The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-22
CONGREssMEN's MONEY.
Some of the Reasons why $4,000 Year Is
Insufficient Salary.

some OF the Reasons why S5,OOO Aear is
an Insufficient Salary.
Washington Special.
If some Adam Smith of household finance
would arise to teach senator or representative
how to live on s., 900 year he would confer an
everlasting boon on many of the members of the
Congress of the United States. Although
Washington may be called cheap place to live
in, and for $1,000 year family can be supplied
with everything that reasonable persons desire,
yet it must be remembered that congressman
does not often get his S. 900 intact and, besides
that there are in Washington two scales Of
prices-one for permanent residents and one for
members of Congress and foreign diplomats.
First come the election expenses. Any congress
man who comes out less than $1,000 out of
pocket is considered lucky. Then comes the
journey of the family to Washington-for Con
gress has not yet allowed mileage to members
families, although after the late private secre
tary indulgence nothing in the way of perqui-
sites need surprise anybody. Next is the inter
mediary stage of hotel living until a house or
lodgings are found. Thus, before his lodgings
are secured and he begins to have an idea of
his monthly expenses a large chunk of the con-
gressmans So, GOO year is gone.
1t does not take him long to find out that he
can't do with his income as well as other people
do. If he is in lodgings, his wife must have a
reception day, and matter how simple the
scale on which it is conducted, waiter must be
hired to hand in the cards. and there is usually
some slight Refreshments. If the wife of a repre-
sentative visits at all she has to visit a great
deal, and visiting means carriage. Then there
are occasional dinners, receptions at the White
H0Hse and elsewhere, which it is customary for
representatives wives to attend and that means
costumes, gloves and carriages There seems to
be a kind of clairvoyance among everybody in
Washington who has anything to sell or to hire
to member of Congress OF his family. The
wives of members generally become well known
to the trades people before very long, and the
butcher the baker, the candlestick- maker, the
dressmaker, the bonnet-maker, and the maker Of
everything they eat and wear combine against
the representatives S., 000
In the case of senators every circumstance is
aggravated There being but seventy eight sen
ators, and not all of them paired the senator's
wives are known as well as the Washington
monument and as most of them take infinite
delight in having parcels addressed to Mrs
Senator Blank" the innocent creatures give
themselves away to the shop people. The women
of sense who are senator's wives and who feel
the necessity of making their money go as far as
it ought, studiously conceal the fact that they
are senator's wives when they are dealing" as
the negroes call shopping.
1T is as much as my life is worth" said one
quite solemnlv, ito go into a shop can hardly
come out alive. They would take all my money
th would gaErote me, almost, rather than l
should come out with siXpence, and all because /
married a senator"