The Portland daily press., 1881-11-28
Official Plunder.
How the Olden Times Senators Revelled
in their Little Luxuries.

The Washington correspondent of the Louis
vile Courier-Journal discussing the appropri-
ations for contingent expenses, writes thai the
irit appropriation was an item in the sppro-
priation act passed in September, 1889 The
accounts of contingent expenses of the Senate,
commencing as early as 1889, contain many
items which show that Senators In those days,
as well as now, liked their perquistes. In the
early days of tho republic, Senators-the very
fathers of the country-subscribed for many
papers, and the subscription prices thereof
were paid out of the contingent fund. Sta
tionery they put their hands upon without lin
it. They used large quantities of English gilt
edged paper at 50 and $40 per ream. Not only
did they take stationery, bu; the records show
that our revered forefathers were as agile as
their descendants in everything that was ''con-
tingent" Penknives in those days were
bought by the dozen, and so were silver PEN
Gil cases, seals, memorandums and wafer
boxes When Committee of Congress called
upon the President of the United States, its
hack hire was paid from the contingent fund.
The Congressional funeral was a nice little
jaunt-nobody can say that such is not the
case now. Hundreds of yards OF black Grape
and OF white sarcenet were used In making
mourning scarfs, and gloves were supplied
)me preferred white kid, while Others were
more practical and with an eye to the futnre
utility of the funeral hand covering, took bea-
yer and buekskin gloves Frausis Malone Of
Rhode Island died in 1909. His remains were
inferred in the Congressional cemetery.
Among the items OF expenses for his funeral
were the folcwing sixteen pounds of crackers,
SO; III pounds OF cheese S2Sl. The commit
tee to audit the expenses OF the Senate evil
IDENTIFY thought that, though their breth-
rem seemed to be on pleasure bent they should
have the accompaniment OF frugal mind.
Therefore they economically ~ ordered that
payment be made for the crackers, but reject
ed the claim for the cheese. Tnis same COM
mittee also had presented to it the following
voucher:
Seven gallons best Madeira wine. ............S2S 90
Four gallons Cogna; brandy dy............." 500
Twelve pounds almonds. s.................. -. 4.S0
Ten pounds rasins. $50
Tottl ....... ..-.........,...........S45.6
The committee after cogitating the matter,
came to the conclusion, perhaps. that the par
takers of these luxuries had had almost too
good time of it, and so they only allowed
'for four gallons wine and three quarts
brandy S22." At the same time, however,
they passed another voucher "for IA pounds
of pound cake ST." and "12 ponnds crack
ers at $150." The following is in the account
Of the Senate contingent expenses for 1909:
Thirty-fou gallons syrup. SOB; 10 gallons syr-
up, SAG; 10 gallons syrup S46; 10 gallons syrup.
SAG: So gallons syrup $40; 10 gallons syrup,
$40; total, 1888. What this syrup" was does
not appear. There IS tradition among the
older officers of the Senate that it was used in
the concoction of beverage known as switch
ell This is coroboraied by voucher passed for
two quart decanters evidently to hold the syrup
The items for beverages of different kinds
scattered over the books of accounts for con-
tngent expenses are cdrious, aud in the 10Th
Congress there Is one of S123 81 for soda wat
er and syrup" Umbrellas, congress water,
engraved seals, pearl nail knives and toilet
sets were then secured by senators out of the
contingent expenses. In 1852 the following
account was passed under the same convenient
head: j. 2. a. NJ. Brown, board of Gov. Kos
suth and suite, having 10 parlors and % cham
bers % persons, S3588; champagne, sherry,
Madeira, postage, CIGARS lemonade, bar bill,
washing, medicine, porterage and messengers,
hack hire, telegraph, sugar, brandy and whis-
key in room, porter and ale, envelopes and
BARRIERS bill, amounting in all to S658 80; bill
for the carriages engaged for the Governor and
suite, $3l9 30; total, S4566 81. The amount OF
Stationary drawn by each Senator then aver
aged about $500 per annum. In June, 1850,
the funeral expenses of q deceased senator
footed up $2760, but there is no record of spec
ifisd expenditures. Even before that date the
following are few items from the contingent
expenses accounts: Gold pens and holders,
scarf boxes, sets of Instruments, telescopes,
agate seals, fancy inkstands, bragg paper
weights, tour-bladed, silver-tpped knives,
embossed paper boxes, buck-knives, and,
among numerous items of paper, 2, l44, 500 en-
velopes. This shows the way Senators used to
gather much that was good cut of the contin-
gent expenses. There is, at this day, but very
little difference in the methods of Senators OF
the United States. That sucn is the ease is
shown by the report of the Senate sxpendit-
ures from July l. 1880, to July |, 1881 which
was made q few days before the
adjournment of the recent extra session. It
is by this report that the Inajofity OF
Senators have newspapers furnished them at
the expense of the government. Senator
Edmund5 takes more papers than any other
Senator Hs has evidently great interest iu
sports and turf events, Tor he is furnisI ed
regularly with tho New York Clipper. SEN
atol Ingalls,, who is a bachelor, has Harper's
Young Folks laid upon his desk as it comes
each week from the press. a large number
of copies of the Statesman's Law Book are
furnished Senators