Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-12-12

Under the loose practice which has oo-
tanned in the office Of the gergeant-at-
arms members practically reOeipted for
their salaries nine monshs in advance,
drawing against the money wherever they
might be as It became due. ThiB made
it poEaihle fer the caabier, who had
charge OF their accounts aud drew the
money On their receipts, iniotsed by the
speaker or clerk OF the House, to have
100000 at time in his possession,
with no ono to audit Ills disbursements.
The sergeant. at arms is very snoma-
lOus officer, who hss no practically oltlelsi
gtanaiuR ct the trensury department as
Disturbing cfIicer. He or his cashier
draws funds from the United States tree'
snrer on the members certificates, in-
dorsed by the speaker or clerk, and the
treasurer ia held accountable for the
money by the auditing ofli9ess. II is o
question, members shy, whether the ser.
eaant.at.arms ia q disturSipg otiissr ut eli |
within the meaning nf tho iaR. How |
ever, his bond IL perfectly good.
Besidsa the loose system OF Rccounta.
biiisy in the Office OF ti.a sergeant at
arms there has grown MP an entirely iSe-
sponsible system Of private banking with
out discounts. Deposits have bsen ye-
vancea made by tha sergeant at srms for
tie convenience OF tia members. Mem
berg who hat, other incomes allowed their
salaries TO accumulate. Mach Of this
| money, perhaps all OF ii, has been taken.
some members refused % sign certificates
! in advance, others drew all tho money
they were entitled to and more, including
/ their palaries for December.
i RnpN-nll EtntuIpr n,,1 C;aneFnI SninOln
were among those who had drawn their
$4lG for December. Spinnla amused his
lesa lucky colleagues by hourisAiIg his
wad of crisp now money in their jacsa
and saying; "Ita o cold day, boys. The
icemGn Ia coming"
The members talked OF nothing else ms
they stood around on the fioor after early
adjournment than the experiences Of the
unfortunate ones. Eita, nt Pennsyivarln,
lost ~ 200, it was Eaid. bingham and
BGyny Of PennsyivaniH, lost, il WAS said,
kl 900 each, and MntjSrmick Of Penn
Rylyani1, 5000. B0utelic Loot IS 500 j.
D. Taylor lost 50 600, PIckier $1,000,
Speaker Resd and Candidates MckinlAy,
Cannon, Henderson and Burrows al! lost
comparatively small amounts.
Tho great majority ri the members lost
part at ienst 81 their Da9em3sr salary,
and many lost all OF il and part OF No
yembsr's ~ we'll. or course they exOsct
to get most OF this back, bnt meanwhile
they are more or laSs embarrassed. Con
neil OF Nebraska, 10" eX AMPLE had been
saving up to buy new furniture for the
honse he has taken in Washington. His
wife and he we're TO 40 to New York to
aelectit yesterday afternoon week. He Loot
81 100 all he han HnYed. Our trip Ia
postponed he added grayely in telling
of the loss.
NATURALLY, HE IS AN ONO MAN.
Dsfaulter Stloott comes from Goungs-
town, o. A few years ago he ran for
| county auditor in Adams county, and
though very popular was defeated. lie
lad many fiienda, none more staunch
than Congressman Ben Butterworth of
| Ginciunati, who admitted, though very
, reluctantly, that StIcott had robbed him
/ of 81 goo some time ago in an Ohio
/ hotel. Both occupied the Same room,
I and Silcott appropriated the money while
; his comrade WAS asleep.
Apparently Siloott took few thousand
Z dollars some time ago, and then, when he
5 came to the time when he must give N
Y account to the new sergeent-at-Srms, tool
1 ali he could lay his hands on and left.
Il Stories implicaiing Laedom and som'
|. of his personal friends in Congress-tc
whom il IL said he loaned the funds-ar'
q afioaL, but cannot be verified. The com
4 inittees investigation may develop somt
q interesting facts about the practice O
i. advancing salaries. Ono member of thu
a committee has oTerdrGwn his own &c
Y count 5000.
. One object of Silcott's visit to New
10 York last Saturday, it is said, wan for tn
1t purpose OF collecting $4,000 from OK
o Congressman Paige of Ohio, now livini
10 III New York, which amount Eilcott hs
10 loaned him out OF the funds in his Gus
70 tody. 1t was necessary to have thi
< money in order to have the cash balanc
" when turned over to the incoming Gel
rs geant.Gt-arms.
10 On Saturday week it was the gossip {
m tho sergeant. et-armA' office that Sslcoi
Il had won 80 400 from tho LOCAL buoi
Is makers Just beyond the city limits. u
" also had th4 reputation OF playing th
in races steadily and of lending money I
~ bis associates at the capitol to back til
horses.
sILG3TT's FEMALE COMPANION
va The name OF silcott's tenlsls cpn
v. Dgnipn is Louise ThiebRult Gha Is
"a French. Canadian. livingin Qaebac. pae
n. day week ene told the woman of O hou'
n. in which she had lived that 9iloott ha
d. q. ked her il shs would come out and III
ed with him after ne had got located in Il
west. She told him che would do so, b.
w that she wanted to 70 home first.
mt During the afternoon the employees
w. the sergeant Rt-arm's offiDs were busy G
nj ing ever tho books and accounts,
err. abatement secured from the treasu
IN show that last week Silcott in three de
lot drew SI33 ,442. IS from the department
he The pnyplenis wero AS follows; Mover
10 bsr 9TH, $50 ,G05; November 29th, T3t
,et 2UG. 10; November 30th, 500, 627. AZ; totg
i'd $l3a Ii9lS. Out OF this total corsi
ME cradle sum was paid out to member
by some money was turned over to the 20
r. ing teller 10 meet current neoda, and I
is exact balance n,sEing, according to +
las books, is III $50 9G
Bul number OF representatives. we
vas in the hsbit Of keeping individual {
the no9itn with Che sergeant alarms, and,
md fact q general banking business was do
MD in the ettics on small scNlo. What iii
. il LOSSES are has not yet been fully aao
ing taired Inquiry 1T s0uo OF the ban
ave develops the fact that Aiicctt ps
$4,000 in notes at the National Met
Fes pclilan Bank Saturday week. There I
late rumors that ne oy5rdrsw his HccoC
mt elsewhere; but, With their customary
lis serve, the banks fail to say anything
confirmation. Tns heavy total OF no
paid goes to confirm stories that
N, atloat OF extraordinary living aNd rs
- speculation by the defaultar. Later
" formation is TO the etfscy that the payi