The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1885-04-18

A Little Institution by ItseIt
that is Rum for Ihe Benefit OF
Members. ..., r-
Exchange: ..r .r
The bank in the Capitol where the
members of Congress receive their
salaries is an interesting place, and |
spent an hour in it watching The mem
bers come in with checks and 90 away
with handfuls of fresh, new greenbacks.
Members of Congress are always paid
In new money! which is brought there
fresh from the printing presses, and
none of WHICH has ever been used.
The Sergeant-at-Arms is the President
of this bank and he has entire charge
of all money payments to Congress
men. On the left of the banking
room opposite the counter are desk
shelves fastened up against the wall,
on which are racks holding checks in
blank directing the Sergeant-at-Arms,
United States House of Representa-
tlves, to pay to bearer ~ dollars and
charge to the account of - Con-
gresham. Back of the counter is the
bank safe, which usually holds from
$4,000 to $4,000 in greenbacks and
which pays out from $4,000 to 81, :
900 every day. During the year it
contains about $3,oO0,0 900, and many
of the members use it as place of
deposit. Washburne, of Minnesota,
used TO have at times as much as
$4,000 in that safe. Now that so
many of the Washington banks are
failing, Congressman prefer to leave
their money there and check on the
Sergeant-at-Arms.
This bank of the Capitol does a
regular banking business as far as the
members are concerned. 1t deals with
no others. A Congressman can check
on it and it will cash his drafts and
receive his deposits. His salary is
due him in monthly payments and
he cannot oyerdraw. Every month
$416.66 is put to bis credit here, and
this is pretty rapidly checked out.
Some members check their money out
as fast as it comes in. Others take it
in five dollar bills, and bill at time.
Some draw bat little, and instances
have been known Of Congressman
taking nothing until the close of the
year. None so far have refused to |
take their salaries. If a Congressman
dies his salary stops at his death, but |
it is now the custom of Congress to
vote his widow a years extraspay. As |
to mileage, each Congressman gets
forty cents mile each session for the |
distance from bis home 10 the Capitol,
and this pay ranges all the way from
49, 80 to 81 800, according to the dis
taslce Mr.. Oury, the territorial dele
gate from Arizona, gets 81 800 a year
in addition to his salary.
When it is remembered that this is
enough to pay one passage around the
world, and that you can go from New
York to San francisco for less than
oIe-eighth of it, il seems good deal.
Congressman are also allowed $l25 a
year for stationery. The Sergeant at
Arms Bank also attends to this. Most
of the members do not use all of this
and they are entitled to draw ont the
balance. This bank must keep their
accounts of this as of other things. 1t
does 50 carefully and has a complete
set of books which must be balanced |
every morning-jouFnal, ledger and
cash book. If a cent is wrong the
whole must be gone over with, and
good business men are needed for the
work. The money used is brought up
daily from the Treasury in bag, ten
dollars at atimc. A police Z
nan accompanies this messenger, and
he bank is 50 carefully guarded THAI,
Is far as the present clerks remember,
hey have never heard of burglary
being attempted. 3F