Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-02-09
PROPOSED INCREASE IN MEMBER.
SHIP OF HOUSE WOULD COST
MILLION PER YEAR.
RUMoR OF eoLrlNo CAUCUS
TO START MUCH oRAroRv
consrsssmsn to Argue That to Add
Forty Two Members Would Make
House UnwieIdy and Inefficient =
Senator Roots spssehss Nightmares
60 Official stsnosraphers.
Especial Correspondence


Washington. Feb. 9.-1ncreasing the
membership Of the house Of represent
atives to 433. as is proposed in the bill
introduced by Representative Crum-
packer. of Indiana. chairman OF the
committee on census. will cost the
United States government approx
mately 100000 year.
Altho the republican caucus rejected
the Crumpacker bill and voted to keep
the house at its present size there is
so much talk among republicans about
boiling the caucus action that several
members Of the house have begun the
preparation Of speeches to demon
strate to the country that to add forty
two members to the house would not
only make that body unwieldy and far
less efficient than at present but that
it would curtail an annual fixed charge
OF proportions not dreamed Of by the
public.
Salaries OF forty-two additional
members at $500 a year would aggre-
gate $4,000. To this must be added
the salaries OF forty-two secretaries at
allowance of slo5 year for each
member. aggresating $3.50: a mileage
allowance OF 20 cents a mile for each
member. which. 1t is estimated will
easily aggregate $685. 900: increased
fraaking privileges at the postoffice
which will go far in adding to rathe:
than leasening the deficit: Increased
accommodations in the house office
building: increased printing bills at
the government printing office which
amount 90 many thousands Of dollars
each year. additional employees OF var
ious kinds. exclusive OF secretaries, to
take care Of the rooms Of the new
members, and scores OF other items
which, conservative members Of the
house assert, will entail fixed charge
on the government Of not less than
81, ooo. 600 q year.
It 4. suggested by members opposed
20 the increased membership that II
the public could be made to realize the
enormous expenditure which will re-
suit from Increasing the size OF the
house. instead Of looking at the propo-
sition from the standpoint Of how
many representatives their state will
have in the lower branch Of congress.
the said public would hesitate to In
less than 100000 year.
Whenever Senator Elihu Root. OF
New York. makes long speech in the
senate he causes the official stenogra-
piers to suffer from severe attack Of
nervous prostrstion. and keeps them
hopping here. there and everywhere.
Notwithstanding his long public ser
vice the senator has not yet forgotten
the tricks Of the court room. When he
has a long speech to make the senator
invariably moves over 70 the rear OF
the center aisle. The official reporters
are seated thirty or forty feet away
from him and directly under the vice
presidents desk. The senator wakes
eloauen. AZ ne drives his point home.
raises his voice. and bangs his hands
on the desk in front OF him. He then
gradually lowers his voice to a whisper.
much after the fashion Of the lawyer
DESTROYS Of impressing Jury with the
seriousness Of his statements.
II Is at such times that the official
reporters are In despair. They can not
possibly hear the senator's whispered
words, probably the most important
part OF his speech. They Jump from
their table. hasten TO desk near the
SGNalOf III a IlS.Q eIluSdSOE W SdhSA
his whispers. When they arrive there
the senator has again launched of into
his speech in his usual tones, and the
stenographers walk of to their room.
there to patch up the speech.
In making up the committee Of the
house in the next congress the demo-
cratic committee on committees de-
cided to put Representative James
Thomas McDermott, OF Chicago. on the
committee on education.
WHO'S the Joke on" asked McDer-
mott. when informed OF his committee
assignment Are they making fun Of
me? I may be able to chase around the
departments in the interests Of my con-
stituents in the Fourth district. but
what I don't know about education
would fill one Of Andy Carnegie's IL
braries.
II spent about two years in school
when was a kid and then got Job