Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1859-05-13
Congressional Extravaganza.

| Inc ngures are ratueI startius. ihiee
| Thousand dollars q year, with mileage,
and the franking privilege, does not seem
to be an inordinate price for the highest
legislative labor. Yet when VIC come to
multiply the pay, mileage and franklng
privilege of a single member by 500 (the
number of members in both Houses) and
find the sum total foots up Fire millions,
Eighty- TAree Thorsand Fee Hundred and
T'penty- Three DoNars, the revelation IS
rather startling. But there is way Of
looking at this subject, which is not only
startling, but astounding. Divide 50, OS3,-
523 by 800, We have, as "the annual cost
of Member of Congress, the snug little
sum of SIG, $780," which is rather COM
Portable. But is it not our business to
make our great men comfortable! Sure
ly it is. Yet the question is asked,
GLOW does all this money go!" Deduct
the IS, 900 which the Congressman pock-
cts from SIG, ,954,0 ,05, there remain nearly
$4,000. What becomes Of it 1t ap-
pears that this $l4, 900 per member is
spent in Contingencies, term not very
Ineligible until translated into such
words as correspondence, post offices,
pos;masters, pages, clerks, managers, wri-
ting paper, horses, police, newspapers,
carryalls, hacks, snuff, documents, buffa-
lo-combs, binding, toilet soap, fuel, mir
rors, oil, velvet carpets, folding, looking
glasses, black kid gloves, and miscellane-
ous." Altogether, it will be seen, at
least we hope it will be seen, that with
the aid of the items above given, added
to "miscellaneous," tho $l4, 900 which
each Congressman does not exactly pock-
ct, may easily be fritteret away. And
why not? viii any patriotic and sensl'
bic citizen dare, in this free and enlight-
ened country, to affirm that $4,000 is
too much to expend in gratifying the
tastes of a Congressman? We trust not
But what would the people have! Do
they desire the "assemblcd wisdom" to
gather together in a hovcl instead of the
marble capitol to squat like Indians on
the bare ground, and not cit upon chairs
costing $50 apiece? to look at their faces
in pail of water, instead Of French
mirror worth $1,000? never to comb their
heads, nor WASH their facesI never ride
on horseback, nor in wheeled vehicle I
to look out of hole in the wall, instead
of a window costing $4,000? to crawl
up ladder, instead of magnificent
staircase of polished Tennessee marble! to
enter door of unplaned boards instead of
a glorious aperture valued at Sl5,OOOI
Nay, verify. "The people can not wish
this. They desire decency in all things,
but profuse, wanton, wild, imperial ex-
travagance they do not desire, and they
will not countenapce." This may be so,
but we beg leave to remind them that in
an unusual, nay an extraordinary age like
the present, it would be unwise as we'll as
useless to attempt to hamper the towering
and luxurious inclinations Of Congress
man with the narrow minded notions Of
economy which prevailed in the earlier,
and as some will persist 10 affirming, the
better days of the Republic. What ! re-
call gentleman home to plain meat and
bread, and honest, hard, everyday work,
simply because he INDUCES in French
plate mirrors, velvet carpets, Bronze doors,
carryalls, and most inordinate quantity
of snuff-Scoteh snuff, Maccaboy snuff,
Martinique snuff, and American Gentle
mans snuf-eighteen bottles and thirteen
pounds of snuff !! Recall gentleman for
this! And send plain, upright man in
his stead? Preposterous !-Baltimore