The Portland daily press., 1879-02-12
If the Union was worfh. fighting for it is
worth paying for.
Congressional Stationery,

The Hartford COuront has been engaged
fer some years now in the task of correcting
the popular misapprehension regarding sta
tionery furnished to members of Congress.
Somehow its explanations fail to stick in the
minds of men who make newspapers-per-
haps because the Congressional stationery
bill is SO suggestive of gibes, and we all hate
to forego opportunities for jests. The papers
properly reprint the explanation made by
the Courant, and then forget all about it,,
and begin again in few weeks to accuse
some Congressman of stealing soap from the
government. The latest offenders are the
Springfield Republican, New York Herald
and New York Post, and the Courant
promptly takes these distinguished journals
to task. They will of course acknowledge
their error, as they have often done before,
and go on SHINING.
Not long since Greenback organ in this
State published with great glee an account of
pocket-books. hairoil, Bibles, opera glasses
&c, bought by Republican Senators at the ex-
pense of the Government. A few days ago
Republican paper filed in offset
the list OF pocket-knives, carpet-bags,
and mourning cards drawn by Demo-
cratic members OF Congress. The infer
ences of petty plundering drawn by these
papers are all unwarranted, and for the bene.
fit of Republicans and Democrats alike (the
Democrats will soon stand in especial need
of the explanation as they are about to as
sume the control of both houses of CoDgress)
it is worth while while to reproduce the SUBJ
stance of the remarks made by the Courant
in reply to the New York Post. The Post
got its Information from the annual publica-
ton of the expenses of the House. 1t appears
that 293 members took S36 pocket-books and
purses-nearly three apiece-and 1914 knives
several dozens Of cork-strews, cards of all de-
scriptions, few opera glasses, razors, pock-
et-dictionaries, Bible or two, various liter
ary publications, twenty dollar bookcase,
backgammon board, number of travelling
bags, a ten dollar fan, cigar case, etc. Ask
ing if anybody considers it small business to
mention these things, the Post answers that
it is certainly "small business for members of
things at the expense OF the taxpayers"
1t would be small if it were trne. Not one
of these articles named was furnished the
member at the expense of the people in the
manner the Post supposes. The committee
rooms are supplied with stationery sufficient
only for the use of the rooms. In
old times members were furnished with
stationery sufficient tor their general
uses in and out of the house, with no limit
save the discretion of the member. This led
to abuses, and many years ago Law was
passed giving each member an allowance of
5000 year in stationery. This he could
draw at the stationery room in such form as
he pleased. There all the articles usually
found in fancy stationery establishment are
kept, and whatever the member takes is
charged to him at what is supposed to be
wholesale price. The Article he desires, If
not found there and conveniently obtained
elsewhere, the stationery clerk gets for him.
At the end of the year the balance of the
5000 not drawn in stationery is paid him in
cash. If the member of Congress draws his
5000 in cash nothing is said. If he takes
. portion of the money in Bibles he is stigma
tized as petty thief. Perhaps the Law is
wrong and extravagant. Let it then be re-
pealed. Meanwhile we should refrain from
condemning the man who draws on his
account for hair brushes, unless we condemn
equally the man who draws cash.