Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1915-12-17
SHERIFF SULLIVAN
ON STATE ECONOMY
FormerSenate Secretary Tells Good
now Commission How Legisla-
tive Costs Can be Cut
S6S.OOO.
WOULD REDUCE THE EMPLOYEES
Veteran of Many Sessions Declares
$25,0S4 Can be Pared On Senate
Side and SAB, 1868 On House
Side, Using Last Meeting As
Basis.


John r. Sullivan, Sheriff of Anne
Arundel county. at present, but Secre-
tary Of the State Senate at the last
session OF the Legislature and an EN-
ploye in the Legislature of every ses-
sion for more than a generation. yes
terday appeared before the Committee
on Legislative Expenses. named By the
Goodnow Commission, and stated by
using business methods more than
s6S 900 of legislative costs could be
saved, taking the costs of the last SEES
sion as a basis
Mr. Sullivan spent several hours in
explaining his views to State Senator
william Mines Maloy and b. Howell
Griswold, Jr.. members Of the commit
tee: Philip d. Laird, the third mem
Der. was not present, Albert J. Al
mony. of Montgomery county. who was
chief clerk of the last House. and who
also has been an employee of the Leg
islature for years, appeared before the
committee. too.
Last night Mr. Sullivan gave The
Sun a statement of his ideas about the
way TO reduce legislative expenses. He
also prepared a tabulated statement,
which appeared in The Sun, showing
in parallel columns certain costs in
the Senate and House during the last
session and his views as to what the
proper costs should be. He estimated
in his statement that $25,084 could be
saved on the Senate side, and $43. 706-
10 on the House side, making a total
saving of $6S,790.10 This saving
would be made from the reduction of
employees alone. Mr.. Sullivan did not
touch upon the elimination of spe-
cial orders, by which thousands of dol
lars wasted at every session; nor did
he touch upon postage. printing, etc.
No man in the State knows more
about the real workings OF the Leg
islature than John Sullivan He has
lived in Annapolis all his life has been
about the Legislature since he was a
boy and has been an empioye since far
back in the eighties His familiarity
with affairs and his industry and kind
Illness kept him in office. whether the
Democrats or Republicans We're in
power. In the session of 1896, when
the Republicans had the Legislature.
an effort was made to drop him. which
led to a fight on the floor of the House.
But one vote was cast against re-
tanning him.
So, when he says that something
over $6S,000 can be saved. as eompar-
ed with the last session, it is fair TO
!, to ,l1 u
ing about. Moreover, he is not re-
former, and his ideas cannot he dis
counted upon the theory that his no
tons are running away with his judg-
ment of the practicable and the attain
able Mr.. Sullivan says he made his
statement because he believes as a
citizen that something must be done
to stop the waste of public money, and
because he believes, as a Democrat,
that it is up to his party to do so. and
that it will suffer severely unless it
meets its obligations.
is Not Reformer.
81 am not trying to hurt anyone"
he said last night. But I have been
around the Legislature so long that
think 1 know something about its bus
sess and that can help little in
putting into effect business methods
The State has got to save money. and
if the Democratic party does not find
ways to save, then the party is going
to be turned down by the people This
is all there is to it.
Places He Would Abolish.
ION the Senate side / figure that
something like $4,000 can be saved.
/ will try to show where it can be saw
ed and if the tables I have prepared
are watched, what say can be under
stood. Take the desk officers first
The Secretary of the Senate had two
assistants in the last session. He
should have only one. Then there was
a calendar clerk. / think that the
calendar clerks duties could be per
formed in the scretary's office. espe-
cially if he had q stenographer BY
adding a stenographer you could cut
one of the assistants to the secretary,
and the calendar clerk, and you prob
ably would have better service. Mind
you. am not saying anything about
the men who had those positions last
time They were all friends of mine
and good fellows. / am simply trying
to show what could be done
while / am talking about the sec
retary's work. would like TO explain
that the reason l got s2,225 the last
time was that the Legislature gave me
1920 for attending TO matters dur
ing the two years the Legislature was
not in session. Everyone agreed to
that. and / think I earned the money.
Two Employees Too Many.
Two of the four persons who have
been in the office of the President Of
the Senate can be done away with
The President has had a secretary, a
stenographer, doorkeeper and mes
senger. He needs only a secretary
and a stenographer. If a man stem
ographer were named he could attend
easily to the few things a doorkeeper
and a messenger do. Cut out these
two and there win be a saving Of more
than $1,000
THE Senate now has postmaster
and an assistant postmaster Only the
postmaster is needed. The work Of
the assistant is to go to the office for
the mail One of the laborers can be
assigned to that The saving would be
. h,,,t SEOn