The Big Sandy news., 1911-04-14
HOW They GRATED.
Details Of Some Ofthe Waste at Wash
i7gtOn.


ing dispatch sent out from Washing
ton to the Cincinnati Enquirer tells
something OF how II has been done:
Washington. April 9.-How slS2,-
ESQ has been saved by the House
Democrats has just become public
through the report Of the House
subcommittee OF which Represen-
tative A. Mitchell Palmer, OF Penn
sylyania was Chairman. Il is one Of
the most interesting documenta
produced BY congressional authority
for long time. recommending, as
II does, the elimination Of time-worn
Jobs that seemed TO be a part and
parcel OF the House OF Representa-
tNes for decades past.
One striking example of the
waste OF public salary funds, as
the subcommittee Chairman was
pleased TO describe 1t was the dis
coyery that a thirteen-year- old
daughter OF Chief Doorkeeper Lyons
was on the payroll as "eierk to
the Doorkeeper" al a salary Of ~
400 year with AN extra months
pay each year as vocation gratu-
ity. The committee was unable to
discovery exactly what the func-
tons OF the clerk to the Door
/ keeper" were, and consequently the
position was abolished.
Jobs Never Ended.
/ In the course of his report Mr..
( Palmer observed that numerous po
sitlons were created in the House
from time to time, but none ap'
pear ever to have found an ending
The pay envelopes have been hand
ed out regularly for each position
from month to month, without any
inquiry as TO the value OF the
services rendered by the persons
receiving them. Ludicrous iilustra
Itions of this were developed dur
Ing the course OF tn committee
Investigations.
Soon after the Spanish Wa
broke cut" Mr. Palmer says in bill
report somebody's friend told som
body's cousin that somebody's aun
had heard some one say that
plot was on foot to dynamite th'
Capitol Thirty-eight extra police
men were added They have re
maiged ever since"
There was hesitancy on tn
part Of the committee, Mr. Palmer
says. as to whether or not thes
thirty-eight policemen should b
. continued on the payroll permanent
Ily because Of a war scare 13 year
ago. The jobs were Topped off a
: a saving Of about $4,000 annually
Easy For These Boys.
A paradoxical relic OF an ancien
and long forgotten situation wa
discovered in connection with tn
4 services OF two telegraph operators
I Many years before the telephon
! was invented private telegrap
T line was installed between the Wa
! Department and the House winl
n Two operators were provided fC
8 this wire.
g The telephone came along an
n nobody used the telegraph any Ions
9 err. The operators didn't say an!
: thing about it, and it never occur
= ed TO anybody to ask what they di
: for their wages. They just dre
: their salaries and drew and dreN
o They got S1,4OO apiece which seen
= ed good to them, The Palmer Con
I mittee had the outrageous indecel
u cy to get next to their snap, an
It now they are going to be compelle
e to learn the Morse code again an
It do real work.
IS In 1895, the report says, Il
= clerks document room of the Hou
D was abolished. With its passage /
h to history we're intended TO go q
o of the document rooms attaches,
= Salaries Still Went On.
" The committee discovered thi
a. irrespective of the 1896 deere
ID the document room was still in e
a istence, and so were the corps
a clerks drawing salary total of 81
x 26O every year. The commit
ID decided on its abolition forthwith,
n, The investigation, among 9th
rs things, reported that the Hou
lg folding room had attached to it "
4 night watchmen, drawing somethi
q like 5000 a year each. As I
% Capitol Building is patrolled by
W police force Of "A policemen the c'
OF mittee came to the conclusion I
document room could well afford