The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-19


trate, is adorned with regal splendor far
above any Of the grand saloons Of Buoking-
ham Palace, Carlton House, or Windsor Cas-
tie? ask you, sin, he continued, "whethor
in furnishing the East Room with all it's
gilded eagles, gilded stars, glded rays gilded
slabs, gorgeous drapery and dazzling foreign
ornamental, due regard has been paid to the
simplicity and purity of our institutions, or
to the frugal, plain, unostentatious, and re-
publican character OF our people who are re-
presented in it On the contrary, does not
all this glittering display of costly fnery, this
binding our eyes with the blaze of royal
magnifcence, approximate too closely the
pride, pomp, and grandeur of those govern
ments in whichEstars and garters and shining
coronets confer not only the means of luxu-
rious enjoyment, but of civil superiority
BENTON OBJECTS TO ITS REGAL MAGEFICENcE.
On the day the East Room was first opened
to the public January !, 1927, the Hon.
Thomas II. Benton was among the visitors
He subsequently wrote of the visit as fol-
lows;-'"This being the day on which the
Presidents House is thrown open to all WIS.,
itors, / went, among others, to pay my
respects to him, or rather, / should fairly
confess, went to see the East Room, for the
furnishing of which we had voted $25, 900 at
the last session of Congress. was anxious
to see how that amount of furniture could be
slowed away in single room, and my curios-
ity was fully satisfied. It was truly gor-
geous sight to behold, but had too much the
look of regal magnifcence to be perfectly
agreeable to my old republican feelings"
sUMPTUous PARLoRs FOR SERVANT.
Mr.. Van Buren, spent the sum of $190j'5
| in improving the Blue Room. This extrava-
| gance was vehemently denounced by Mr.
| Ogle. ''Tell me-" he said, whether this
sumptuously garnished saloon bears the cha
a
| accommodation of the chief servants of q
plain, economical, hardy and republican
| people, or whether it does not more resemble
| the audience room of O monarch, in which he
| receives his sleek and bbon-bedecked court
| iers as they present themselves with their
humblest genufexions and prostrations,
crouching like fawning spaniels to the hand
which has it in its power to throw them a
boneY . 49,
THOSE GOLD SPOONS.
But Mr.. Ogle only reached the height of
his indignation when a]luding to the state
diniDg-room and its furniture In his opinion
it was time the people should know that their
money went to buy for their plain, hard
handed democratic President knives, forks,
and spoons of gold. 1t may well be wondered
what these d-time, honest, economical re-
publican statesmen would say of the dazzling
display of goldware from which modern
President feasts. But the sarcasm uttered at
that day may be accepted as an indication.
''Oh, sir, said Mr.. Ogle, show delightful it
must be to real genuine Loco-Foco to eat
his pate dc fOSo grdS, dif1de des0Ssc, and Sdldde
@ la C0LdS2le from silver plate with golden
knife and fork And how exquisite to sip
with a golden spoon his S0upe q LG Refine from
silver tureen 1t almost makes my mouth
water to talk about it.
VAN BURENs ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS.
In his investigation of White House ex-
penditures, Mr.. Ogle hit upon voucher for
800 'for set of artificial flowers for the
Presidents table, at which he waxed eloquent
in denunciation. II am willing to concede,
he said, 'that the expenditure of 500 is, in
itself, very small matter The question,
however, is not how much cash was paid by
Mr.. Van Buren for the bunch of artificial
| flowers which decorates his table, but whether
| the peoples money shall be expended for
such aristocratic French fnery, and whether
| Mr.. Van Buren, who has been raised to the
most exalted station on the earth, and whose
| example upon society must necessarily have
most powerful and extensive influence,
shall, by the introduction of foreign gew-
gaws into house of the American people,
contribute to corrupt the plain, unostentatious
and republican manners of our people, by
creating vain desires for external show and
for foolish displays of splendor which are not
congenial with our frugal habits 7"
HEMMING DISH Otis AT PUBLIC COST.
| Mr. Oge made some further investigations,
and found that the public treasury was
charged with all the expenses of the Presi-
dents household, except provisions and wine,
also with the care and culture of his gardens,
the grooming and feeding of his horses, and
! all other incidentals down to the smallest
particulars of hemming the kitchen dish
cloths. The last item overcame him, and he
burst out in the following indignant Ian
| guage:-'I had thought that it was bad
enough for the farmers, mechanics, and labo-
rers of the country to provide hay and pas
horses; to pay for the manure on his potato,
pay the hire of British gardener to topdress
his strawberry vines, cultivate his vegetables,
and construct bouquets for his palace saloons;
but, sir, to hem his dish rags, pay for his
larding, needles, and liquor stands, is still
worse Aye, sir, worse, if possible, than
filing the apa1 tments in the house of the
American people with royal and imperial Will
tons, foreign cut wine coolers, French bed
steads, and one hundred dollar artificial
flowers" And yet the offenses of which Mr.
Ogle so bitterly complained thirty years ago
are multiplied nearly thirty fold by Mr..
Grant. The expense incurred by the present
administration in the one item of fresco
painting is more than double the total cost
of the extravagances SO loudly denounced
THE FIRST EXECUTIVE billiard TABLE
Reference has been made to the apartment
constructed expressly to receive Mr.. Grant &