The Republican., 1893-12-28
WHAT CONGRESS- COSTS.
Millions of Dollars Wasted by Prof.
ligate Lawr1akers
Efguns Whose Enornn.ty VIII Surprise
Thousands of well-deaning Country
Readers-Everythlrg Goes When
W Uncle Sam Pays the Bills.
Especial Washington Letter.l

In your daily reading concerning the
sayings and doings of the great men in
congress, have you ever stopped to
think of the cost of maintaining that
legislative body? The making of laws
is an expensive business for our peo-
pie; and yet so great are our re-
sources that we seldom count the cost.
The pay alone of members of the house
amounts to S1,S00, 900 a year, and they
get $3.50, 600 extra for mileage. To help
them transact their business they re-
quire small army of clerks, doorkeep-
ers, pages, messengers, etc. The
salary list for this force of assistants
runs up to S7S0,000. This force does
not include the Office of the sergeant
alarms, which is sort of bank,
through which the salaries of the
representatives are paid. To run this
financial institution an outlay of S16,-
900 more is needed. An additional
$50, 900 provides for the support of the
hoyse post Office, through which rs
much mail matter passes rs comes
! into and goes out of good-sized city.
The total annual expenditures for the
house amount to nearly S3,000,000
Inasmuch as the senate is a smaller
body, numerically, the cost of its main
tenance is considerably less. There
are $50 members of the house, and only
IS senators. Their annual pay amounts
to SAC. 200, with an additional $4,000
for mileage. There is an expense of
SIS, 400 for employees in the office of the
| vice president The office of the sec
retary 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 COM
mittees draw Sl63,5O0. The sergeant
alarms, doorkeepers and other help
ers get an aggregate of Sl1S,600.
There are further expenditures of $780,
| 700 for the document and folding
rooms, S1s,200 for the senate post
office and $4,000 for stationery and
newspapers. The total expenditures
of the senate amount to very nearly
S1,000,000.
Judging from the above figures,
which are official, one might be in.
clined to say that the annual eXpendi.
| lures of congress amount, in round
numbers, to little less than $4,000, ,00O
But there are other expenditures in
volved in maintaining q national legis
lature. For example, there are the
official reporters, the men who write
the reports of the proceedings and de-
bates which make up the daily public
alton called the Congressional Record
There are Eve of them on the floor o,
the house, sit at table in front
of the spcal desk. 1t is their duty
to report every word said from the
opening to tho adjournment. Being
all of them rapid stenographers they
manage by taking turns. AS quickly
as No. 4 goes down to the room on the
floor below, where he dictates the 1,00t
words he has taken to two shorthand
writers-500 words to one and 50(
words to the other-No. 2 takes his
place.
While these two shorthand writers
are copying off their notes quickly in
type script, reporter No. goes back tt
his seat in front of the speakers desk
Meanwhile No has finished his l ,00(
words and held up his thumb to No. 8
who in turn takes up the thread, while
No. goes downstairs and dictates
and so on until No. holds up his
thumb to No. and the business goes
on as before. This arrangement rem
ders it possible to have the complete
/ typewritten report of the house pro-
ceedings ready for the printer q few
minutes after the body adjourns. 1t is
!, the same way with the senate. Thus