The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1915-09-04
HOW THE MONEY WENT

Soon after the beginning of each
session of the Legislature there
is an outcry against the extrava-
gance in Legislative eXpendi-
lures. A few months pass and
the abuse is forgotten, not to be
recalled until the next similar
abuse is under way-until the
horse has been stolen again.
The Sun proposes to call the
attention of the people of the
State to this abuse now, while
candidates for the Legislature are
before the people. And by way
of making plain just how and
where the money goes, the per-
sons to whom money was paid at
the last session and the amounts
they received are given in detail
below. The total was S206,95S.34
for the three months session in
which there were l29 members.
Of all the waste in the State gov
ernment there is nothing quite so in
defensible as that in the expenditures
of the Legislature. Again and again,
attention has been called to it, again
and again, figures have been given to
prove that Maryland's Legislative eX-
penses far exceed those of most other
states, including many that are much
larger and much richer and session
after session of abuse arises and eX-
pands.
Nearly always there is hue and
cry-after the damage has been done.
The net result of the hue and cry is
usually some futile effort to keep the
horde of employees apparently at work;
as, for example, at one session when
the Speaker of the House constituted
himself sort of overseer and made
his rounds in the mornings, and at
another session when one of the en-
pIoyes was designated the official
timekeeper and was ordered to call
the roll of his fellows each morning
which he did for little while.
1t is not worth while to attempt an
analysis of the Legislatures eXpendi-
lures; as a matter of fact. the expen-
ditures defy analysis. The simplest
and most graphic exposition of this
universally recognized abuse may be
had in a detailed statement of the last
Legislature salary costs. When one
reads the long list of clerks and door
keepers and cloakroom keepers and
watchmen and cleaners and pages and
Especial orders beautifully broad
term.-he knows the whole story.
The total salary, etc. expenses of
the Senate were S75,O89.32; of the
House, $131 ,869.02. making a grand
total of S206,95S.34.
The WHIG cannot reprint the ex-
penses in detail as given by the Sun,
because it would occupy several COL
umns OF space. In addition to the
items giving the salaries of the Sena-
tors and members of the House of
Delegates is list long enough to
reach from Jerusalem to Jericho of
assistant secretaries, general and
special stenographers, door keepers,
cloak-room keepers. special messen-
gers pages etc. etc. running up to
hundreds of persons on the payroll
for the three months Of the Legisla-
tur,. all drawing salaries of from
four to five hundred on UP to $4,000
To the people of this county it will be
of especia! interest to note the names
or the Legislative pav-roll from our
own midst. 1t is as follows:
Frank f. Williams, Senator. $511.OO
Fred II. LetIler, House OF Dele
gates ........... ....'.. bll.OO
Chas. T. f. Mearns, House of
Delegates ................ 511.0O
Harvey T. Davis, House Of
Delegates ................ 511.OO
Miss Myrtle Armstrong, Stem
ographer ................. lS6.UO
Alan d. Price, General Steno-
grapher .................. $500
Charles A. Morrison, General
Stenographer ............ $500
Geo. K Houck, Assistant Sec
retary Senate ............ 7S6.OO
H. Eugene Mackie, special or
der for services rendered. 3. 10000
Thomas J. Murray. Journal
Clerk ....................13 1861 90
H. Eugene Mackie, Printing
Clerk ........... 446.OO
w. c. Davis, Messenger. ..... 446.00
S. j. Mearns, Keeper of Cloak
Room '''...s.''...': :.'.....' 44o'oo
1t is quite possible that we have
overlooked some names from Cecil in
running down column after column of
those who drew pay from the State
Treasury during the Legislatures
life, But We have at any rarte given
enough to let the people see how out
rageously the peoples money is vast
ed in giving jobs to those who render,
who indeed are incapable of rendering,
any adequate service for the money
paid them. 1t is simply great sys-
TEN of political graft, for which the
people have to pay in increasing bur
denS of taxation.
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