Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 March 1883 — Keifer. [ARTICLE]

Keifer.

Ex-Speaker Keifer has left the city in the midst of a shower of condemnation from members of Congress and the press, on account of his bad treatment of the newspaper correspondents and for again tampering with the corps of official reporters of the House. His removal of the official stenographers, Messrs. Hayes and Devine, during the first session of this Congress, was simply to make room for the appointment of incompetent dependents of politicians. Neither of the men has been able to perform the duties of his new position with the accuracy required for official shorthand reporting, but the removal of one of them to provide a place for the Speaker’s nephew, who is still more incompetent as a stenographer, is regarded as a baser prostitution of a difficult and responsible official position that has been exempt from changes for personal or political purposes. Mr. Keifer’s nephew will draw a salary amounting to $3,749 without performing any duties, and next winter, when Keifer comes back to Congress and receives, by the courtesy of the Democratic Speaker, a committee Chairmanship, the nephew will be made clerk of the committee at a salary of SIBO a month. The late Speaker scrupulously provided for his family during the term of the last Congress by appointing another nephew to a clerkship at a salary -of $1,400, and his own son to a clerkship at a salary of SI,BOO. During the same time, the nephew who has been made one of the official stenographers drew a salary at the rate of $1,600, and the Speaker’s brother-in-law was made a United States-Judge through the influence of the late lamented Keifer. It is expected that the corps of official reporters will be restored next winter to its former condition of efficiency by the reappointment of Hayes and Devine. — Washington telegram.

Ex-Speaker Keifer returned to Washington in a ruffled state of mind on account of the almost unanimous condemnation of the last acts of his administration. He. spent a part of the day in the Speaker’s room at the Capitol, arranging his business affairs, preparatory to a long vacation. He no longer has control of the stenographers and other employes of the House, and they do not dread his tyranny and greed. Before the scepter dropped from his hand he bulldozed Dawson, one of the committee stenographers, into a promise that he Vould divide his with Tyson, the stenographer whom Keifer had removed to make way for his nephew, Mr. Gaines. Dawson ventured to remonstrate against the injustice by informing the Speaker that he had great need for the salary, and had incurred obligations that he had expected to meet with the full salary, but that he would consult with friends as to whether he should promise to surrender half of it to Tyson. Keifer gruffly informed him that friends had nothing to do with the matter. He must consent at once or tender his resignation. The poor fellow saw that he must lose all of his salary or so he chose the latter. The next step was the removal of Tyson and the transfer of his office and salary to the Speaker’s nephew, Mr. Gaines, who wifi, if the extorted agreement is carried out, draw as much money during the next nine months as both Dawson and Tyson. Dawson has been advised to repudiate the agreement, now that Keifer has no power over him, but it is more likely that Tyson will refuse to profit by the misfortune of his friend. In any event Gaines will fatten in the new pasture furnished by his provident uncle. The return of the ex-Speaker has brought out these among other details of his transactions with officials of the House, and they are talked about at the capital without regard to the presence of that gentleman.— Washington telegram.