Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-05-18
The Expensive u. s. Senate,

baltimore Suns Washington Correspondent
| While the story OF the extravagant expen.
dtures of the two branches Of Congress has
| been told more than once, it is a recital which
will we'll warrant repetition. The House of
Representatives in this republican country
costs very much more than any similar legis-
lative body under any other government in
the world. Enormous, however as its out
lay, it is moderate indeed when compared with
the lavish waste of public funds by the Sen
| ate. The House, with 500 members, costs the
people OF the United States considerably more
than $500 per annum. Most OF the low
CT houses of the legislative bodies of Europe
have two and three times as MANY members
as belong to the lower branch of our national
legislature, yetthey cost the people for whom
they legislate scarcely a fraction Of what we
pay Tor the honor of being governed
But it IS the Senate, the American House of
Lords, which bears the palm for expenditures
in its own behalf; expenditures, the amount
of which is enough to take the breath away:
expendituresswhichg grow year by year in vol
une; expenditures so outrageous and indefer
sible that it seems almost Incredible for the
men who are plunging their hands so deep in
the public pocket to show themselves with
uncovered faces. The British House of Lords
composed ofnearly seven hundred men. about
eight times as many as are in the Senate of
the United States. draw from the British trea-
sury for its entire expenses not so much mon
ey as.our Senate throws away in the unconsid-
cred tribes which may be denominated as ex-
traS. But no British nobleman who has a seat
IN the House OF Lords would dare for one
moment to saddle his private expenses unon
the public. The English public would not
submit to such an imposition for day. The
House OF Representatives Of the United States.
with its 356 members, takes $ll5, 600 Der annum
to pay its employees. The Senate. with eiob.
ty-elght members, has taken $41S,o0 for this
year for the same purpose, and, as it constant
y increases its feelings, next year will no
doubt take more. 1t requires $3.50, 900 to nav
the mileage OF members of the House. but the
senate cannot get along with less than S45 Ooo
annually for the same purpose. In all PRO.
liability there are not more than ha If a dozen
Of its members Gf so many) who do not travail
IN railroad passes and coolly drop the money
which belongs to the people into their wal
lets. The House contents itself with 6ftv
seven committees, nne-third at least of which
are OF no use, but the Senate cannot get alono
with less than sixty.
The innocent reader will'ask, Why. then,
do they want to bother with so MANY commit
tees2 Simply because the chairman has then
private room for his use and that of his
friends, and a clerk to attend to his private
business without any cost to himself. The
titles OF some of these committees are HIGHLY
amusing. When ingenuity was finally ex
hausted in devsing names Tor committees and
its list had grown to sixty for body of eiph-
ty-elght men, it might have been supposed
there would come halt. But oh no. The
bull was taken by the horns, and the Senators
for whom no committee names could be found
were voted clerks any way And so it is that
every member Of tile Senate has clerk of his
own. at his individual beck and call, with no
dkain upon his private purse therefor. The
clerks, messengers and employees of one kind
and another around the Senate wing of the
Capitol are as thick as flies around sugar
barrel. Each Senator does not cost the coun-
try less than $4,000 per annum. In other
words each one gets, 5000 for wages, and it
is much higher wages than the majority of
them are worth, and in addition some 81 900
more to provide him with clerks and walters
to minister to his comfort generally while he