Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-03-04
DEAD STATESMAN.
COME HIGH AND CONGRESS RE-
FUSES TO CHEAPEN.
Funerals and Obituaries Senate and
House Decline to Omit Them-Growth
of the scandal-Commissary Supplies
Rome Recent Extravagances.

newspaper comments on his congress
sional funeral bill. Not one of these
comments is unfavorable. The bill has
come before the senate three times and
been sidetracked three times on parlia-
mentary pretexts. 1t will never pass.
Statesmen cling to their perquisites, in
death as in life. Congressional eulogies
are as farcical as congressional funerals
are scandalous. In the house a few
days ago heroic effort was made to do
away with the congressional eulogies.
It commanded just thirty-one votes.
Those voting in the negative numbered
1S0. This division took place on the
heels of a statement from the former
chairman of the committee on printing
that in single congress the bill for
printing eulogies of deceased members
had cost over 100000. The house had
funny time in discussing the proposed
reform.
Mr. Lacey, of Iowa, told of constit-
uent who had written asking for 'some
memorial addresses, because, as he said,
there was nothing he read with so much
pleasure as the obituaries of congress
men," Uaughter)
"The whole country is about in the
same mind" commented Mr.. Walker, of
Massachusetts, and there was another
roar of great laughter.
Mr.. Curtis, of New York. told how one
of these memorial addresses had
transformed a venerable bachelor of
mature years into a married man with
wife and many children. Q-aughterO
/ need hardly say that this account OF
the deceased member somewhat dis
turbed his friends at home, who had al
ways supposed that their distinguished
representative at Washington had pur-
sued an entirely different course of
life" Great laughter)
Having had their jokes, the statesmen
voted down the proposition to stop de-
livering eulogies to empty seats and in
dorsed the continued printing of them,
with steel-plate engravings, in somber-
colored books, at n cost of $4,000 or
thereabouts annually.
The eulogies will be delivered and
the funerals will go on after the old
plan. 1t has cost us up to date over
500, 900 to bury dead senator's. Senator
Peffer's bill does not propose that sena-
torial deaths shall be ignored. 1t pro-
vides that when a senator or represen-
tative dies at Washington, the branch
of which he is q member shall appoint
a committee ito properly prepare and
incase the body of the deceased and for
ward it in charge of a ergeant-at-arms
to the home of the deceased and deliver
1t to his family or to his relatives" J"
This is to be done at government ex-
pense, but mo action or proceeding re-
uuiring the expenditure OF public
money other than is herein provided
for. shall be taken" This is the pro-
posed legislation which the press so
unanimously indorses. Senator Haw-
ley of Connecticut, Senator Mills of
Texas, Senator Faulkner of West Vir-
ginia and Senator Mitchell of Oregon
have in turn found parliamentary OBJ
iections which have prevented a vote
on the bill. Doubtless some other sem
ators will be ready the next time the
bill comes up as unfinished business"
to shunt it out of the way. One day
the bill was to be considered at 2
o'clock. That day the senate ADJOURNED
at 1:4S.
Where Senator PETER finds an unan-
swerable argument is in the growing ex-
travagance in attending these funerals.
Up to 1S47 there had been forty-eight
deaths of senators, and in only eleven
of these cases was the senate called
upon to spend any money. When sena-
tors died at their homes or during a
recess of the senate, it was not deemed
necessary for the government to turn
undertaken. Now, however, no sena-
torial death is allowed to escape the
contingent fund. Down to 1847 no sem
atorial funeral cost as much as $1,000.
Since 1877 every senator but one who
has died has been buried at government
expense. 1t is perhaps worthy OF men
tion that the last senatorial death be-
forC NJ which did not cost the govern
men( anything was that of Lewis V.
Bogy of Missouri. Mrs. Leland STAN
ford did not permit the senate to pay
any OF the bills of her husbands fu-
neral. but the Hearst obsequies cost the
government $21, ,S22.55.
Some of the more recent congress
sional funerals illustrate the elasticity
of the expense accounts. When Repre-
sentative Houk of Ohio dropped dead
during the last congress, he was given
a casket that cost $3.50, to which was
added copper lining at cost of 800
more. A brick grave and a marble
slab were put in by the thrifty ceme-
terry management in Ohio. 1t cost
S937.24 to take the committee from
washington to Dayton and back, and
to feed them en- route. when these
bills were audited it was found neces-
sary to disburse in addition $74.6O for
meals en- route. Dayton is about fifteen
hours from Washington. The commit
tee was evidently composed of good
feeders.
Another recent congressional funeral
was that of Representative Chapman,
whose body was taken to Detroit. Here
are few of the queer items in the Chip
man funeral account:
Dne-half dozen glasses. ...........$ SIS
Six professional bearers. ............ is
Shaving .
PalI-bearers' invitations. ns........... s
Canopy at grave. ...........,....... 10
soloist and male quartet. ....... So
Four clergymen's fees. 40
Choir and organist. t................. 40
Mr.. Chipman was put into $3.50 cas-