The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-04-07
PUBLIcPLUNDRR.

What sfnti0naFy Means in the Radi
cal Dictionary - -Porte-MOannies
Hack Hire, Kid Gisves, snuG and
Leafers' Travelling Rxpenses and
Beard Ellis Viewed Ms aIaIioEery.
! Mr.. Edward Mcpherson, Clerk of the
House, appears as the author of an oeta
vo voluue Of 23l pages, which would be
faultleSs in style If ii were not so high.
ly figuratiye. Ii is a statement Of the
contingent expenses OF the House OF
Representatives, which Nr. Mcpherson
communicates in obedience 20 a resolu.
ton of the House of Representatives
passed OIL the 4ih Of March lS42, which
/ requires ''that the Clerk deliver to the
postmaster of the House such kind and
quantities OF stationery as from time 10
time NAV be necessary for the use of the
/ House, keeping an accurate account OF
I the same, and also Of the quantity and
valae OF that used in the Clerks office:
aud that hereafter, in th- annual re-
ports now required by law 10 be made
by the Clerk. showing the amount oi
. expenditure from the contingent fund
+ of the House, he be required 10 state
accurately and distinctly the quantity
{ and cost Of the stationery used by lie
House and the Clerk Office separately.
All this i stated * a very brief Comuu-
uication ON the first page cf Ar. Nc.
( Pue.sOn's novel, aud the remaining 23J
pages are flied with fgures which will
convey TO the taxpayers Of The country
a startling view of what Radiral!sn
consider "S;atioHery." l. would take
good accountant week 10 aud up
this bill, and whether il amounts TO
millions, OF only 10 huUdreds of tnous-
suds of dollars, the items show that
full sDe-balf, and probably twO-ihiTds,
OF these charges aTe downright swindles
upon the Treasury and p5ekets of the
people.
The present Jill Of the House for the
mere items OF Stationery is cnly for .
single year. 1t d-es not include any OF
the larger legitimate expenses of the
Hosse-the pay Of members, printing
of public documents, and so on. Bat
the mere carriage Of doc cuments, mostly
Radical electIoDeeriDg pamphlets
printed at the expense OF the people,
amounts 10 sJ,J62 50a year. this carriage
covering l,l51 loads Of trash, the bulk
0! which goes 10 wrap bundles in GRO
GERS shops and 10 baser uses. Thomas
II. Benton and J. B. Clark, ''trooiy loil"
Of course, have the carting of these
loads If the articles of what may
properly be called stationery are really
furnished TO the members Of the House,
il Is probable that nearly every uiem-
Der Intends 10 set up a stationery shop
at the close of has term as Representa-
tive. In a siBgle session 4,74l, 1868 envel-
opes, costing S2,47e 73, were furnished.
This envelope business includes fancy
note-paper ana envelopes 20 match, Wis
itipg cards, moDograms, and paper col
lars aud cuffs, not only for the members
hut for their families for Present Use
and for several years 10 come. Ii Should
be remeUs beT-d tha; every member Is
PRESUMED 10 purchase all the stationery
be needs wiki money which be draws
for the express purpose. There are now
l94 members and delegates from Terri
tories il the House. In single FeaI,
according to McPhersou's romans,
these members used 20 gold pens. cost
IN =, ,G37 -: 1899 iuks;auG>; 272G pen
knives, costing S&52g: and 81 porte.
moDnaics, cost ~ Slu4+ - Among
other items Of stali5usry are haIT
brushes. nai,-hrushes, toilet soap, Mar
Unique snuff by tie dozen LOiil.-. -..'I
screws and KID gloves. The kid glove
business Is one of tie subimest OF all tie
sNindles. For instance, ''On account OF
the death and burial" OF Representa-
tive. there are charged twenty-five and
one-ba'f dozen kid gloves, costing S1t2,
or abOut four pair 10 each member 10
wear TO = single funeral. Other sta
tiouery7 appears IN round charges for
coffee. urns, sauce pans, 5ullers, -four
sifieTs. and fisA kettles. Ii may be re-
marked here that Y. 6. OIdway, Ser
geaut-at-ATms of tie House, has very
nice IElUg of il There Is scarcely q
week when his bill for two or three
thousand dollars does Tot appear, and
his "traTehpg expenses alone would
cover the entire cost Of the British
Abyssinian expedition. Columns could
be tlled from this one document 10 show
the barefaccd swiBdlilg manifest IN
this list of the contingent expenses Of
the House. P,oBiDent among these Is
the outrageous one OF sUmmoulDg wit
ness before some committee or other
from New Orleans or Alaska. and pay
ing them for their testimony at the
rate Of 500 or $500 each, under pre-
tence that travelling expenses cover the
bill. Every "loiI" ioafer in the South
who went 10 Washington last year TO
beg for an office. or 10 lie about his
ueIELbors. OF a. a Radical dirty-wOrk
age.:t, was summoned as witness. and
was roundly paid oct o! the peoples
money. Remember, toe, that this gl-
gantic syludle Is one OF the least con-
staDtly peGpetrsted by the party IL pow
er. To support tie Government, the
old cant cry Of Rsd.calisn, means being
supported by the country, at the ex-
( pense oftbe people, and the right 10 draW "
$1,000 from the Treasury is freely trans
lated into the privilege yfstea.iDg 5000.
, Ii there were no other reason IoT nd
/ Sing the country OF me SOW dominant
party motives Of economy alone shsuld
prompt and compel il. The entire rev.
enues sf the country are not sufficient
TO pay the expenses Of the Government
and at the same time 10 MI the pockets
of the thieves who are plundering the
public Treasury.