The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-09-29

Congress made no such investment
The Fortieth Congress paid for matches,
(when the Capitol is Illuminated by
gas ignite6 by an electric battery, the
sum of $751; Sl The Democratic
Congress paid s1O,S7l The Fortieth
Congress is charged for nail, hair, and
hat brushes, and combs, in the sum of
81, 2O6, Ali Some of these hair brush
es cost as high as Sc a piece. The
Democratic. Congress in the sum of
s3S. The Fortieth Congress spent for
fine toilet soap, the sum of 81 ,5O4,65.
The Democratic Congress. $25,OS F!
The Fortieth Congress spent in 1852
pencils (S7 to a member) the sum of
s2,125,43! The Democratic Congress
i'm 1920 (IS to q member) the sum of
S110,47. l might run out these par
allels to an indefinite extent, but it
would only consume my time and
weary your patience l hope Cover
nor Hayes will be satisfied with these
comparisons 1 have given him a
Ireland, for his Oliver" and there /
shall let this comparative examination
end.
1 might, my fellow citizens, detain
you here for hours longer in the furth-
err examination of the c~uriosities of this
report on the contingent fund, but a
few more specimens must suffice. This
report shows that there was paid to
the members of the Fortieth Congress,
for newspapers, the sun of S43, 1854
There is charged for the use of the
! Fortieth Congress, for pens other than
gold ones, as follows: House, 92,45O
pens ; Senate, 39,SS9; total number,
l32,339, or 562 pens to each member.
My proportion fell into the general
mess, for l used my own pen, bought
with my own money, at Lancaster
Amount paid for p%enknives: House,
for $500 knives at a cost of S6,O44,44;
Senate, TIT, at a cost of S1,S6l OF
total number of knives, 1887, ortwelve
knives to each member, at a total cost
of S7,907,5I1. The proportion must
have been larger than twelve to each
member for the reason that if anybody
received knives at all, the Republican
members must lave monol .Oliztd tn M
all, for 1 never heard of Il Democratic
member getting one! There was paid
for fancy English and French letter
and note paper. he sum o $2S,110 54.
l prop sc now TO present the COM
Darative cost, in a few special items of
charge belonging to the subject, be.
tween the management of this fund
for 1867 and that fer 1868, to show
how the public monty is used in run
ming q Presidential campaign in the
interest of the dominant party. There
was paid for additional employees, for
1867, the sum of S9,9I1 0S. In 1868,
the sum of $50, 1853 55-difference,
S22,7s2, Al. There was paid in 1867.
for 1858, 500 document envelopes the
sum of SIT, 40. In 1868 for $780,
l5O documcn' envelopes, there was
paid the sum of $27 ,407-difference,
sl0,267 in price, and in number of en-
vclopcs $3.50, $50! There was paid
for fold rs and packers of documents
in 1867, the sun Of S59,434 81, i'll
1858 the sum of S109, 141-difierence,
$40, FOG Sc! The difference is the
expenditures OH these three items alone
between 1857 and 1863, is the enor-
NOUS sum of $50, 1855 SO! In the re-
port of the Clerk of the Senate for
1867, l find the following entry:
raid o. s. Co6ding for servi-
ces as clerk to the Commit
tee on Revolutionary Claims
from April /, to April 80,
1867, inclusive 30 days, at
1920 per day------.----s216 90
These are regular monthly entries,
running through tie whole of the ses-
sions of the FOrticth Congress, and is
nothing but naked robbery of the pub
lie tseasury. The appointment is a
mean partisan sinecure, and is dis
graceful to the Senate, for Mr.. Cod
ding has no more duties to perform
than if he was Il clerk to the comet.
On page 81 of Senate Report is this
most extraordinary entry:
Paid w. Hickey's estate for
salary of w. Hickey, de-
ceased, from date ofdeath
to june so, 1867, under
resolution OF fully, 8, 1866
and February 8, 1S67--.s4,216 40
On page Ill, of the Senate's report
for 1868, 1 find this rather singular
item of public expenditure:
Paid A. w. Winfield, for fur
nishing tea and making the
same for the use of the SEN
oo
What a picture the Imagination is
disposed to draw of this scene! How
suggestive, to imagine forty or fifty
grave and dignifed Senators seated
around the tea-table perhaps in the
spleudid Marble Room behind the
Senate chamber, slipping their Bohea
with all the gustO of so many gossip
ing old ladies'! 1t surpasses the Ro
man Senate, for Rome had no teal
Quite in character with this, is another
item, on page 100, or the same report:
Paid John Pearson for three
boxes of lemons, at SIPS $50 90
Paid John Pearson for one box
of lemons, at Si2---------. II 90
Paid John Pearson for three
boxes of lemons, at sI2 So 81 so
Paid John Pearson for three
boxes of lemons, Mt $l3 So 40 so
Paid John Pearson for three
bsXes Of lemons, at $14---- AZ 90
Paid John Pearson for even
boxes of lemons-----.---- 149 80
On pages SO and 81, there are char
ges made of nine boxes of lemons, at
S1l4; four metallic lemon %squeezers,