The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-10-26


Mr.. James Parton, In the last NUM-
Der Of the Atlantic AfOnthly, discusses
THE Small Sins OF Congtess.' He
shows some knowledge OF his subject,
and many Of bis criticisms are worthy
o! attention. There are old customs Of
both the House and the Senate, that
dentalS' Of congressional funerals
should be discontinued. The document
business should be reconstructed. Sen.
ators and members OF the House can so
use their influence as to lessen the
number OF employees, not only at the
Capitol, but also, In the departments.
And they can abstain from employing
such persons as Winnie Ream to make
statues. There are other matters that
might very properly be subjected 10 re-
form.
But, II 10 manifest that Mr.. Parton lie
not well Informed In regard to some Of
the matters concerning which he writes.
There are not, as he suppOses, many
supernumerary employees about the
Capitol; he falls 10 understand clearly
the purpose and necessity OF the con.
tingenp account Of the House and Sem
ate; and, on two or three points, he falls
Into positive errors and miBrepreaenta-
tions. or course, he has no Intention
to misrepresent the facts; and, for this
reason, the influence OF his mistakes Ia
the more Injurious. One Of his errors
relates 10 the cost TO the country Of
time spent In sessions OF the House or
Senate. He says. for instance:
'Will the honorable member from
Ohio allow me five minutes to ma ke
an explanation asks an honorable
member from somewhere else. II that
request IL granted, II COSTS the people
OF the United States six hundred dol
lars.' Aud again; Calling the yeas
and nays, an operation OF half an hour,
comes 20 over four thousand dollars.
We should liketo see Mr.. Parton ex-
plain these statements. It Is impos-
Bible for US to Imagine the process by
which he makes this calculation OF eX.
pense. II congressman were paid by
the hour or the day,-and II other ex~
penses were regularly suspended, when
the daily session Is adjourned, until
twelve O'Clock Of the next day,-there
would be basis for his calculation ;
but this 10 not true. So far as relates 10
expense to the country, II makes no
difference whether the daily session Is
adjourned at one, three, or i've O'Clock
In The afternoon. Neither the honora.
BILE Rentleman's 'hve minutes nor the
taking Of the yeas and nays adds any
thing to the cost OF Congress to the ooun.
try. Short daily sessions, or daily ses.
siOns made long by nothing but use
less talk, may lenRthen the stay OF
Congress at Washington but this adds
to the personal expenses Of members.
They would be paid no more, II they
were In session all the time, than they
are at present; their persOuAl ex xpsnRes,
however, would be increased. Here Is.
another mistake: -, .....s F.
when we find two hundred porte
monuaies charged at prices ranging
from 81 20 to a rs each, we cannot help
feeling that every one Of those articles
is q petty fraud. What scandal, too,
is that annual penknife business One
thousand and ninety. eight penknIves,
at prices averaging about three dollars
each, find, aftet few minutes search,
charged among the contingent expen.
ses' Of the Fortleth Congress could,
probably, make up the amount 10 two
thousand by going through the book
Mr.. Parton would be much better In.
formed on this subject, II he had made
due inquiry In the stationary room,
The law requires the clerk 10 purchase
and keep on hand for sale to members,
Il supply Of stationery; and whatever
remains unsold, at the close Of one
Congress, Is transferred to the next
the accounts being carefully kept and
properly audited. There Ia u small al.
lowance to each member for stationery,
and, at the end Of each Congress, mems
bers are required 10 settle their accounts
and pay their balances, II they have
overdrawn the allowance. They get
neither 'porte-monnaies,' penknives,
nor stationery Of any kind, for which
they are not required to pay. Mr.. Par
ton has n queer notion OF this pen
knife business because he does not un.
derstand It. In the contln gent account
Of Congress, he can find charged the
whole amount OF stationery purchased
by the clerk for sale; he can, also, find
credited there what members have paid
the clerk for stationery.
There was a time when the penknlfe
and stationery business WAS something
like what Mr.. Parton imagined; but
that was years ago, so far HI the House
is concerned; and the old custom has
finally been abolished In the Senate.
No member of either body now re-
celves stationery without paying for II,
as we have explained. The change has
greatly reduced the expenses for this
article, and thus corrected one Of the
small Bins,' which, In other days,
sometimeslgrew TO be- rather large one.