Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Mr. MCDOWELL. I do not know the name of the party.

Then there is Mr. McKenney, the enrolling clerk, $2,500. There is a man who earns every cent of his salary and a little more. He works night and day during the sessions of the House and frequently works until 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning, when there is a busy day, in order to enroll the bills and get them ready to send to the Senate by noon of the next day.

Mr. LITTAUER. How many assistants has he?

Mr. McDOWELL. One assistant. Then we use the newspaper clerk, who is a newspaper man, to help him in reading and comparing the bills.

Mr. LITTAUER. Of course that work is only during the sessions of the House?

Mr. MCDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. What is a newspaper clerk?

Mr. McDOWELL. That is misleading in its title. That should be executive clerk. Of course he has charge of all newspapers that come to the House, but that is a very small part of what he does. He has charge of all the executive documents.

Mr. LITTAUER. What do you mean by "executive documents?"

Mr. MCDOWELL. You know the documents that come from the executive departments. It is important work.

Mr. LITTAUER. That is, House documents, such as I am showing you now [exhibiting].

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. He has charge of the distribution or printing?

Mr. McDOWELL. The printing of them.

Mr. LITTAUER. He is practically a document clerk?

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. TAWNEY. That would be a better title.

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir; newspaper clerk is very misleading. One might think all he had to do was to take charge of the newspaper files.

Mr. BURLESON. I thought the old negro paid attention to the news

papers.

Mr. McDOWELL. He does when you come in there, but this man attends to the subscriptions for those papers, all the accounts, and also the stationery accounts. When the accounts come in there they go to the newspaper clerk for his O. K. before paid. He has to examine all those accounts.

Mr. TAWNEY. "Executive clerk" would be the best title for him. Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir; I think so.

Mr. LITTAUER. I think the proper title to call him is clerk, and give him what work you see fit to have him do.

Mr. MCDOWELL. He is busy all the time.

Mr. LITTAUER. He is a necessary official in your office?

Mr. MCDOWELL. Yes, sir. If you put him on as an additional clerk, all the $1,600 clerks would want that job; but when there is specific work for him to do and a salary attached to it they say that is different work and they do not expect that.

David Moore is the distributing clerk. He distributes the documents among the committees.

Mr. LITTAUER. What compensation do you give for that distribution?

Mr. MCDOWELL. He gets $2,250. He is a good man, faithful, and does his work well.

Mr. TAWNEY. And he is kept pretty busy during the session?

Mr. McDOWELL. There is no doubt about that. I never knew how valuable he was until he got the "shingles " and could not work. Then we found out how badly we needed him.

Harry Pottenburgh is the assistant disbursing clerk, at $2,000, a very responsible position and a well-earned salary. Willis H. Wing, assistant enrolling clerk, $2,000; he is the assistant to Mr. McKenney. I do not think there is a more faithful man than Mr. Wing. Charles N. Thomas, resolution and petition clerk, $2,000. Dinger is the index clerk, at $2,000. He keeps the indexes of all documents. He is a very busy man, as is his assistant.

Mr. LITTAUER. I see you have a librarian?

Mr. MCDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. What does he do?

Mr. McDOWELL. He attends to the library. He has built the library up until there is no better library in the country than the House Library. You can go up there and get any document you want, and instantly.

Mr. BURLESON. Who is he?

Mr. McDOWELL. Mr. Boobar.

Mr. BRICK. Did he ever graduate from a library school?

Mr. McDOWELL. I hope not; but he is a good man, and $1,800 is very small pay for the work he does. John L. Morrison, stationery clerk, $1,800. That salary should be $2,000. He has charge of the stationery rooms, where we handle from $60,000 to $70,000 worth of supplies in a year.

Mr. LITTAUER. Does he make the purchases?

Mr. MCDOWELL. Yes, sir. It is all done through bids, but he is an honest, faithful, hard-working man. It is a shame to pay him $1,800; he should have $2,000.

Mr. LITTAUER. How long has he been there?

Mr. McDOWELL. Ever since I have been in the Clerk's office.

