The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-17
Burdick Wants To Send Job
Hunters to Executive Council.
Has Battled Long and Bravely
on Employees Committee.
MATT WE|GHTMAN AS EXAMPLE
TOpekan Surrounded by Horde
of JanitOrs and StenOs.
Even Showed AtchisOn Mans
"CulIed" Worker Aside.

If the legislature will listen to A.
P. Burdick, of Atchison county, all
the troubles surrounding the selection
of house and senate employees will be.
disposed of. Burdick, who is himself
a member of the house employees COM
mittee, wants future job hunters re-
ferred to the state executive council.
He would provide that the council
make advance arrangements for the
necessary corps of distinguished su-
perintendents of ventilation, gentle
men floor sweepers, cloak room bar
ons and stenographer ladies.
For three days Burdick has bat
tied gamely with the wild horde of
lady and gentleman constituents of
the 125 house members who want
jobs. Burdick has tried to argue
and reason But argument and rea-
son didn't seem to make dent. Now
he wants to give up the job and pass
the responsibility to the executive
council
Can't Reason With EN-.
''There isn't any use trying to rea-
son with culled gentleman or lady
or good many other people for that
matter, when they want job" said
Burdick. 1T is just sufficient to know
that they want the job. that they be-
longed to the party and that the cleo
ton wouldn't have been won if they
hadn't fought the BEETLE. 1t doesn't
make SO much difference just the job
they get SO long as they get on the pay
roll.
Truly, I feel sorry for Matt
Weightman, of Topeka. He has a
bunch of people hanging on his neck
from morning until night and proba
bly, calling him out of bed to ask about
a job. He can't take care of them
and neither could any other person. 1
thought 1 knew something about
rough jobs. But if l ever come back
to a state legislature, deliver me from
the employees committee.
Can't Tell Qualifications.
another thing" continued Burdick.
I'VE don't know thing about the
job. We can't know. We can't learn
except by experience. OF course,
the better class of employees from
former session have plenty of endorse
ments among members. But if they
are mighty good, they probably have
a job anyway and don't care to work
in the legislature. The executive coun-
Gil, tho, could look over the entire list
of applicants, make selections from
various sections of the state and give
consideration to the wishes of legisla-
torS-just as the committee is sup
posed to do now. Then the working
force would be on the job when we
came to Topeka
When Burdick came to Topeka, he
carried the application of a very faith
full. devoted and effective "culled"
worker in Atehison. who wanted a
legislative job Early in the game
Burdick gave up hope of landing his
man a job, as he bravely confronted
the delegations from Shawnee and
Wyandotte counties and defied them
to do their worst. Trouble and en-
barrassment which seemed sure to
confront the Atchison man because he
had not landed his home town con-
stituent a job, was relieved when a let
ter came announcing that the "culled'
gentleman had received a job and
really didn't care to be a knightly jani-
tor or exalted ruler of mop stick.
None the less Burdick wants the re-
sponsibility switched and the employees
selected before the legislature comes
10 town.