Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-16
Barber Shop Attachment.

ii
time when all-night sessions may be neces-
Sary.
Barber Shop Attachment.
The Senate boasts of the most luxurious
barber shop in the world. This is not be-
cause it is so gorgeousIy furnished and
fitted although 1t will pass inspection on
those points; it is because a shave or hair
cut had there is absolutely free, and there
is no obligation whatever on the part of the
shavee to tip the barber. This shop is rum
for the exclusive benefit Of the Senators,
and is in charge of skilled laborer'' at
81 900 a year. assisted by two "laborers'' at
S720 year. The barber shop does not APP
pear in any way among the items of the
Secretary'S report.
1t is one of those things generally recog-
niZed by those who are in a position to do
so. A stranger to this unique system of
finance might read the book dozen times
and not knew that such an establishment
existed. The BARRIERS are provided for on
the regular rolls, and their materials are
paid for out of the contingent fund, under
the head of miscellaneous items. Here is
sample BILL paid to local drug firm under
voucher 3d. June %. 1894: Two
certs. GO cents; one large bottle bro
mo seltzer So cents; 10 pounds camphor.
at As cents, $40; IL gallons of
alcohol. $780, gallons witch hazel, So: 3
dozen boxes of backing, $3.50; one bottle
hair tonic. 45 cents; one-half dozen essence
of Jamaica ginger, S22o; 10 gallons bay
rum, S37.5O: one bag salt, ST. one quart
glycerine. IS cents; bottles russell leather
polish. S1.4O; dozen boxes Catherine pow
ders. So; etc, ETC.. etc, until this particular
bill reaches a total of $129.35.
A Use for Drugs.
The barber shop does not consume all
these drugs, but many of them are kept in
ste ok in the office of the sergeant-of arms,
whittier the sick and wounded repair dur
ing Office hours. A page with refractory
stomach that rebels at too much green
fruit is prescribed for and cured with neat
ness and dispatch. A messenger, with
morning headache that speaks of a good
time over night, is dosed with q powder
and sent back to his post of duty in a
twinkng of an eye. Even Senator with
an incipient case of malaria is saved for
the public service by timely quinine pill.
The apparently unwarranted extrava-
gance Of this senatorial drug store is in
reality an economy, for many hours are
saved the government by prompt and time
ly doses. no mention, of course is made
in the report of stocks Of headache pow
ders and other rnatutinal refreshments kept
in tine cloak room for strictly personal use,
but they are there just the same.
Space prevents that even feebly ade-
quate justice be done to this entertaining
volume. The list of miscellaneous ex-
penses fairly feeks with interesting eX-
penditures. Columns could be written of
the enterprise Of the government in buy
ing mineral water at 1915 a case and get
ting rebate by selling the empty bottles
at cents apiece; much could be said of
the generosity of the Senate in paying 500
for a crayon portrait of Senator Voorhees,
for the use of the committee on finance;
allusion ought to be made in passing to the
good uses to which the fund is put, such
as the purchase of zone Bible, with apoc-
rypha and concordance" at S.
Carriage and Funeral Expenses,
The carriage bill of the Senate is not q
small item. The sum of $50 a day for
the use of hack is. of course, quite mod