Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-06-06
COST OF GoYERNMENT.

Few Items In the General Appropriation
Bill which Give Some Idea Of National
Expenses
WASHINGTON, May .30.-People who
think il does not cost anything to run a
great Government like this, even on basis
Of economy and reform" should read an
appropriation bill or two and be undeceived.
The House Appropriations Committee is
struggling to make record in the way of
economy, yet its appropriation bills, con-
sidered in detail or aggregate, are astonish-
ing. Take the Legislative, Executive and
Judicial bill, as reported, fer instance. II
shows that the salaries of Congressman.
taking both branches into the account are
over two millions of dollar per year. At
least the bill appropriates this sum for sal
aries of members, $3.50, 900 being for salaries
Of Senators, and 81, SOS, 900 for members of
the House. For mileage the appropriation is
s143, 900 and salaries of officers and employees
Of House and Senate almost three-quarters
of a million. For the botanic garden, which
furnishes the members free bouquets. SOL
700 is appropriated. The sum allowed for
the civil service commission and its travel
Of State is quite moderate in its demands.
the estimates being but $4,000. The
Treasury Department makes up for This
lack of enterprise on the part of the State
Department by calling for SO, 242, 900 to run
its business and gets 50, $780, 64. The War
Department, which is largely run by armv
officers, whose pay Is provided for by the
Army bill, only costs in this bill So, O69. 600.
while Mr.. Chambers Navy Department.
with characteristic modesty, only wants
s362, 900, and is cut down to S2SO,000 The
Interior Departments estimate is S4,12S.-
IS5; the sum allowed in this bill SO, ST, 779.
There are some curious features in the
bill. For instance, it allows the Chaplain
OIL the Senate but 5000 per year, and
pays the messengers to the committee
rooms 81 ,44O per year, or one-half more for
legs than for praying ability. To the
telegraph operator in the Senate it pays but
5000 per year, thus giving to skilled labor
but little to run with legs only. For re-
porting the debates in the Senate it allows
Sc, 900, all of which is paid to one man.
Of course, he must pay something of it out
for help, but he is said to make about one
half of it ''clean net cash." For reporting
the House debates it allows $40, 900, but di.
vides 1t among five men, the chief getting
Sc, 600, the Others s., 900 each. Out of this
Iucy pay tuelT assistants, WHO WT1te the re-
ports at ''dictat:on'' from these steno.
graphers, taking it first in short hand, and
then writing it out on foolscap paper in
broad lines so that the member, if he desires
to revise ii, may have plenty of room between
the lines for correction. For page boys
whose duty it is to be at the House
and Senate and run at the call of members
on the most trifling duties, too, as a rule
the bill allows S15, 900, paying them 81 sc
per day. Under the head of executive" il
gives to the Presidents assistants the fol
lowing: Private Secretary, $3.50 per year
two executive clerks, $4,000 each; steno
grapher, 81 500; six clerks at salaries aver
aging about 81 400 each; three ushers, who
get i'll all $500; five messengers at 81, 2OC
each; one steward at $1,000 per year; two
doorkeepers at 81 200 each; one Waterman
5000; one fireman, 1894. There is also q
contingent fund of $4,000 for miscella
neOus expenses, while the ''sundry civil
bill makes allowances for the expense OF
furnishing and keeping up the White House
from kitchen to Office and bedroom.