Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-15


bers of the House amounts to 81, 800, 900 year,
and they get $4,000 extra for mileage. To
help them transact their business they require
small army Of clerks, doorkeepers, bookkeep-
ers, pages, messengers, &c. The salary list for
this. force Of assistants runs up to $3.50. 900.
This does not include the Office Of the sergeant
alarms, which is q sort Of bank through which
the salaries OF the Representatives are paid. To
run this financial institution an outlay Of
$4,000 more is needed. An additional $3.50
provides for the support of the House post office,
through which as much mail matter passes ~
comes into and goes out Of a good-sized city.
COST OF THE SENATE.
The number of Senators being much smaller,
their annual pay amounts only to $440, 900,
with an addition Of S45. 900 for mileage. There
Is an expense Of s546O for employees in tho
office of the Vice President The Office Of the
secretary Of the upper house, which does the
banking and attends to much Of the clerical
business of that august body, costs s64. 500 In
salaries Clerks and messengers to the various
committees draw &l63. 500. The sergeant-at-
arms, doorkeepers and other helpers get an
aggregate Of e11s,60O. There are further ex-
penditures OF s30700 for the document and
folding rooms. els, 200 for the Senate post
Office and QUO for stationery and news
papers.
FOR THE OFFICIAL REPORTERS.
This brief statement by no means comprises
all the expenses involved in running Congress.
Among many things left out, which are paid
for out Of the contingent funds, is the item Of
salaries for the official reporters. These are
the men who write out the reports Of proceed
ings and debates which make up the daily pub
LEGATION called the Congressional Record. There
are five Of them on the floor OF the House, who
sit at q table in front Of the Speakers desk. 1t
10 fhaiy dnfv 10 nArf ri hat d
from the opening to the adjournment Being
all Of them rapid photographers they manage
by taking turns. As quickly as No. has got
1000 words put down he holds up his thumb
and No. takes up the thread, very likely in
the middle Of a speech, while No. goes down
to a room on the floor below, where he die
tates the 900 words he has taken to two short
hand writers-500 words to one and 500 TO the
other.
While the two shorthand writer's are copying
of their notes quickly in type script reporter
No. ! goes back to his seat In front Of the
speakers desk. Meanwhile No. has finished
his 1000 words and held up his thumb to No.
8, who in his turn takes up the thread, while
No. goes down stairs and dictates-and 30 on
until No. 5 holds up his thumb to No. and the
business goes on as before. This arrangement
renders 1t possible to have the complete type
written report of the House proceedings ready
for the printer a few minutes after that body
adjourns. 1t is the same way with the Senate.
Thus each Congressman finds on his breakfast
table next morning copy of the Record, COM
Prising a complete: report OF everything that
was said and done in the national legislature on
the day before. These skilled stenographers
get 5000 year each.
COST OF THE "REcoRp."
There are ten Of them, and SO it costs ESQ, 900
year for the writing of the Congressional
Record, the stenographers paying their own as
sistants. The printing OF this interesting daily
publication is done at expense OF nearly
sl50,000 annually. During the last fiscal
year it used up 1876, 900 pounds Of paper and
l053 pounds of ink. For the titles and
ornamentation on bound copies $50 packs OF
gold leaf were required, valued at 81 ,0o9.
Five barrels Of -four were consumed in the
shape of paste for binding. During the first
session of the last Congress the outlay on the
printing Of bills and joint resolutions for both
House and Senate was S7l $50. During the
two sessions 10, s37 such documents were pre-
sented to the House and 4.O56 to the Senate.
Bills have TO be printed and reprinted at all
stages of their progress, SO that a single one
may have to be put into type score Of times
before it becomes a law.
FOR EuLoGIEa
Among the advantages which Congressman
enjoys is the expectation Of a costly eulogy in
case he dies during his term of service. In
such an event custom demands that his virtues
expense
of the government. During the last fiscal year
nine Representatives and Senators were thus
honored, at an outlay Of s46,462. The most
extravagant Of these publications came to
SI0,sf2. The expenditure for euogies runs
from 81, 500 up. From ten to twenty-five thou
sand copies ordinarily are distributed. Fifty
are presented to the family of the dead states
man; most Of the others find their way, sooner
or later, to the junk shop. Each one must have
q portrait, the engraving Of which costs uni
formy S34.
WASTE OF PUBLICATIONS.
Congressman have causedGrea waste Of the
public funds by scattering The publications is.
sued from the government printing Office broad
cast where there was no use for them. As a re-
suit of this practice thousands on thousands of
volumes every year were sold to dealers iG waste
paper all over the country without having been
taken from their wrappers. Compilations of
statistics. produced at enormous expense have
excited the wonder and dismay Of bucolic con-
stituents, while learned essays on Tertiary In
sects'' or other equally abstruse subjects have
astonished the untutored residents Of city
slums. This abuse has been done away with to
great extent by recent legislation. Among
the materials consumed by the public printer
i'll the last year. mentioned in his account, were
three gross fire balls, $50 worth OF eggs, eighty
four yards Of blue jeans, 206 gallons of benzine,
gle, Ill worth of gold leaf and $1,000 worth of
imftatfon S0iu ieaf. Autographed and en-
graved illustrations for the reports and execu-
tive documents Of both House and Senate cost
%, S24.
CHAPLAINs AND PACKING BOXES.
Congress is fairly economical with respect to
its expenditure on religion. The salary Of the
House chaplain is only 5000, while the chaplain
of the Senate gets the same amount The two
branches of the national legislature spend twice
that much in the course of year on packing
boxes. These are made by carpenters at tho
Capitol, and being handsomely put together,
are found very useful for slowing dresses in
and for other purposes OF transportation which
would otherwise require trunks. Ont of the
contingent funds the ''iunkets" of special COM
mittees are paid for. Often they are very en-
joyable as well as expensive affairs, costing
many thousands Of dollars Statesmen who
travel thus at Uncle Sans cost are usually lib
eral with themselves. 1t is quite interesting to
look over their printed accounts Of dlsburse-
ments. They always travel in drawing room
cars, put up at the best hotels and enjoy the
choicest Of whatever is to be had.
TO RUN THE CAPITOL.
1t costs a lot Of money to run the building
which Congress occupies for business pur-
poses. The Capitol Is under the charge Of
Architect Clark, who is allowed $65, 900 year
for keeping it in order. Seven carpenters are
employed all the year round in making re-
pairs, while six painters devote their exclusive
attention to the many acres OF wall surface in
side and outside Of the structure. Four
plumbers do nothing hut mend and renew the