The morning call., 1892-01-17
STATIONERY FOR THE SENATE.
Amount Allowed Each Member Of he Upper
House.

Then there viii be a sudden increase Of
business, for there are a large number Of
Senators who want the same sort Of station
cry at home that they get here, so there is
much packing and shipping Of goods, writes
the Washington correspondent OF the Com
mercial Advertiser. Then the empty shelves
have to be reIaden and this involves a com
plete stock-takiug. BY that time the second
session will be on deck. Next year prom
ses to be remarkable for The amount of
business transacted through the stationery
room. Ii will be a Presidential year
and that means that many millions Of en-
velopes to be used Ia the dissen ination
Of campaign documents viii be needed.
Every good partisan in the Senate, 10 say
nothing OF those who insist that they are
not pGrtisans, viii make at1eaSt one speech,
which can he circulated with the assistance
Of an unlimited and inexpensive supply Of
franks. Last Presidential wear the Senate
stationery-ToOm provided Senators with just
-, 600 envelopes. Over at the House
end the demand brought forth y, 100000.
Next year the demand for envelopes will be
greater than ever. and this means that
every envelope factory IN the country viii
be running overtime all the summer long.
There is a general impression abroad that
grea abuses exist in connection with the
supplying or stationery 10 legislators.
Years ago there may have been
good and sufficient foundation for
/ trlfie Of suspicion, but that fOundatio
no longer exists. Each Senator IS annually
allowed the sum Of 1925 for stationery and
newspapers. II he gets more station
cry than 1925 viii pay for, hs has
/ to 90 down into his pocket and bring
/ forth the necessary currency. a great many
Senators -men whose CORES pondence IS
continuous and large-do have 20 purchase
Ia CU1Uflffpg and n VpiDnnS
the stationery allowance is insufficient
/ for such as these. People who know
( little or nothing OF Congressional labOrs
may iud 1t difficult 10 believe that sons
! Senators eXpend between $500 and $500
every year merely for postage stamps.
/ When General Logan was IN the Senate his
postage STAMP bill frequently exceeded
! $1,000 a year. Postal expe nses have de-
creased 10 a considerable extent since the
frauklng privilege was extended to such
correspondence as a member OF Congress
might have with any Federal officer. Under
tie present law no postage is required when
a Senator or Representative writes to a
Postmaster, an Internal revenue officer or
any other United States official. A large
| stock of envelopes designed especially for
this class of correspondence finds lodging
Ia the stgtiOnery-r0om.
1t used to br that at the beginning Of each
session each Senator was given supply OF
StationeTy-termsd a starter" This meant
big morocco box Of paper and envelopes
aGd tile necessary ct cetera. Ii he was mar
Tied bis wife got an assortment, too. and If
he had daughters they also received indi-
Yidual tokens Of the Senate's good wishes
and a nations liberality. There was no
limit TO the amount Of stationery Senators
could draw, but even with the fences down
there was but little extravagance. This
year the only gratuity WAS a big morocco
portfolio.
The sensation-monrer was freouentlv tri Cd
to make Interesting material GU I Of the fact
that the press gallery IS supplied with sta
uoneTy from the official fount. There are
more than 80 CORES ondents In the gal
leTy. and yet the supplies furnished them
never exceed $500 in value during any year.
An that goes to tie gallery is writing paper
envelopes, pencils, pens. lax and mucilage.
A man In Lincoln County, Me-, who dis
likes too much company. has removed the
elevated walk by which his front door was
reached aud goes in by means Of ladder at