Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-02-28
How the White House was Rob-
bed during Lincoln's Admin
tratiOn.

! Mr.. SieveEs-The gentleman from Penn
| sylvania is no; mistaken. We have already
Appropriated thirty thousand dollars Tor fur
nishing the Presidents house. il is proper
! that should say, under the circumstances,
that heretofore the sum usually appropIia
ted for furnishing the Presidents house ua-
| der The incoming of an Administration has
been twenty thousand dollars. There has
always been small deficiency however. In
| MIR. Buchanan's time il was $1,000. In the
case Of Mr.. Lincoln, owing 10 the dilspida-
lions, il was something more; len or fifteen
thousand dolIors. Then, in the last Con-
gress, we voted thirty thousand 5ul the bill
failed, and we have repeated the sPpropri-
alton this year. But owing to the confusion
which took place after the death OF Lincoln,
and The Iong-conlinued sickness o. his wife,
the houte was left prey 10 almost every
body that chose 10 60 lhere,and il was found
upon examination, when Mr.. Johnson was
! about TO take possession of The house, that
scarcely any thing was left, and that it re-
quired, not only the $50, ,OCO, but, upon a
.ull estimate OF what is wanted, made by
the Commissioner of Public Buildings, un
der the direction of The inmales of the house
| il was found that 10 restore matters as they
were, and to add the usual ornaments and
iurniiure, il will require 900 more. Il
was found, after The $40 600 were appropri-
Aled, lha. there had already beer expended
$4,000, and that The sum appropriated was
| ..,Ir h,,N Z
and The house was still unfurnished. The
servants aud every body had &c cess 10 the
| house during the fatal period 10 which
have referred, for about six weeks, and
may say it was open for any body 10 plum
der it that chose 10 go there. The result was
that almost all the valuable furniture in The
house was missing, and when the present
President came in. il was found necessary
even before he could be entertained with a
single meal, that spoons should be bought in
his city for the purpose of furnishing his
table-lhal linen, sheets, bedding, and all
| those things were necessary, and even the
Ueds themselves.
ii was found that The house was in custo-
( dy of nobody. The steward who was there
was responsible. But it was found that
these goods had been taken everywhere
They were traced-I will not say among the
employees; but they were gone; they were
not to be found. II is enough for us 10
know that the things were not there, and il
Is due 10 The present President and his fam
! iiy 10 say that their estimates o! what is
! Id 49, -, ,.,J,
( on The most economical scale consistent
with The dignity of the nation. We find
! that less than this sum will not suffice
/ There is some Sl5,O0 unpaid after appro-
priaiing the whole of the $50 600. trust
/ tha: enough has been said to chow TO the
House The necessity OF this appropriation,
and that it will be made without ohieciion.
/ Mr., UPson-I would inquire Of the gen.
/ lieman if there was no public officer whose
duty it was 10 see that This property was
/ protsc,ed!
! MIR. Stevens, there was steward appoint
| ed by The late President, but it turned out
/ that he was not responsible person. He
was appointed by Mr.. Lincoln him self, and
I il was his duty 10 take care of the property.
The Commillee on Appropriations. under
/ these circumstances, have prepared bill
making the steward responsible 10 the gov.
eminent, and requiring him 10 give such
security as will prevent anything OF this
kind in The future.
Mr.. NibIack-T would inquire if the
missing spoons are the same that Nh Ogle
| talked about few years ago. Laughter
Mr.. Stevens-Yes, they are the same
spoons. They are The gold spoons that
were purchased, think. by Mr. Var Buren,
al great expense and may say that out
of large number OF spoons, forks and
knives, which were very valuable, but one
or Two would be left out of two dozen and
all that has been done has been 10 furnish
samples 10 the Per-ons in New York who
iurnish these things, and they are being re.
placed, mol 10 The extent that Mr. Van Buren,
had, but as nearly as the present humble
and economical President deems necessary
] can say 10 the Committee that nothing
more is asked by he President and his fam
lily ihan is absolutely necessary 10 make
the house decent.
Nh upson-They left some for samples
Mr.. Slevens-They left pie or two,
because they did not wantio make Them
get an entirely different sci. have under.
stood that some OF these things are-well,
il is no matter where they are Coagres-
sioHal O. ODE.
Bill ARR says u are source OF regret
that some Of our household of the Al-Ikan
scent to have fell back into The arms Of The
fowl inviders. suppose they may now be
kalleG missin 0aneTalnra and ara hY this