Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-16
THE COST OF CONGRESS.
Some Interesting Facts About the Ex-
pense of Handling the Mails.

Pense of Handling the Mails.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 14.-Tbe legislative
appropriation bill, making the apprOpria-
tions for the next Congress has just been
completed and printed. 1t gives some
idea of what it costs to have a Congress.
In the list of expenses the first item, the
compensation of Senators, is put down at
$3S0,0O0, while for pay of the members of
the House the sum of $1,696, 600 is apprO-
priated, making over $4,000, 900 in salaries
alone to the members. Then there are
still greater expenses in the aggregate,
though none so large in a single Item
The mileage of members of the House and
Senate is alone nearly $150,000. For clerks
to committees, messengers and others to
wait upon and serve the honorable states
men the sum Of $6l7,000 is asked.
EVEN THE LITTLE ITEM OF STATIONERY
counts up, the sum to be appropriated by
the bill as reported being over $50 600.
Then, too, there is the usual apprOpria-
tiOn for the Botanic Garden, the principal
purpose of which seems to be to furnish
bouquets to members and their WiYes-Or
through them to somebody else's wife-of
$11, 900. For the library of Congress the
appropriation is S37,0 900. On the whole.
Congress seems to be doing pretty we'll
even 81, ,000, 900 for salary list, S6O. 900 for
stationery, over $3S 900 for library, SILL
900 for bouquets, and more than $50O,O0
for persons to wait on Them and do the
work incident to their presence here.
WHILE ON THIS SUBJECT OF WHAT IT
COSTS,
it may be well enough to say something
about the cost of the Post Office Depart
ment, which has been under considera-
tiOn. The salaries of pOstmasters alone
post office clerks in all the land is nearly
So, 900, and the pay Of letter carriers
$4,OOO,0OO. In the post offices there is a
habit ofputting up letters in packages,
those for certain distributing Of
deer being put in packages to
insure easy handling. These are tied
with twine. And what do you suppose
the twine costs per year? $50, 900, or sew
eral comfortable little fortunes for people
carrying the mails. 1t is not much of a
thing to carry letter or a hundred let
ters or few newspapers on a train when
it is being run anyway-yet the railroad
companies are to be paid the sung sum of
$4,000, COO for this service alone.
THEN WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE THE
FELLOWS
get who take dozen letters and a news
paper in a mailbag and swinging it over
$l5 mule carry them through the cOun-
try not penetrated by railways? The star
routes these are called. For carrying the
mails on star routes the modest sum of
Sc, 900, 900 is allowed. Did YOU ever see
the inside of a ''traveling post Office
car, fitted up SO that mail clerks may
work in it as 1t passes along, distributing
and asserting the mail which is to be de-
livered at the various towns along the
line, thus saying much valuable time
that would have been consumed prepar-
ing the mail at the post office where
mailed? Well, their salaries are $4,5OO,-
600 year.
The sum allowed for carrying mails on
the ocean is 100000. For printing post
age stamps the amount to be paid is STA
600, and for postal cards $239, 600. The
total cost of the Post Office Department,
as put down in the bill, will be $52,-
100000.