Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-21
A GROSS SCANDAL.
Statement in Regard to the Character
Of the Expenditures of Congress
men at the Funeral
Of the Late President Garfield, Which,
If True, VIII Prove a Lasting Dis
grace to the Country.
One Item Alone Of Seventeen Hundred
Dollars for Brandy, Whisky,
Cigars and Lunch.

Cigars and Lunch.
! WASHINGTON, March 2O.-There has been
/ great sensation here over dispatch print
ed in the New York Herald in regard TO the
| character OF the expenditures on account OF
| members OF the House OF Representatives at
| the funeral of President Garfield. 1t was
| believed at fret by almost everybody to be
/ grossly exaggerated, and everybody hoped II
would prove 10 be OF this character, but the
numerous inquiries made IN regard to the
mater, together with the fact that tg0 reports
/ will be made on the subject, the majority re-
commencing the passage OF a bill appro-
| priatiug the amount required to settle the
| various claims, while the latter will criticize
several items OF the account, such as those
! for wines, etc, all served TO confirm it. The
| following are the main points OF the Heratd's
| special:
| A sub committee OF the House Committee
on the Expenses OF the Garfield Funeral has
| been engaged for some time in auditing the
| bills, and the total amount may at any time
| be reported 10 the House, with a request
that the money be appropriated and paid.
| The committee has sat privately over its
! work Of auditing. The total amount OF the
| expenditure Is about $1,000. This is for the
payment of bills presented by members of
| the House alone, and as your correspondent
| understands, whether they were officially of
lhe cOrtege or not. One item consists, as
your correspondent is informed, of $1,000
paid for
BRANDY, WHISKY, CIGARS AND LUNCH.
$500 are charged for Cocktails" and there
are said to be other bills nearly as bad as
this, though less in amount. II is remem-
bered here that the press was very carefully
and peremptorily excluded from the funeral
train. Even the reporters for the Associated
Press were refused leave to accompany the
train. Your correspondent has done what
he could to make sure of these facts before
making them public. He has reason to Re-
lieve that if any member of the House will
call for the detailed items OF the expendi-
lures, what is above stated will be fully JUS
tilted, and unless he has been deceived, more
besides. 1t is to be hoped that the House
will insist on seeing every bill that has been
laid before the committee, and all their de-
tails in every case before a cent il appropri-
ated. The article further charges much I'M
seemly conduct and even drunkenness on the
train. The facts in the matter of bills pre-
scented by members seem TO be even worse
than stated. Nearly every member who at
tended the funeral, either from Washington
or other points, putting in bills for personal
expenses, and in many cases with small de-
tails, and in others for such excessive amounts
as to make a gross scandal Of the whole
branch of the subject. There is sufficient
authority for tie statement that one mem
Der, whose fortune is estimated at over
100000, charged for items as small as
sEvEYTY-FIvE CENT LUNCH
at station where the train stopped. The
shape given to the first publication renders
1t impossible to ignore the matter here. The
general facts appear to be that Sergeant-at-
Arms Thompson was in Washington at the
time of the death of General Garfield. The
members and senators in the city requested.
him formally to take charge OF the funeral
expenses and OF the c0rtege 10 Cleveland,
assuring him that he should be reimbursed, |
and recommending that he should act lib. |
orally IN regard to the matter. Mr.. Thomp- |
son contracted bills and borrowed money for |
this purpose to the amount of SS2i5, and |
presented them to the committee to be au- |
dited. He remained in Washington two |
months alter this Congress met, and his own |
successor was appointed, in order 10 pay the |
bills that he had incurred on that account. |
The committee included in its allowance to |
MIN salary Tor two months ut the rsme
rate which he would hure received had he
in the Office OF sergeant at arms. |
This was done on the ground that his time
was occupied in settling these accounts. The |
items which make up these $1,000 have not
been made public. They were examined
and approved by the subcommittee of the
special committee. II is doubtful if all the
members of the whole committee ever saw
the items. There may have been prudential
reasons why it was deemed advisable that as
few members of the committee should know
about the items iu detail as possible.
THE VOUCHERS
have not been presented to the clerk Of the /
House of Representatives, who has the ac-
of the contingent fund, nor have
they been forwarded TO the treasury depart
ment, nor will they be. They are now in
the custody of Mr.. Page, of the committee,
where they are likely to remain, unless they
shall be called by the House, or unless pub
lie opinion shall demand their publication.
Among the items is one for $500 10 Worm
ley, the caterer, for what is called lunch.
In Wormley's bill there are heavy charges
for champagne, brandy, liquors, and cigars,
and it probably il from the items contained
in this bill that the story to cocktails
originated. There is no doubt there was
good deal OF liquor on the Representatives,
train, and that Congress has paid for 1t. The
persons composing that train were congress
men, or Immediate friends of co ugress- |
men, and invited guests. The rule upon
this occasion was very strict, the representa-
tives OF the press being rigidly excluded,
the exclusion extending even to the agent of |
the Associated Press. In
MR.. THoMPsoN's BILL
was also included the hotel expenses at Cleve-
laDu Oh All the mSuDeTS Oh OOnSreSS ana OF
invited guests. In it is also said to be en-
braced charges made by considerable num-
Der of members of Congress for expenses TO
and from their residences TO Cleveland and |
return. The vouchers, in many instances, |
are signed by the congressman themselves. !
The carriages are charged generally at SO |
per trip There was an allowance made for |
the cost Of special train from Washington
to Cleveland, in accordance with the arrange
ment first made by Sergeant-at-Arrns Thomp-
son with the local agent here, but the Penn
sylvania railroad authorities, when the bill
reached them for settlements, declined 10 take
any money, directed that the allowance be
covered into the United States treasury, and
said they had notified the committee Of Con-
yress that the Pennsylvania Company would
receive no money for its services in Connec-
lion with the illness ana death OF G5 neral
Garfield. In addition to this $1,000 already
paid, and 10 the large sums oil money
which the COMMITTEE has agreed shall
be paid to the attending physicians, |
there remains outstanding Of claims unsd-
u-ted probably some $4,000. This includes
bills for carriages and for hotels, special al
owances Tor White House employees on ac-
count OF their various arduOus duties during
the presidents illness, including Steward
Crump, and good many incidenLals of that
sort, which undoubtedly are very much more
legitimate than numerous items included in
he $4,000 already paid. So far as csn be
learned, the items which
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
would most heartily approve and will insist
must be paid remain still unadjusted, while
he bills which ought never to have been in
cured, and the contracting OF which was a
disgrace to the nation, have been liquidated
and have been paid without the knowledge
OF many exceptthe subcommittee
and the parties in interest. The list OF con-
yressmen " no returned their persOual ex-
penses is in the hands of Mr. Thompson, to-
yether with the amounts OF their bills. The
vouchers containing the items as presented
by the memoers themselves are in the hands
Of Representative Page Justice to those
who paid their own bills and to those who
presented fair and moderate bills will proba-
bly induce the House, for its own protection,
10 make all public. There were many on the
train Who were sincere mourners, and who
conducted themselves in all respects a. be-
fitted the occasion. Every one who volun-
ieered a service or an opinion during the i'll