During the Spanish war; says MT. Palmer, somebody's friend told aunt had heard someone say that a plot was on foot to dynamite the capitol. Thirty-eight extra police men were added. They have re- mained ever since"
 The Palmer committee believes the
 
 thirty-four private policemen and one lieutenant given a permanent leave of absence. Saving, S39,00o annually.
 .Retrenchment in the House alone sums up as follows:
 Saving under Speaker, $2,320.0 %.
 Saving under clerk. $39,970.O0.
 Saving under sergeant at arms, S47.050.O0.
 Saving under doorkeeper, s31,- 340.o0.
 Saving through abolishing extra months pay, $50,000.00.
 Saving through abolishing six use- less committees, s12,000.00.
 Economy in public expense, tha, labor may be lightly burdened," has just begun in Washington. One de- partment after another will be taken they have the power, they will abolish useless offices and substitute business administration for waste fulness and extravaganza.
 An Unreported Speech.
 Speaker Champ Clark made San important speech recently that has not as yet been printed in any news which no newspaper men were pres ent It was a private, heart-to-heart talk between Clark and his Demo- cratic fellows Here is what MT. Clark said, not for the public, but for the ears of the Democratic mem- bers of Congress:
 'I congratulate MT. Palmer, and his associates upon their retrench- ment program. I congratulate them with all my heart and strength.
 There is only one way to econo- mize, and that is for each man of us to begin economizing at home. To start the ball rolling I propose to do a little economizing on my own hook. I am going to cut down my office staff. Then I shall go further. I am going to save the people $6,000 by doing away with the Speakers automobile. If I can not legally get rid of it. will run it into the Poto- mac. The Republicans will say it is cheeseparing and peanut politics, but the people have some sense, and they twill know that if we begin by giving up our own little gratis we will then bigger ones. And I don't care what the Republicans say, I will cooperate with any man in this House who can find a place for sensible economy. don't care whether it is a little econo- my or a big economy that is pro posed, I will work with any membe to bring 1t about if it is 8 sensible one"
 A Republican View.
 '"The legislative program outlined by Speaker Clark will meet with public approval. It is progressive and only radical to those who hold that legislation in the interest of the general public IS radical and should be opposed. ed.''-Philadelphfa North American, (Republican.)
 Crisis For Republican Progressives.
 The extra session of Congress of- fers the progressive Republicans of the Senate an opportunity to make the mistake of their political lives. If they oppose Canadian reciprocity it will surely revise their popularity downward. This is particularly true as a nationwide proposition. The progressives can not now oppose re- ciprocity on the ground that it does not revise the tariff downward on things the farmer must buy, because bills will accompany the reciprocity measure which will revise the tariff downward on manufactured articles.
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