Mr. TAWNEY. Ever since the Fifty-fourth Congress?

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir.

The Sergeant-at-Arms and myself are paying out more postage every year than the Government is giving us, and in the case of the Sergeant-at-Arms I think it is double.

Mr. LITTAUER. For what purpose?

Mr. McDOWELL. For the mailing of the clerk-hire checks and all documents to members.

Mr. TAWNEY. Can you not send them out under your frank?

Mr. MCDOWELL. No, sir. In the contests we have got to send out papers by registered mail.

Mr. LITTAUER. Did you keep track of that in your office?

Mr. McDowELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. How much have you expended in the last three years more than you have received?

Mr. McDOWELL. It averages about a hundred dollars a year, and I think that the Government is as able to pay the postage as I am. Mr. TAWNEY. How far does your franking privilege extend? Mr. McDOWELL. Just to documents.

Mr. TAWNEY. But not to the ordinary mailing of letters to members of Congress containing clerk-hire checks or anything else? Mr. MCDOWELL. No, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. How much are you allowed for postage?

Mr. McDOWELL. Three hundred dollars.

Mr. LITTAUER. And in your opinion it should be $400?

Mr. MCDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. And you have kept track of it, and you know that in the last year it has amounted to a little over $400?

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir. I have to furnish the disbursing room, the chief clerk's office, the file room, and all the different departments with postage.

Mr. TAWNEY. You spoke of sending matter by registered mail in contests; what did you mean?

Mr. MCDOWELL. I have to register the notices to contestants and contestees for my safety, in order to get a receipt showing that they have received them.

Mr. LITTAUER. I can not quite comprehend that. You can send out 50 letters for $1, and $300 allows you to send 15,000 letters?

Mr. McDoWELL. All I know is that I have that much less than I should have.

Mr. LITTAUER. And all the postage is expended for the public business in the work of your office?

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir; and I know that the same will apply to Mr. Casson, only more so.

Mr. LITTAUER. Will you kindly continue?

Mr. McDOWELL. The next is Mr. Mitchell, superintendent clerk's document room, $1,800. Two assistants in the library, at $1,600 each. Then comes the bookkeeper, at $1,600. He is really a clerk, but we keep him in the disbursing room. Then we have seven clerks, at $1,600 each; a document and bill clerk, at $1,600; an assistant index clerk, at $1,500; a document clerk, at $1,440; an assistant in the disbursing office, $1,400; an assistant in clerk's office, $1,400, and locksmith, $1,200.

Mr. LITTAUER. The law requires that the locksmith shall be skilled in his trade?

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. Does he attend to all the locks?

Mr. MCDOWELL. Yes, sir: and to the desks and clocks.

Mr. LITTAUER. Then we now have a practical man?

Mr. McDOWELL. He says he is.

Mr. BURLESON. What business was he engaged in before he was appointed?

Mr. McDOWELL. He told me he had two years' employment in a jewelry store, where they handled materials of this kind. Then we have a telegraph operator and an assistant, at $1,200 each. Mr. BURLESON. Are they in your office?

Mr. McDOWELL. No; they are out in the lobby of the House. Then there is the assistant file clerk, at $1,200, and the stenographer to Clerk, $1,200.

Mr. BRICK. That is the stenographer we talked about before?

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir. Then there is the messenger in file room, $900; assistant in library, $900; assistant in document room, $900;

assistant in stationery room, $900; page, at $720; three laborers in the bathroom, at $720 each, and three laborers, at $720, making six laborers.

Mr. LITTAUER. The three laborers are in the enrolling room?

Mr. MCDOWELL. No, sir; they attend to the boxes and bags and do the general labor around the different departments. Then there is a page in the enrolling room, at $720; messenger to chief clerk, $900, and janitor, House library, $720.

Mr. LITTAUER. That janitor simply takes care of the House library?

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. How are your own offices cleaned?

Mr. McDOWELL. We clean them ourselves. We really should have a janitor in the Clerk's office and enrolling room combined. Mr. LITTAUER. The work has been done by your laborers?

