Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1919-02-28
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2S, 1919
THE LEGISLATURES PERFIDY

Editor John Fields of the Senti-
mel (Okla.,) Leader struck the key
note Of the perfidy of the present
legislature in his editorial column
last week when he said:
THE legislature is raising the
salary of the state officers that are
already getting good bunch Of
money, but the clerk or deputy that
Is getting 500 per month, or less,
and Is doing the real work. Is for
gotten in the shuttle. That's states
manship."
When the campaign was on last
summer, every candidate from as
pirants for governor down to mem
bers of the Legislature promised
needed relief in the way of salary
increases for state and county en-
ployees. State employees mind you
Did they do it? They did not
They simply played more politics
than formerly and gave the state
office holder who already draws u
living salary handsome raise, and
altogether ignored the rights ana
needs of the hundreds OF clerks in
state offices and the thousands Of
employees of the several county gov-
ernments of the state.
If men sought state office. or ap
pointive state jobs for the salary at
taehed, ii would be a wholesale dis
play of mighty poor business, for
we doubt Ii there Is a holder of Il
state office or state appointment to-
day who does not spend more money
living in Oklahoma City than he re-
ceives from the state in salary. With
almost all such men the office is
not u question of the money they
receive. but is Il carrying out of Il
political ambition Il desire for
pOwor--more power agsran
dizement and further political pre-
ferment. And in most Of these cases
the office holder has private re-
sources ample for any needs he
may have that his salary from thu
state does not satiate.
In every state office and depart.
ment, are many clerks of various
degrees of skill, and in every coIn-
ty office there are still other clerks
and deputies men and women who
MUST HAVE that job or another
similar to earn their livelihood.
These people are drawing salaries
the same as paid years ago, when
old Fl G of l. hadn't come In for con
sideration--and the law won't per
nit paying them any more money
without Legislative sanction.
The legislature has spent many
hours in seeing to it that this frs,
clas$-the professional politician
got q raise in salary--when he did
not need 1t. But this second class
the man and woman who Is doing
the actual detail work in state and
county office is apparently doomed
to half live on a half salary just as
he used to, so far as any cOnsidera-
ton from the legislature is con-
cerned.
The NEWS has no sympathy for
the state office holder who says h.
cannot live on $2,500 OF $4,000 a
year. In about all such cases the
individual earned more money in
private life and Is still capable OF
earning more money than the state
office or job pays--and his state
job wasn't forced upon him--he
wanted II, in NOSE cases for his
own political advancement.
We cannot repress, however, II
feeling, of sympathy for the seventy
five dollar month deputy in the
county offices and the state depart
ments. 1t Is meal ticket with
them, They must have THAT job
or some other Many have had the
courage to face the world and hunt
a better job, and In many places
there ia a dearth of help--but many
are having to put up with II for
want either of the courage or the
equipment in other pursuits to facH
the world.
In this matter our legislature is
guilty'of perfidous conduct, not
equaled since statehood, and its
members In a majority appear de-
termined to ignore the right and
wrong of the question and to be
content with swapping votes among
themselves, trading favor for favor.
. pie or pie--just plain old politics.
the same old brand but Of higher
proof"