Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-12-20
COST OF CONGRESS.
Twelve Thousand Dollars Expense
Every Day in the Year.
Extending Civil Service RuIes-The Carrying
Trade -Whiskey loo High

1
lative houses cost the government $40, 600.
| but he did not believe it. He was new
man in the congressional field and was
much surprised when one of the old men,
bers, General Dingley of Maine, corrected
| him by saying that the average cost of
congress was just about $12, 600 a day.
| There is no absolute way of getting at it
to the cent" said Governor Dingley, but
| this is as fair basis as can be used. The
appropriation for the legislative branch of
the government for the year ending next
| July is SO, 750, 900. 1t would not be cor
rect to count the number of days congress
is in session and divide the cost by that
number, for the salaries of congressman
and employees of the two houses are an
nual salaries, which must be paid whether
congress is in session or not. Counting
5l2 working days to the year, the cost of
congress per day is little more than S12,-
o9o.' Tho heaviest item in this total is
II, oG3, 000 for pay of salaries and mileage
IF members and delegates in the house.
The salaries and mileage of senators
amount to S4s5, 900. The senate, how
ever spends more money for its help than
! the house, the figures being: Senate, $449,-
900; house, $4o1, 900. The contingent ex
those cf the house.
Useless Committees.
1t is remarkable coincidence that the
number Of standing committees of the SEN
ate just about equals the numbers of sena-
tors. 1t is such coincidence as must be
explained by some rational cause, and the
cause, clearly enough, is found in the fact
that every member of the controlling party
/, TINT hc2T wants g committee chairman
ship, with it's perquisites of a luxurious
room and clerk hired at the expense Of
the government. for himself. OF the 46
standing committees of the senate, only 10
or 20 have any business to do, and some OF
these very little. Wholly useless commit
tees arc those on relations with Canada,
on revision Of the laws of the United
States, on conduct, organization and ex-
penditures in the executive departments;
on civil service and retrenchment, and
many mora that could be named. Yet ev
cry one of theee committees has its luxuri-
ous r,olA, its clerk and it's messenger.
Three of tho i6 standing committees are
now presided over by Republican chair
men, This is one Of the courtesies of the
senate Tiut there are IA select commit
tees, and here courtesy gets in its work
again. for most of these are given to Re
publtans Both parties work the matter
in the same way, SO it is not party
question at all When the Democrats are
in power, they see that every one on their
own side has chairmarship, and select
list of Republicans alss,. When the Re-
publicans are in CONTROL they look out
first for themselves and then for their spe-
cial friends on the other side.
troublesome &ostofftces.
President Cleveland goes right along
extending the civil service rules to more
and more of the employees of the govern
ment. 1t is now seriously proposed to in
clude fourth class pcstmaSters and per-
haps presidential pos5masters as well in
the civil service regulations. One would
naturally think congressman would object
to this, for one of the supposed inalienable
rights and advantages of a congressman is
to name the postmAsters in his district;
but, as matter of fact, congressman
would be glad to have eli the postoffices
taken out of their seach. Every other year
large number Of congressman are beaten
either for renomiHation or reelection By
postoffice quarreli. 1t Is said that Messrs,
Heard and Bland ard Dockery Of Missouri
were all beaten by postoftice squabbles,
one of them by one orAve and another by
trouble over two offices in his district.
Mr. Cultivate cf Ohio vent down because
Of trouble about two postoffices, Two
years ago Mr.. Il lit of Illinois came within
an ace of losing becasise of a postoffice
row. A veteran congressman tells me
that fully one-Ealf of t'.e men who are de-
feated in an eff )rt to hold their seats as
cribe their failure to trouble about filling
the postotfices in their districts. 1t is an
axiom here that the disappointed eppli-
cants always 60 man more harm than
can possibly be offset by the friendship of
the successful candidate.
Question. of Freight Rates.
Secretary Morton called my attention
today to the remarkable fact that during
the past season grain had been carried
from Chicago to Buffalo at the lowest rate
ever known, or a cent a busAel. Yet this
rate is the same as that made by at least
one line of ocean steamships for carrying
grain all the way across the Atlantic, or
from Boston to Liverpool. The difference
in the distance between Chicago and Buff
falo and Boston and Liverpool Is great
enough, other things being equal, to make
. still lower rate in the lake carrying
trade. The department of agriculture is
carefully studying all these questions of
freight rates on farm products and regards
the work as an important feature of its
operations. Ultimately it may have some
recommendations to make to congress con-
cerning methods of enabling the farmer to
get a better price for his product.
A Great Reform Demanded.
Senator Harris of Tennessee was much
amused today when one of his constituents
called him out to the marble room and
said he had come all the way from Ten
nessec to urge the senator to favor great
reform that was imperatively demanded
by the poor men of the country. And
what is this great reform?' asked the good
natured senator. 'Well, sir, F" responded
the Tennesseean, sthe 90 cents additional
duty on whisky must be taken off. That
is what beat our party at the last election.
The people want cheap whisky, and they
are going to have it, What we want is
the good old days, when you could buy
big drink Of the best whisky for 5 cents.
The people won t stand dear whisky, and
the sooner you fellows up hero find it out
the better You have ruined the country
by putting up the price of good liquor.
By this tine Senator Harris thought he
saw " hat was the matter, and he appsased
his constituents appetite for cheap whisky