The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1894-05-17
HOW YOUR MONEY GOES.
SOME TENS TAKEN FROM THs
OFFICIAL REPORT
sHowISG HOW CONGRESS SPENDS
YOUR MONEY.
How Much They Spend For Ice, Bay-rum,
Lemons, Cologne. Pond-liily Wash. and
Other Luxuries.---The story Told by "a
Member OF Congress.
(By Ex-Congressman Tom Watson.

Member OF Congress.
tBy Ex-Congressman Tom Watsonl
At no time since the late Civil
War have the people of this country
been in a better frame Of mind to ex-
anime into the conduct Of their rul-
ers.
Party tyranny has been rudely
shaken by its own errors.
Party bosses have presumed too
far, and the people who were blinded
by passion in 1892, now realize that
the keeping of certain SET of profes-
sional politicians in office is not ne
cessarily synonymous with the saliva
tion of the Republic.
Believing that the time has come
when the honest citizen, whether
Democrat or not, would like to know
how his taxes are being spent, | have
been looking into the official reports
of the disbursing officers of the
House and Senate, with a view to
telling the taxpayer some things
which his party bosses and their
hireling newspapers will never tell
him.
These reports give an itemized ac-
count of the moneys spent by Con-
gress in salaries, supplies, incidental
expenses, etc.
OF course most of the expenditur-
es are authorized by law and are free
from criticism.
But the people have been so negli-
gent about these matters and the
temptation to be liberal with some
body else's money is so strong, thai
many an item, involving many
thousands of dollars, has crept IN
to these accounts to the utter vlo
lation of law and to the disgust OF
all the better class of Congress
men.
Remembering that every dollal
thus squandered, without authorlt.,
of law, comes out of your locket
let us examine the items OF the &C
count.
First we will take the report o
Mr.. Kerr, Clerk of the Democratic
House over which Mr.. Crisp presi
ded.
1t appears that he paid out $42;
for coffin and fixtures for Gen
Spinola, wealthy New Yorker, VIII
died while serving term IN Con
gress. For silk gloves, carriages
kilograms. embalming, etc, connec
ted with same funeral he paid ou
Sl23.75. For other kilograms connec
ted with same funeral, for Pullman
cars to New York the funeral party
etc, he paid, further, 1924. In
widow, it appears, stopped at tn
Westminster Hotel, in New 4or
three days, and the Government pal
the board bill of $4,000. Paid
out of your money. The sam
> Hotel was paid $62.40 for tn
t boa I'd of the funeral committee, al
SO.
The Government also paid tn
New York undertakers $252.20 fO
their services. Paid it out Of you
money. All this you will find o
page ia of Mr.. Kerr's official r.
port.
Now turn to page 302 of the Stat
utes at Large of the United State
for 1891 to 1898, and you will fin
t that Congress paid Gen. Spinola
o widow an additional sum of $4,000
), A whole years salary was given til
:, widow of this wealthy New York;
t who died before he served you sll
s gle day of his term.
S Gen. Spinola was Democrat, an
the House whose concurrence W;
necessary to the passage of this appr
+ priation, was overwhelmingly Demo
i cratic.
|. On page SO of the official report
+ the 5Oth Congress there is a stat
y ment of the funeral expenses cha
t., ged up to you for the burial of tt
n Hon. Sam. j. Randall. The coff
t, and fixtures cost you $525, the Ell
e balming $50; the black silk sash
s SS4: the white silk sashes $40
d black silk gloves SIS; white 81
ID gloves $22.5O; draping the chur'
c. S125; and few other items whlC
run that part of the bill up to s
~ O39.50.
lg Then came the expense of carr
,s. ing Mr.. Randalrs family to the fu
a. eral and back; also the expense
n the committee to Philadelphia al
ty back. Total cost of going to t
50 funeral and coming back S977.1
We Eighty one persons, including t
''e- family and committee, were CARR
he to Mr.. Randalls funeral at your
ne pense. The porters on Pullman ca
>e always expect 'tips'' from travelle
tie that is, little presents of dime Or
ed quarter. On this funeral train t
ng custom was strictly adhered to. l
1t porters got $500 in "tips." 1e
zee money. See page 81 of the
vi port.
ess Remember, also, that Mrs. Ii
dali got an appropriation from z
en gress similar to that of Mrs. 5
we nola.
ny On page 3O1 of the Statutes
ar Large you will find appropriation;
$4,000 each for the widows OF n
srs. Ford, Gamble, Houk and |
all of whom died just after elect
rs' and never rendered you a days
en vice. To each of those gentlema
successor was Immediately choI
and his successor also drew full
so' covering the same term for VIII
nov Congress paid the dead men.
of your money.
the The Speaker of the House is,
you may have heard me remark,
al