The Russellville Democrat., 1875-03-25


 service were ten times greater than they now are.
 The Legislative, Judicial, and Executive Appropriation bill, and that for sundry civil expenses at the late session, contain the the following noteworthy items: 1 For compensation of President $50,000 For compensation to private secrc- tary o,oUu For compensation to assistant secre- tary 2,5uO 1 For compensation to one eXecutlVe clerk 2,aUJ For compensation to one executive ., clerk 2,3oV l For eompensation to steward s,0O0 For condensation to messenger ,DO i For compensation to furnace keeper
 t$Ia0 last year, Sbl For compensation to one policeman 1.320 For compensation to one policeman i,320 For compensation to one night watchinan yVU For compensation to one night.ushcr 1,2O0 i For compensation to one doorkeeper ,2U0 For compensation to one doorkeeper l,sb For contingent expenses b,OUU For official postage stamps te0 For repairs Executive Mansion 10,U0O For refurnishing Executive Mansion lO,OJu For fuel for same and green houses 5,OOO For care and repairs of green houses 5,U0O
 Mansion ~ 10000 For taking up and relaying curb of ExecutiV mansion 1,JO1
 nursery 1850 For repairing fountain south of Ex- ecutive Mansion 5000
 Total SPA, ,15i
 In addition to these items were the regular appropriations of $50- GOO for lighting the Capitol and the Executive mansion in gross, without discriminating as to the consumption of either; and for re- pairing and extending water pipes and cleaning the springs that sup ply the Capitol and Executive Mansion, $l0,000.
 Before Gen. Grant became President the practice was to fur nish the White House anew at the beginning of every term of four years. Since then an annual appropriation of ten or fifteen thousand dollars has been regularly made, and applied to other objects under the name of furniture. So too an appropria- tion of $l0,000 a year has been made tor repairs, which could not be expended and never has been, no matter what Treasurer Bab- cocks vouchers may pretend to show, which have an elasticity as remarkable as his Ring measure ments.
 Every year some new change has smuggled into the supply bills and tbus made the basis of a standing appropriation, like that of $10,000 for the ground south of the Executive Mansion, upon which not one-tenth part of that sum was expended last year. In the heighth of the war the con tingencies of the President were raised from one to three thousand, in the face of the double salary en. acted by the back pay grabbers of the Forty-seeond Congress.
 There is great delusion in the public mind purposely created at Washington in regard to the OK penses which the President IS supposed to incur by his official functions. The receptions do not cost him n single dime. The lights, heating, music, flowers, at tendants and ushers, are all pro- vided for from the Treasury. and no refreshments of any kind are ever served.
 The so-called state dinners are more limited in number under Grant than any of the other Pres idents. They are confined to cer- tain selected members of Congress. the heads of legislations only, the Judges of the Supreme Court, and q few favorites. Altogether not more than one hundred and fifty guests were entertained at them last winter.
 Heretofore, the usage has been Tor the President to invite both branches of Congress at regular intervals to dine with him, without regard to politics at all. Gen. Grant has narrowed this honored custom down to his own partisans and a small selection from the Opposition, who have voted with