Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-09-12
Largest Circulation in City and State.
HOW THE PUBLIC Treasury rs
sWAMPED-PBOFL OF UNI-
TED STATES SENATORS. ,-F g..f 4

Congress continues TO create new offices
and increase salaries. There Is an array Of
twenty thousand Office holders connected
with the Treasury Department alone in
this country, at this hour sucking out the
life-blood Of the masses. We have some of
them in every Congressional district laying
up from Eve TO seven thousand q year 70
services which thousands Of honest, capable
men would be glad to perform for oDs-ffth
Of what they receive, ..,.-,r. ... 4
Congress has raised the pay Of its own
members TO five Thousand dollars year,
besides pillage and plunder. This salary is
about fourteen dollars a day, for every day
in the year, Sundays and all, and probably
more than thirty dollars a day for the
actual time spent. To this should be added
an average of $1,000 each yesr for mileage
In other days, CongressInen took large
number Of newspapers on both sides in
politics, from their State and elsewhere,
but now they very largely commute for
money. AID
The amount of plumber they get is past
finding out but, by way Of illustration, let
us give some samples Of it upon a small
scale, and leave you to Judge what it must
be on large scale.
We have a copy of Senate Miscellaneous
Document No 54, Thirty ninth Congress,
second session, which is a detailed state
ment Of payments from the contingent
fund of the Senate for the year ending De
cember 3, l86G,spublished in accordance
with an act passed in 1912, and certified
by J. W Forney, Secretary of the Senate.
1t is a pamphlet of eighty-seven pages,
about ten by six inches, in fine print,
giving items of cotingent expenses of the
Senate, which, in the absence of Southern
Senators, is composed of fifty-two mem
bers We have added up some classes of
these items with the following result, which
show sufficiently the character Of these con-
tingent expenses;
For pocket knives. 5Oi in number.......Sl,1 lis 30
For pen-kniyes, AIS in number......-...-. 2O4 60
Making 9l4 knives for these So gentle
men, in one year, about Is each; aver
age cost - 50; amounting 2}22 20
sSsss. - .......: &c.. 3si 3i 99 99
at little over 81 par..-.',,,.,.....,.. 1s9 1e
30 pair pair of kid gloves, about pair
each, at 81 % par...................'.. % w
ll6 diaries ..............-..-......- ..." zO5 -
S4............. ..................... l04 90
446 pOeket-bOOks. each at about 81 40 l,0l9 50
3J9 brushes 3Z4 30
80 pln-cushlO 90 uO
1855 boxes Of 80 o.
2Su5 led pencilS...... 10 80
Newspapers and 1926 60
2sl6t2 reams 1902 S9
lSOi,44 JO4 "
Other items, such as paper-weights
cOrkscrewss, cords, erasers, leather busters,
chamois skins, folders, penwipers, blank
books, inkstands, eyelet machines, pamph-
let cases, opy-books, paper-iles, pen-racks
stationery cases, gold pens, dies, key rings,
match-cases, fluid, silk taste, card cases,
memorandum books, combs cologne, soap,
pomade, toilet powder, lemons, are scatter
ed through the book in quantities sufficient
to supply all the friends, or TO set up va,
| riety stores in the country.
In the House the rule allows each mem
| Der so much for stationery, TO be paid in
stationery or money, as he chooses, but
stationery is furnished in addition for all
committees, and the practiceis for members
| 10 supply themselves from that furnished
10 committees, and then take the allowance.
REPEATING IT AT THE ADJOURNED SESSION
] IN JULY.
On motion of Mr.. Spalding, of .OhieN in
the House Of Representatives, on the 8th
| OF July last Al OIuet was aoOPleu W dhOh
the same amount TO members for newspa.
pers and stationery for that brief adjourned
term as allowed for short term Of Con
! gress.
Ifthey viii thus rob the people in small
matters, what may we not expect on q large
scale? Is it any wonder that these mer
amass immense fortunes; that so many Of
them are able to be travelling now in
foreign lands, rioting in the lu1uries and
splendors Of wealth.