Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-01-16
IBy Ora williams.l

ten years ago the writer OF this GOSSIP
worked out and wrote up and preseneeo
to members of the legislature plan "
| expedite law making and state adnih
| istration and to reduce expenses aiio
with all to whose attention was
called it appealed strongly. But now
where and when to start, was aholnei
thing. That is all the trouble now
Each legislature wants to start. eaeh
public official agrees peslniiihs
should be made. but at some later uate.
The plan. in brief, involved SELECTION VI
a chief committee clerk for each mousse
with half dozen or less assistants ~
that every committee meeting wouiu
have a recording clerk to make rec
ord which would go into the Journals
day by day; then to employ a corps %
stenographers with a room for the
work and to have this corps OF ste''o7
raphers do what work is necessary Tor
all members. whether writing oilis ano
resolutions and reports or private cor
respondenes That would reduce oy al
least half the expense of the commit
tee clerk bill There is no reason tor
a COMMITTEES clerk being stenogra-
pher Formerly none of them was
Many men, afterwards risen to prom
have rendered excellent and valuable
service. What the legislature does now
is in fact nothing else than to hire
stenographers to take dictation" and
write letters and bills. Many commit
tee meetings are held with no clerk
present and none wanted Some con-
solicitation of departments in the exec
utive branches of the government
quickly suggest themselves to every
one. and such consolidation could be
effected with profit to all; but as rule
there are not too many clerks and as
sistants in the various departments
and there is very little idleness.
But here is "a legislature starting off
with two distinct and opposing views
of what can be done and ought to be
dore TO remedy wrongs every one
knows exists a committee of the leg
slature has taken the position In
report circulated, that there is room
for great reform, but substantially all
OF it in the executive departments OF
government. 1t has proposed reorgan-
iZation by the creation of several new
heads of departments, but only by way
of reduction OF expenses refers to
time clock" as useful and a reduction
in the number of regular clerks in the
Offices. on the other hand the gov
ernor has reiterated what he said a
number of years ago about there being
too many clerks. janitors, door keepers
and others in the service of the general
assembly. Some of the legislators, de-
sirouS of raising an issue. have at
tackled the governor at his weakest
point-the fact that some Of the lesis-
lative employees are old soldiers.
Now who is right? Judged from an
observation extending from the begin
ming of the Twenty first general as
sembly, both are partly right and both
are mainly wrong. 1t is not true there
is graft and ioafing and indulgence and
wastefulness in the state offices and
that there is any appreciable number
Of supernumerarieS about the state
house. and there is no great waste Of
public funds by reason of inefficiency
in the state service, and the thong hit
which hes back of the time clock"
sug gestion Is wholly foolish and futile.
But 1t is also true there is no graft of
sufficient importance to quarrel about
in or around the legislature itself.
There may be. probably is a too large
list of helpers Of one kind or another,
and here and there a man is chosen
who IS not competent for the place.
But until some very much better sys-
tenn Is worked out the present plan of
having stenographers for the legisla-
tors in the guise of committee clerks
is a physical necessity. There are
scores of members who could not be in
public life at all if they were thereby
compelled to wholly abandon their pri-
vate interests, and TO keep UP the latter
they must resort TO all the modern
methods one of which is reliance on a
good stenographer and secretary. There
are not too many doorkeepers. There
are times when some of them have
nothing to do. just as in every court
house will be found here and there
a servant of the public with much time
hanging heavily on his hands. But in
the main there are not too many
doork eepers, and certainly only a few
unnecessary janitors. elevator men,
and others.
If every person employed whose SER
vices could be. in a pinch, discharged,
in every department OF the state. and
the most rigid economy be followed in
regard to the employment Of persons
for various duties. the saving to the
state would be wholly inappreciable.
The whole controversy raised by
these suggestions of officials is of too
| little importance to be considered.
| An auspicious event for the opening
/ Of the Legislative session was the dis
! tribution of compliments and good
| cheer in the senate on the occasion Of
the recognition by the senate of the
| important event of addition of Bar
bara Esther" TO the family of the
president OF the senate. Il gave oppor
| tunity, which was accepted, for a
number of pleasing speeches and the
exchange Of courtesies. II is not toe
much to say that the members of the
senate rejoiced whole heartedly in the
| JOY which had come to the home OF
| the lieutenant governor. And the
event gave opportunity for showing
better than any words could that
much of the published and much ad-
vertised gossip about a terrible con-
test and fierce chickering's over organi-
cation and especially the sham con-
troversy over wet" and dry" line.
up has been pure buncombem.
| It is expected that Harding and At
kinson will be ready to announce thu
committees when the sessions oper
next Tuesday. The job Of making NJ
the house committees is a much larger
one than for the senate. There are M
precedents in the house. save that ex'
perienced members naturally must b'
tn0S