Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-14

| That cheerful document-the annual report
OF the secretary Of the Senate-has again made
Its appearance. 1t is mere interesting reading
than anything ever imprinted on the pages OF
the Congressional Record. II contains de-
tailed statement Of the receipts and expendi-
| lures authorized by law and custom, and as
| custom is . some what elastic affair there are
few items that may awaken the cachinnatory
| instinct In some Of those good people who are
| not at this time members Of the Senate. Every
| one must have noticed the extraordinary NOR
| tality among men Of eminence, but it was left
Tor this report to show how the Senate got of
| SO easily. The labor consequent upon an en-
deavor to defect the darts of the destroyer
when ne got after a Senator is not an incon-
siderable affair. 1t took just 1900 quinine
piils-nearly {, 500 grains-to keep up the av-
| erage OF senatorial health. Whether the quiz
nine was taken straight or not fails to appear
In the report. The only mention Of any pos
sioie accompaniment is under the head OF
aicohoi, OF which the supply was little more
| tnan tnirty gallons, some OF 1t purchased spe-
officially for Senate cloak rooms" Eau de
quinlne also did its share of the noble work.
assisted by several gallons Of extract of witch
haZei, castor oil, salts OF tartar, carboic acid,
gum camphor. magnesia, aqua ammonia,
few boxes Of witch-hazel ointment. three
| three pounds of powdered Jamaica ginger. two
gallons OF neatsfoot oil, five pounds Of cosmo-
| line and two sets of bandages.
SENATORIAL CLEANLINESS.
But cleanliness, besides being closely related
to godliness, is a factor in the condition of the
individual, and surely no Senator went I'M
| clean. Every possible inducement was offered
each legislator to keep himself in high-grade
| sanitary condition. Three new imperial bath
tubs, each costing Sl20. added their entreaties
IN nft hay, n,.$x ~ H. H.
basement After a bath comes bay rum-just
NJ gallons-and then in logical sequence
follow the hair cut and the shave. For
| these every preparation has been made, and
| the report shows it. Among the recent pur-
chases are flesh brushes, indicated ointmeuts
white cosmetic, several gallons of cologne,
quantities of honey and glycerine soap, shaw
ing soap, essential oil, vaseline, glycerine
quinine hair tonic, oil of bergamot, philocome
huile, Yucca and herbarium. puff ball and
SO were sixty-eight individual shaving mugs,
brushes and sponges, the mugs, ofcourse being
duly decorated with senatorial names. The
sponge account foots up s349.40.
KEEPING COOL
There was no lack Of drinkable liquid in the
Senate cloak rooms during the warm weather
which belongs to the fiscal year ended last
June. Twenty-seven boxes Of lemons, IS cases
Of apolinaris water (all quarts but two) and
Gil pounds Of sugar were used up in lemonade
To make this material available as q thirst
quencher there were purchased lemon knives.
| strainers, l sugar scoop, large iron spoons
largo tin buckets, z covered sugar bowls,
ladies', sugar spoons and q round dozen Of
lemon squeeZers. There is no truth in tho ru-
NOR that each Senator has individual"
| squeezer, with his name painted thereon. Sew
eral Senators do not drink lemonade. What
was provided for these gentlemen is not appa-
| rent IN the report Perhaps they were the
victims Of prohibition sentiment and unjust
discrimination, but il that was the case no
sound Of complaint was ever heard. Mention
| is made in the miscellaneous purchases of two
punches" but there is nothing appended to
| show who they were for or what their variety.
The first disbursement from the contingent
fund was S165 for stationery; this went to Jno.
Wanamaker. That is the only sale made to the
Senate by cabinet officer during the entire
year.
One Of the growing industries at the capital
is box making. When q Senator has lot Of
books he desires to send home he orders pack
ing box. and gets it. He may have as many as
he wants. and he is not compelled to fill them
all with books. The report shows that material
Tor packing cases cost cSl6.20, while the labor
| OF constructing those useful articles amounted
to S257.22. In manufacturing the boxes glue
| is used, and it may be q sign of the times il
| apparent in the fact that Irish glue is now used
exclusively. Heretofore Russian glue has been
| regarded as a satisfactorily sticky product, but
| the Senate has given Its Endorsement to the
output Of Erin. What international complica-
tons may result from this action no one can
now prophesy.
In many respects the report is extremely
precise. ''Stomatitis pustatoso" was the affiic-
ton from which one Of the Senate horses suf-
fered, and veterinary treatment for that horse
cost $40. An ordinary case Of inflammation
was cured for 81. Seven horses had influenza
at one time and it cost the Senate so to have
| them attended to. Horseshoeing costs about
the same as usual, but those who religiously
| read the report year after year miss from the
pay roll the names Of distinguished men who
have In days gone by figured on the pay sheet
as horseshoers, but who never did anything
more laborious than exchange their autographs
for q large monthly consideration.
A CONTEST AT FOLDING Speeches.
The first official announcement OF the result
| Of an exciting contest makes its appearance in
the report. Two well-known literary men
one from the east the other from the west
| started in ESQ says the report), during the bus
lest period of the last Congress- to fold speeches
| and documents. The eastern champion started
out with record OF 10000 folded during the
first month of his engagement and the exertion
Melted him SEQ. The little giant of the west
opened up with only $4,000 to his credit and
although his friends were generally hopeful,
yet few OF the more conservative did not
think he could possibly catch up with COM
though. For three months thereafter he must
have tOiled without ceasing, averaging $500
day, Sundays included. This gave him a
monthly total Of 100000 and q monthly
income OF 500. The eastern represen-
tative struggled manfully against the supe-
rior nervous energy of the.trans- Mlssissippian,
but in vain. his monthly totals being but
&C, 600. The result was that the west in three
and half months folded $50, 900 speeches,
while the east managed in five months to place
300 600 documents to its credit. One OF the
singular things in connection with the contest
IL the unvarying regularity with which figures
footed up at the end of each month. Whether
there were thirty or thirty-one days in the
month the totals were precisely similar month
after month. An inexplicable feature Of the
demonstrating business ia the fact that SO
large asum as SS49. 10 was unexpended, although
available.
MISCELLANEOUS EXPENDITURES.
Some member Of the committee on rules
drinks his water directly out of the pitcher. 1t
cost so cents to repair the place where the
enamel was bitten out. Money was also ex-
pended for a jar Of snuff and for three boxes of
fly paper. No mention Is made of the states
man or statesmen who desired to shield them
selves from the attacks Of vicious flies. None of
the Senators who were questioned by a STAR
reporter would admit that there were or ever
had been flies on them. About the only things
not in the list Of purchased articles are pianos
and beer.
THE COST OF FUNERALS.
Funeral statistics are worth reading Sena-