Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 March 1907 — THE COST. [ARTICLE]

THE COST.

The first act passed lature appropriated for the expenses of the sixty days’ session. Later, $12,000 additional was appropriated for legislative printing expenses. The total, therefore, is $132,000, the largest in history for a sixty days’ session. Each representative and senator drew S3OO, which is compensation for sixty-one days, at $6 per day. Also, each drew 20 cents a mile for each mile traveled in coming to and returning from Indianapolis. Senate Expenses.—ln the senate, besides the secretary, tho assistant secretary and the eorgeant-at-arms, there are the names of fifty-five employes on the sheet posted iu the lobby. The expenses of the senate are giveu as follows: Secy. Hogate (per diem) $306 00 Assistant Secy Lane (per

diem 366 00 Special allowances 850.00 Sergtat- Arms Jones (per diem) 366.00 Employes Secy 4,598.00 Employes Ass’t. Secy... 2,160.00 EmployesSergt.-at-Arms 3,810.00 Janitors 729.00 Pages 716 00 Committees 2,250 00 Talcott contest 1,346.74 House Expenses.—The expendituresof the house exceeded those of the senate in many particulars and as a whole. In disregard of a resolution requiring the names of all employes to be posted, only a meagre list was made public. A newspaper friendlyto the Republican majority stated that the employes of the house numbered eighty-six, counting a dozen off this number for janitors and pages at $3 and $2 a day respectively, it would leave seventy-four at $5 per day (which is the sum paid clerks, doorkeepers and stenographers) , a total in excess of $23,000 is reached. At the close of the session special allowances were made to the clerk and assistant clerk of the house similar to those made in the senate. Who got the maney.—The final summing up shows the startling expenditure of $132,000 for the session. Of this sum approximately $60,000 was paid to the members of the house and senate for their per diem aud mileage, which are fixed and legal charges. The remaining $72,000 was voted to an army of employes, many of them absolutely unnecessary and useless, Hnd to the state printer for work and supplies. Aside from three stenographers, which the minority members were allowed to name for committee work, not a single Democratic employe drew a cent from the treasury.