The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-19
AN EXPENSIVE, CLUB
WHAT THE UNITED STATES SENATE
COSTS THE TAXPAYERS.

Charge Up o0OO Inkstands and o135
Chairs-Laundresses Have snsp-De-
mand For Desks Never Ceases.
It takes q nioe little pot of money to
run that exclusive club of 90 gentlemen
known as the United States senate. The
sundry expense account for the last year
footed up $I70, 1876, and the total dis
bursements OH account of the senate
were 81, 1877, $50.
An inspection Of the annual report Of
the secretary of the senate shows that
nothing is too good for the Legislators
in the upper house Of congress, and un-
der the flexible title of contingent ex-
penses" one may find anything from
quinine pills to solid silver inkstands,
from Wilton carpets to steel wheelbar-
rows There is q voucher for every
thing, and each item is properly ac-
counted for, but there seems to be no
limit to the amount Of furniture which
may be purchased for the senate. Very
few of the lawmakers at the north end
Of the capitol ride wheel, yet it is tax
en- as matter of course to find an item
of 500 "for 70 antique bronze bicycle
holders put in place in the crypt for the
use of the senate.
The senate chamber itself is not such
luxurious place, but the committee
rooms swallow up O lot of incidentals
Committees which never meet from one
years end to the other have new type
writers every few months, and the num-
ber of expensive desks swallowed up in
this end of the capitol is almost incred-
ible. There is a sale of condemned fur
niture every now and then, but the
amounts received are out Of all proper
tion to the charges collected by local
firms for supplies. 1t costs $3.50 year
to wind and regulate the clocks Of the
senate, and yet the charges for repair
are frequent. They pay $40 for mail
bag for the United States senate. The
senators themselves are provided with
every comfort, and the account for the
barber shop would make the average
keeper of o swell "tonsorial parlor"
green with envy.
Oct. IA, 1895, the Office of the secre-
tary was enriched by two roll top desks
which cost $40 apiece. one which cost
S72, one which cost only $l8 and an
other valued at $66, making the COM
Portable item of $29S for desks. This
was not all for the luxurious secretary's
room, for Oct. 23 there was purchased
6SA yards of administer carpet at 81. go,
and Dec. ii another walnut desk at $18
was rolled into the secretary's Office.
, Nov. 20 it seemed necessary to fit up the
senate cham Der with new chairs, and 25
of them were purchased at $40 apiece,
making the total cost of this little item
$725.
According to the statement of dis
bursements, they must carpet about ev-
cry committee room in the senate wing
every year. One firm supplied in lump
81, worth of carpets and mating for
the various committee rooms and CALLER
les. and the carpets ran up to as high as
$1.80 q yard even in such humble
tee on foreign relations.
The corners of the senate chamber
looked bare, and so two mahogany table
desks with brass railings were ordered
made to order at cost of $50. The
hand carved, leather seated, mahogany,
revolving, tilt chair for the use Of the
vice president in the senate chamber was
made to ordef at the rather stiff price
of $135. The secretary of the senate
wanted hatrack Jan. 30, and so he
went to furniture store and paid
$22. 80 for it.
During the month Of August, at which
time the senate was not in session, the
local ice company was paid $171 for
frozen water to keep the employees cool,
and during the same month two hum.
BILE washerwomen received $54 for clean
ing 168 dozen towels which had been
soiled by the attaches. A local jeweler
was paid $500 for winding and regulat-
ing the senate clocks from July to Nov.
30.
When the account Of q favorite drug
gist is reached, the items are exceeding
ly interesting. July 20, 400 quinine
pills and an ounce of two grain quinine
tablets were charged for, and Oct. II
1000 quinine pills were also sent to the
capitol building, although the senate
was not in session, and the medicine
must evidently have been intended for
the employees. II is possible that 5000
quinine pills charged up Nov. 2S might
have been in anticipation OF the meeting
of the senate week later, although it
has not generally been supposed that
quinine is among the list of perquisites
of the United States senatorship
The singular array of barber's tools
and medicaments suggests that the little
barber shop, which is exclusively for
the use of the senators. must be we'll
supplied, although they do 60 at it in a
rather wholesale manner, as shown by
the fact that OH that eventfu Nov. %
there were sent down to the senate
chamber four dozen combs, two dozen
small combs, gross Of French black
ing, six dozen Of patent leather polish,
two boxes Of shaving soap, dozen bar
bers' whisk brooms, three bottles OF hair
tonic at 81 bottle, two large boxes Of
- a,w