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. Is it not satisfactorily done in that way?

Mr. MCDOWELL. Oh, yes; if we can not find a laborer we take the cuspidor out ourselves, just as we do at home, and clean it.

Mr. TAWNEY. Do you not think that the janitors should be included in the janitor force of the House? Would there be any objection if the janitor force was all put under the head of one man and that officer was made responsible for the entire janitor force of the building?

Mr. McDOWELL. I have charge of the library, and if that man Rogers I do not know him from Adam--was to fail to do his work properly his name would not be Rogers.

Mr. TAWNEY. He would not be continued on the rolls?

Mr. McDOWELL. No, sir. It gives us a chance to keep them at work and to have them do their work well. He can play messenger, for instance, and when we want to send books to members we can send them.

Mr. TAWNEY. He is there all the time?

Mr. MCDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. That completes the description of the men employed in your office?

Mr. MCDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. We have here a service which a year ago was appropriated for to complete a digested summary and alphabetical list of private claims under your charge.

Mr. McDOWELL. Those people are working at that.

Mr. LITTAUER. When did they commence that work?
Mr. McDOWELL. About three years ago.

Mr. LITTAUER. What have they accomplished?

Mr. MCDOWELL. They are doing very good work and getting the matter in very good shape. They are down to about the Fifty-sixth Congress. They have that much completed.

Mr. LITTAUER. The appropriation made a year ago was specifically made to complete this work. Was not the force sufficient to complete it?

Mr. MCDOWELL. There is yet considerable work to be done.

Mr. LITTAUER. It will not be completed by the end of this fiscal year?

Mr. McDOWELL. I doubt it. I do not see how they can finish it by that time. They are faithful workers.

Mr. LITTAUER. Is the work published?

Mr. McDOWELL. No, sir; it is not in print. They have the material about ready to print.

Mr. LITTAUER. The object of the work is what?

Mr. McDOWELL. To reduce the bills and documents into the smallest possible space. For instance, here would be, say, five different bills for Henry Casson. They reduce that all from half a page to about three lines, so it is perfectly intelligible. They reduce it down so that you can find a completed case of Henry Casson in three lines. Mr. BURLESON. That relates to private claims?

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir; to. private claims.

Mr. TAWNEY. What is the value of that service? What is the necessity for it?

Mr. LITTAUER. Who is going to use it-who is that designed to be used by?

Mr. McDOWELL. The members imagined that they wanted it—at least some of them did.

Mr. TAWNEY. At whose instance was it first started?

Mr. MCDOWELL. I think Colonel French, of the file room, suggested this work.

Mr. LITTAUER. Is the work conducted under the file clerk now? Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir. The office of these people is in the back end of the enrolling room. They are well fitted up there, and they work faithfully, but whether the work is worth anything or not I do not know.

Mr. TAWNEY. The work was authorized by Congress?

Mr. MCDOWELL. Yes, sir. I never would want a copy of it in the world. I do not know whether or not anybody else would. It was no suggestion of mine. I think there are about 16 large red wooden boxes filled with the stuff ready to be printed.

Mr. BRICK. Then, when it is printed you will have to have a force to keep it up year after year?

Mr. McDOWELL. No; I think not. It would then go to the library and into the general archives and into the cellar.

Mr. BURLESON. And into the waste basket?

Mr. McDOWELL. And into the homes and stables of the members.

Mr. TAWNEY. Have you any idea how many volumes it will make? Mr. McDOWELL. I could only make a rough guess; I should say 8 or 10 volumes.

Mr. TAWNEY. About 10 volumes?

Mr. MCDOWELL. I think so.

Mr. TAWNEY. And all private claims?

Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. BURLESON. It would cost a great deal of money to print it? Mr. McDOWELL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LITTAUER. How many years has this work been going on?

Mr. McDOWELL. I think three years.

Mr. LITTAUER. And it has cost $4,800 a year?

Mr. MCDOWELL. I think that is the amount. I think they get $1,600 per annum each.

Mr. BRICK. Do you think the work is as valuable as the messages and documents?

« AnteriorContinuar »