Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-28
The Enormous Cost Of Burying q
Congressman Nowadays.
JOYOUS JUNKETING TRIPS.
Luxurious Memorial Volumes With Steel En-
gnvings-Five INSTRUMENTATION
Rejoice-Win the Abuse Continue:-Inter-
views With Prominent Congressmen.
Written for The Evening Star.

| oAAA~AsA AuuOkoib ny nun. Mr. OAscs VI hAoOeaAAn
in one Of the last speeches Of the last session.
He denounced the habit OF sending committees
Of honor to accompany the remains Of deceased
Senators and Representatives to their place Of
interment, and then he said:
"These committees. instead Of being genuine
mourners, usually take pleasure excursions or
junkets at the expense Of the public treasury.
never have served On one of these. but I note
among the expenditures one funeral which cost
$50. 900 and another which reached near $780,
600. 1t matters not how obscure or inconse-
qucntial a member may be, IL he dies in official
harness, the same expensive program is adopted
and the same formula observed of burying him
and then OF pronouncing eulogies upon him and
Of printing these fulsome illusions in volume,
with steel engraving frontispiece, and at an
average cost to the people who never heard Of
him of 10000 for the volume"
He was Immediately bounced on by corrc-
spondents on the newspapers, who declared
that the expenses we're not tenth part of the
sums alleged, and gave recent disbursements
as follows:
For Senator Beck-Undertaker. $685. so; gen.
erai expenses, including Pullman cars, 81, 795. ~;
transportation, 81, 553. %; carriages, SI31; mis-
cellaneous, S2l0. Total. s4,42847.
For Senator Miller-General expenses, in
Guiding hotel bill at San Francisco, 81, 1884. 40;
carriage hire, s119; transportation, including
railway fare, Pullman cars and supplies en-
route S5,9f7.S4. Total, S7,38O74.
This statement is probably correct. as far as
1t goes, but it includes only one kind Of ex-
penses-those attendant on burial-whereas Col
Oates meant to include at least four kinds, for
instance:
For Senator Miller-Expenses Of transporta-
ton and burial $3.50. "a: expenses of volume
OF eulogies, 5000; expenses of Congress ad-
journed one day. $40. 600; expenses OF money
voted to widow, 1000; total, $50, 9S0.74.
This makes the funeral cost $50, 900. the sum
first named by Col. Oates. The $50 200 funeral
Moreover. the undertaken. who made his wav
into Senator Beck's bill, accidentally escaped
from Senator Millers, but there is every reason
to believe that he got into the treasury.
Congress is not only in the habit Of giving
s5.O AZ q gratuity to the widows of all mem
bers who die in service, but of making corre-
spending present to the widows. and even other
relatives, of all clerks of Congress who die in
service. On April Is, 1888, the Senate gave
81 ,296 to Mary A r. Quimby, sister of the en-
rolling clerk, and when +. H. Salisbury, an
other clerk, died, 81. 095 was given to his folks,
said sum to be considered as including funeral
expenses and other allowances" And 30 ON
for dozens of other clerks.
The annual report of the secretary Of Senate
for 1887 contains the following items:
For goods furnished for the funeral Of Sen
ator John A. Logan, deceased, viz: 18S6-De-
cember 29.-1,943& yards calico ut Tie.
S146.15; S7% yards cloth at 8715c, S327i; 4
gross pins, $2.sS; IL pieces tape at Csc, 50; Is
yards wool fringe at $780,. S525: % yards silver
braid at 2oc., $3.50; "a yards Grape at S1.75,
S42; 80 silk sashes at 81, $40; 10 pieces hat
Grape, $40; dozen white silk gloves at SI2
53S: u dozen white silk gloves at Sl2, S15; 6
dozen cotton gloves at %, S18; 5 pieces hat
Grape. %; IS yards Grape at S175, $22.75; 400
folding chairs, go. Total, S614.34
1t would be interesting to know what became
OF the thirty silk sashes at 81 apiece. But if
this be only a small part Of the funeral expenses
OF Gen. Logan, whose services to the country
are not likely to be overestimated or overpaid,
what shall be said when Thousands on thou
sands of dollars are paid out for obscure mem
bers whose names are scarcely known beyond
their own counties?
Here is another bill paid by the House: To
laying out body of X. W. Townshend, deceased,
$780, STEMS state casket, full beveled, $3.50
red cedar case, $50; lead lining and sealing,
$50; hearse, So; barber. 3d. fine diagonal suit Of
clothes, as; patent leather shoes, "a. Total,
els.
The government paid $3.50 for the coffin Of
Hon. W. D. Kelley and 500 for his grave. T The
burial of Hon. s. s. Cox cost the government
SS23.60, besides the principal items-transpor-
tation and other expenses Of committee.
One item Of expense for Senator Beck's
funeral is IS follows: Personal expenses of COM
mittee to Lexington, KY, Of which 81 900 was
for food. 81, 1852.
find on inquiry at the government printing
Office that the volumes Of eulogies cost all the
way from "a 900 for an ordinary member to
ga 600 for distinguished man like Logan.
This Is exclusive Of wrapping, addressing and
postage, in the aggregate some thousand more.
and the steel engravings, costing $500 to 81, 900
each. One hundred copies of each book con-
stitute an edition de luxe for the window, in
morocco and gold.
WHAT SENATOR DoLPH THINKS
II am not hurrying," said Senator Dolph,
caressing his long gray whiskers with his hand.
1T is still very comfortable in Washington"
He was walking down F street, but he paused
long enough for me to ask him some cues
tions.
81 am in favor Of using Sunday for all the
funeral orations. The day IL especially adapted
to that purpose, Only one objection occurs to
big book Of eulogies. But even that would be
better than spending precious time that is be-
ing paid for by the people at the rate Of one or
two thousand dollars an hour. And these spe-
cial trains OF palace cars across the continent
carrying lot Of people-some of whom do not
him-I have no doubt they will terminate with
the Congress that has just expired. 1t is the
last thing these dead men would want il they
could speak, parade over their dead bodies,
turning, more or less. into what the good
Samanthy Allen called q pleasure exertion.'"
DO you think we are entering on an era of
frugality,. senator?'
'Yes: that is, think the proprieties Of the
case will be consulted, and money be spent
where it is needed. Other things besides
funerals will be cut next year, too. The knife
will be put into these depal tmcnts and excres-
| cences will be Topped off. Worthless clerks
will be weeded out-there are a good many of
| them, and they can be found and identified.
1t is work that greatly needs doing"
MAI. MKrNLEY PREDICTS RRToRM
called on Mr.. Mckinley and found him IN
to his neck in documents, letters and garden
Seeds trying to work his way out, and he was
quite as amiable and cordial as he was before
that uncomfortable November blizzard came
| from Kansas.
'There is certain to be q reform in the
| method Of burying public men," he said.
':Both the Interior and Treasury Departments
| have been closed this winter because of the
death Of ex-Secretaries and thousands of clerks
were turned into the streets who never before
heard the names Of the gentlemen whose de-
| mise they wero required thus joyously to cele-
brate. This is all wrong, of course, and have
| no doubt it will be stopped. department or
| a bureau or q division ought to adjourn for
| day when its immediate chief dies, that much
| is due to the prophecies and humanities. but
there the holidaying ought to ond. The gov
eminent is too large and its work is too extern
| sive to allow it to celebrate the exes.
Gas to the death Of Congressman, it should
be formally recognized in some way, but am
opposed to taking Sunday for 1t, as some have
.<oA II H. A<~~ Il