Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-01-30


whatever for the grave charge made
against the executive In the resolu-
| ton and | suggest them because you
ask me for such information. facts or
suggestions as may assist in deter
mining the real situation.
| much seems to have been said in
debate and in another resolution
about the old soldier. Why, / am sure,
nobody can tell, unless to create pre-
JUDGE. 1t does serve, however, to
throw light on the motive of 1t all.
Nobody had said a word about the
] soldier. Might just as we'll have as.
sumed great sympathy and expended
oratory in behalf of the five times
more numerous young lady clerks But
| that would have been ridiculous; no
more so however, than as 1t was. II
doorkeepers and clerks are mentioned
at the same time and in the very
same way and in the same connection
why should commissions be caused in
one case and not in the other? Ev-
, erybody knew then and everybody
knows now that reference was had
! to principle, to a system, and what
was said was exactly applicable to
the evil, without reference to the class
employed
'But since the soldier question has
been brought in (not by mel Suggest
| that you investigate and report as to
whether or not it is a fact that not
only now but many times heretofore,
soldiers have been given place as door
keepers who were owners of farms
and well and comfortably fixed in life,
worth many thousands Of dollars. to
the exclusion of needy comrades whose
services to their country had been
equal to theirs and kindly report If this
was not for political reasons? And, If
so. who was unkind to the needy old
veteran and comrade?
! 81 may ask you to investigate and
| report why there should be more door,
keepers than doors? Is there any
reason why doorkeepers should be
posted at the four doors in the CALLER
! les, it being we'll known that they are
not used by the public except on spec
ial occasions-very many days OF
session going by when not half dozen
persons appear in the galleries, and
are not those for admission to the
public? Can any reason be given why
doorkeeper should be stationed at
the doors on each side of the presi-
dents and speakers desks? These
doors are used only by members and
employees. What do all these door
keepers do? Can the committee re-
port that they are needed for any
proper purpose are and not the doors
used exactly as they would be If they
were not there?
"Can any justification be given for
placing five men in the cloak room OF
each house to hang up the coats anu
hats of members as they come In?
"The mail is brought from the city
postoffice to the capitol. The state
had a stalwart man regularly en-
ployed to distribute it among the
departments. He could easily
have carried the package for the
members upstairs to the legis-
lative postoffice and expected to do it.
Can any Just reason be given for en-
ploying another man to take that par
ticuiar package up the elevator to the
postoffice?
Can any justifiable reason be given
why two bill clerks should be employ
ed simply to hand senator bill from
a shelf or pigeon-hole when upon oc-
casion he calls for one? And this is
not frequent, as all house and senate
bills are placed in binding upon every
senator's desk. Now and then he wants
an extra bill, perhaps, to send to con-
stituent. Are two men necessary to get
it for him, or are two necessary to re-
ceive these bills in the bill room from
the printer and put them in place by
number?
"The senate has, believe, seven
pages and two telephone messengers.
The telephone is in the cloak room
just by the senate. Here are nine-one
to every six senators. Are they really
needed?
us it not fact that the law pro-
vides, only for committee clerks? Is
there any provision in the law for a
clerk to each senator? Has not the
senate provided each senator with
clerk? This is simply an oversight OF
the law which anyone may make and
the following of custom. There are
46 committees and is it not fact that
at least 20 of them will not have &C.
casion to meet, on an average, f1Ve
times during the session? Is 1t not a
fact that the large number of commit
tees were originally created to give
place for as many clerks as possible?
If the clerks employed were restricted
to committee clerks and to committee
work, as the law provides, would not
Is in place of SO be all that could pos
sibly be given work? If there were a
clerk to each of the 46 committees, to
do committee work, is it not apparent
that at least 20 or more of them would
idle three-fourths of the time or more?
Is it not fact that many more than
half of the clerks have no employment
more than half the time even when the
senate is not session? Is 1t not the ex-
perience of senators that many of the
clerks are often absent from the cap
itol because they are not needed? On
investigation you may be able to an
swer these and other questions direct
ly, but do you not find that they state
substantially the facts? Are not door,
keepers, clerks, janitors and even
pages given places for political rea-
sons?
after your investigation will you
kindly report whether you would or
ganize your own business on any SUCH
lines or if the senate were a business
i c<NH~