Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-12-19
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP

WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
! The PROGRESS CT CORRUPTION There is
danger in passing the s;cnatc's joint rcsolu-
ton making their Secretary Il disbursins
officer, without careful amendment. That is
| to say, its enactme Mt az it went from tie Sen
ate. cannot fail greatly to cngender corrup-
ton in every branch of the Government Of
the United States. Now, for some years past
the manner in which the contingent fund of
the Senate has been expendcd-the reckless
and, we fear, sinister improyidcnce marking
| its use on some occasions-has hccn hv-word
in the CITY. A custom has grown UP in the
Departments which has had its share in con
cealing this fact far from general public
knowledge Thus, the account. of the two
houses of Congress are not serutinizc,l in the
Treasury Department rs all other puh!ic cx
| penditures are, and as all should be. The
! accounting officers of tie Government. a.
Congress have legal charge of the nation
! pure, rarely go behind the atteS.ation of the
! atteStlnS officer OF either House i'm their in
! vestgatI0nS into the character or integrity of
I
! accounts OF Congress. So far it is well known
! in Washington. the House have not taken i'm
/ proper advantage of this immunity. owing To-
I INC TACT that 1t IL customary for the Speaker
. to make committee on the cXrenditurcs of
/ the body on accounts J who nf,,-a1,y look
/ closely and consclentiousty into every bill
presented Tor their appreciation. No account
ms officer of the Executive branch of the
HovernmcRt-not even father Whittiesev him
Self-ls more particular in his legations
IMAM the House committee on accounts have
been Tor some years past. In the Senate tn.
case Is the reverse. For years part there
seems to have been y sort of tact understand
! ing IN their wing of the Capitol, that i: il all
| right TO swell their nominal contingent ey-
PenSes as much ~ possible. Or in other
words to spend ~ much public money t.
crafty any member Of the body a. his mon;
/ eNtraFnganf ideas of what the dignity OF hi,
/ I">1tloh entities him to in that way, NAV in
/ duce him {" demand We mentioned q ,iay
( or two since. that tbs senate. CONTINGENT
expenses for the current fiscal year will reach
about halt million of dollars BY way OF
/ Illustrating how this happen. to be the case.
/ We may mention, that about the tim. that the
chamber in tho capital building now used for
a oenate's water closet, was fitted up for that
! purpose, Senator went to their officer who
/ employs most OF the body. employees and
| demanded - Il place for n man lie WAS au-
'WeTed that there was no place vacant. But
! ne insisted that employment under the Senate
| the man should have. At length the officer
: bethought himself Of the door Of the new
water closet, and remarked that he might
| possibly station man there. The Senator
| made nm consent to appoint his b" friend to
| that position, with a salary Of s. 90 per diem
| so, the great lazy fellow six feet long wa,
duly Installed into his seat-for it became his
business to sit at the door and open it for their
honors. From that day to this, that particu-
! lar position has been an office under the SEN
ate.
Again, handsome horse and buggy il kept
! AT the charge Of the contingent fund for the
| pleasure riding OF Senators and the Clerk
we presume as no such thing a. a document
Is ever carried in it.
Again, nearly all the standin: committees
OF the Senate have, each, a clerk These
! officers are, for the most part not engaged on
| the pubic business, but in doing the private
writing Of the Senators forming the particular
committee. directing their documents, &c:
there not being legitimate committee work to
| Keep themproperly employed. These clerks are
paid 81 per diem, and the usual extra OF
$3.50 at the end of each session Now, if the
| expenditures On account of the Senate, were
subjected to rigid scrutiny, such rs is exerz
cisco towards ali the expenditures of the En-
| ecutlvo branch Of the Government. public at
| tention would soon be so called to the manner
| IN which they squander the public money, as
| at once to correct the evil. For while as a
| body, the Senators seem to conceive them
! selves justly beyond the reach of public opin,
ion, az public men, no others are more ncrv-
ously anxious at all times to keep on the right
! lor rather blind side of King DcmoS The
| JOINT resolution, or bill now before the House
deliberately proposes to set inside the princi-
pie OF accountability peryading the indepen-
| dent treasury Jaw, so far MS all the future ey
! pendlturcs OF the Senate are concerned if
there be meaning in words. Thus IT express
~ forbids the accounting officers of the Gov
eminent from putting their accounts through
the ordeal of being audited, as all other pub
| lie accounts arc. 1t demands thus. tina. there
shall be one law for the people, and ano.her-
| very different onc-tor the oigarchy 1t
strikes Us that they must carry this point. or
give up all hopes of confirming themselves, for
all time, In the enjoyment of the privileges
| immunities and emoluments which they have
OF late years, inch by inch, gathered unto
thenselves-such as, during the first fifty
| years OF this Government, were not dreamed
OF by the Senate of the United States To sub
Ject their accounts to such scrutiny a. the
spirit and letter of our laws requre-to such
scrutiny "a the Senate themselves are not slow
IN requiring, in all eases. except their own
| would make known to tho world who pockets
| the money paid out for the coIorinc of the
| maps ordered by the Seuate-who makes the
brokerage on the books purchased for the use
| Of Scnators-who receives Communication in
mohry for the newspapers for Senators, for
which money is appropriated from the Ma
tional Treasury, and who receives such com.
mutation in trashy novels. &c, &c. SO the
money goes to swell the contingent expenses
OF the Senate of the United States to half a
million OF dollars per snnum. Now. As wrong
| as Is I" tax the country tn raise money so to
De s4nandered sscrffiY, the great ey! i in the
effect OF the bad example. 1t has come to be
oy word in Washington, that the ID amer n
Wnicn the Senate 5 contingent fund is expend-
ed. the connection of Senators, &c with the
prosecution OF claims, laid the foundation for