Che Conservative. b
VOL. III. NEBRASKA CITY , NEB. , THURSDAY , DEC 27 , 1900. NO 25.
"PUBLISHED WEEKLY.
OFFICES : OVERLAND THEATRE BLOCK.
J. STERLING MORTON , EDITOR.
A JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE DI80UB8ION
Of POLITICAL , ECONOMIC AND SOCIOLOGICAL
QUESTIONS.
CIRCULATION THIS WEEK 9,630 COPIES ,
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.
One dollar and a half per year , in advance ,
postpaid , to any part of the United States or
Canada. Remittances made payable to The
Morton Printing Company.
Address , THE CONSERVATIVE , Nebraska
City , Neb.
Advertising Rates made known upon appli
cation.
Entered at the postoffice at Nebraska City
Neb. , as Second Class matter , July 29th , 1898.
Relative to the
.
onemmdedness of
the only living ex-presidents upon the
relations of the Philippines and other
insular acquisitions , there is general re
joicing among patriotic Americans.
Mr. Cleveland has expressed warm
approval of the noteworthy address of
Mr. Harrison delivered at Ann Arbor ,
calling it the best deliverance yet made
on the subject , and recommending it as
a means of enlightenment for "those
who desire to acquaint themselves with
the precise question involved , and what
territorial expansion means to our reV -
V public and with what it threatens our
| S people. "
{ And concerning this oneness of opin
ion the Chicago Record remarks :
"Supporting opposite views on many
national policies , as they have done as
representatives of democracy and
republicanism , respectively , Mr. Cleve
land and Mr. Harrison yet come together
on this most important of issues. Such
agreement , if it had been made known
before the election , might have had a
startling influence on the result. "
And the result which that "startling
influence" might have brought about
might have been more "startling" than
any influence yet felt by this republic.
The two ex-presidents evidently agreed
as to a "result" which would have
proved disastrous , and so held their
peace until that calamitous "result" had
been safely averted. Neither of the ex-
presidents denounced the gold standard ,
the writ of injunction and the right of
the federal government to defend its
own life with its own troops.
CONGKESSAND
ITS EXPENSES.6XlBtH tw °
Each has a "long"
and a "short" session. The latter , like
the former , beginning in December ,
ends , by law , at noon on the 4th of
March.
Each senator , representative and
territorial delegate has a yearly salary ,
_ , , payable monthly ,
Salaries. . . . . ,
of five thousand
dollars a year. Thus each thirty days is
drawn four hundred and sixteen dollars.
The president pro tern of the senate
and the speaker of the house , however ,
each gets three
More Pay. , , , ,
thousand dollars a
year more than the regular salary , thus
paying them the same as cabinet officers
eight thousand dollars for twelve
months incumbency.
Beside direct salary , each senator and
member of the house is allowed twenty
cents for each mile
Mileage. . , , . .
traveled going to
and returning from sessions of congress
and also one hundred and twenty-five
dollars a year for stationery , postage
and newspapers.
Congressmen whose terms begin
March preceding the December session
are permitted to
Commission. , . . . .
draw three thous
and dollars , if they have taken the otah
of office , before they have rendered any
service. When congress is not in session
members are paid by warrants on the
sub-treasury nearest their residence.
During sessions they get currency direct
from the sergeant-at-arms.
The United States senate and house
of representatives cost the people four
millions of dollars
Aggregate Cost.
&
Senators' salaries and mileages com
bined come to four hundred and sixty-
four thousand dollars.
The pay and mileage of the house mem
bers each year are one million three
hundred and forty thousand dollars.
Reporting the proceedings of con
gress cost ? sixty thousand dollars a
year.
Stationery and newspapers take eighty
thousand dollars per annum.
Fuel , heat and light for the capitol
aggregate twenty-five thousand and the
police force thirty-
Keep \Varm. * , , , ,
five thousand dollars
lars each year to keep them warm and
unharmed. And in the same period
thirty five thousand dollars is paid out
for folding documents and thirty thous
and dollars for furniture and repairs.
Besides these items there is a fat round
sum each year for the ' miscellaneous
expenses" of congress.
The prayer-maker for each honorable
body receives the same pay. Thus 'the
chaplain of the
PrnyorH.
senate and the
chaplain of the house are salaried at
nine hundred dollars a year. Neither
of them can see the men for whom they
offer petitions to the Deity , for both are
blind. Sometimes it seems that the
blind are leading the blind.
The secretary of the senate gets five
thousand , the sergeant-at-arms and the
head doorkeeper
Keeping Records.
each receive forty-
three hundred , and there are seven
minor clerks who each receive from
twenty-five hundred to three thousand
dollars a year , and then comes a senate
postmaster and a librarian and a keeper
of stationery who also get succulent
salaries.
The chief clerk of the house gets
forty-five hundred dollars a year and he
has a force of nine
House Clerks.
clerks immediately
under his orders who , altogether , draw
each year twenty thousand dollars.
These are part of the expenses of the
congress of the United States and THE
CONSERVATIVE will continue didactic
articles along these lines , from time to
time.
The rank and
HANK AND FILE.
file of the voting
men of the United States can never be
counted safely patriotic until they have
been taught their obligations under the
constitution and made to understand
that citizenship , besides conferring privi
leges , also imposes duties.
No matter how logically and lucidly
questions of economic concern or
governmental policy are debated by
scholarsand statesmen , if , after the discussion
(
cussion is concluded , they are decided
by the ballots of ignorance and vice.
The "rank and file" too often depend
upon unprincipled leaders for opinions ,
and when they do not do that they
frequently mistake prejudice for judg
ment and passion fo r patriotism.
How many of the fourteen millions of
ballots cast November 6 , 1900 , repre
sented the study , thought and patriotic
intention of intelligent , well-educated
members of "the rank and file ? "
