Not A Public, But A Family Trust

Mr. Cleveland once opened his moutfa ind delivered hiniself of a short senenee which the demócrata immediately aeized as a party cry. He remarked hat "a public office waa s public trust." That liad been the accepted definitiou since the beginniug og the governnient, 3ut Mr. Cleveland gave utterance to it as though it was bis discovery. The demócrata repeated it often as the polcy of the new administration, before ;he administration began. It was another democratie promise for use d uring the campaigu or until opportunity oftered for demócrata to inake a public office a private snap or a family trust. "Cousin Ben" Folsom is coming home after eight years in a eoft position with a big salary and "Cousiu Ben" ia pos:ng as the horrible example of a relation fired by the demócrata to demónstrate Mr. Cleveland's fidelity to the principie that a public office is a Democratie trust. The United States Senate, since ita reorganization by the demócrata, shows that Mr. Cleveland's rule does not apply to that body. Únele Sam pays 150,000 a year to show that a public office is a family trust in the Senate. Senator Cockrell, of Missouri, s as much of an economical "objector" in the Senate as Holman is in the House. He posed as the watch dog of the treasury while in the minority, but when he became chairman of the committee on appropríationa he appointed bis son secretary of the committee at a salary of $2,'J0Ö a year. It did not embarrase the Missouri Senator at all that bis son was still in college. The boy remains there and drws the salary to pay his expenses while he deyotes most ot' his time to liis baseball nine and his boat crew, while the messenger of the committee does the work of both clerk and messeoger. Senator Voorhees is another economist whose son draws a salary of $2,500 as secretary of the finance committee of the Senate while another man does the work. Senator Pugh, of Alabama, has two sons on the pay roll, Senator Jones of Arkansaa bas one, Senator Morgan of Alabama one, Senator Vanee of North Carolina one, Senator Ransom of the same state one, Senator Harris of Tennessee one, Senator George of Mississippi a grandson, Senator Pasco of Florida a son, Senator Gordon of Georgia a son, Senator Butler of South Carolina a nephew, Senator Mills of Texas a son, Senator Colquitt of Georgia a son only 12 years okl, bat with a salary of $1,440 a year, Senator Blackburn of Kentucky a son drawing $2,200 a year, and Senator Palmer of Illinois has a daughter and a nepliew to keep the salaries of the pensions committee clerksin the family. These Senators have placed meinbers of their families in the best paid places n tlieicominittees over wliicli they preside, but none of the appointees are stenographers or have the qualifications for the work they are paid to do. They are the ornamental heads of the clerical forcé and stenographers are employee] as "messengers" or in same othernarne known to the clerk hire. Vieo-President Stevenson is not above the same practica. Ilis son draws the salary of private secretary to the vicepresident though he, too, is not a steuographer. "Á ]ml)lic office is a public trust" was ;i good enough Morgan lufore election, but it should now be changed to Buil the new conditions and read : .1 il,i;c office is a family trust.