Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-03-06
DEAD STATESMAN.
COME HIGH AND CONGRESS RE-
FUSES TO CHEAPEN.
Funerals and Obituaries - Senate ana
House Decline to Omit Them-Growth
of the scandal-Commissary Supplies
Some Recent Extravagances.

Especial Correspondence Globe-Democrat)
Washington.-Senator PETER has 800
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 timos 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 rev
days ago heroic effort was made to do
away with the congressional eulogies.
1t commanded just thirty-one votes.
Those voting in the negative numbered
1870. This division took place on the
heels of statement from the former
chairman of the committee on printing
that in a single congress the bill Tor
printing eulogies of deceased members
had cost over 100000. The house mad
a funny time in discussing the proposed
reform.
I Mr.. Lacey, of Iowa, told of a constit-
uent who had written asking for some
memorial addresses, because, as he sald'
there was nothing he read with SO much
Measure 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 mad
transformed a venerable bachelor OF
mature years into a married man with
wife and many children: UaughterJ
I need hardly say that this account or
the deceased member somewhat dls-
turbed his friends at home, who mad al
ways supposed that their distinguished
representative at Washington had pur-
sued an entirely different course Oh
life" Great laughter)
Having had their jokes, the statesmen
voted down the proposition to stop de-
1iyering eulogies to empty seats and in
dorsed the continued printing OF them,
with steel-plate engravings, in somper-
colored books, at cost of S5O,OOO or
Whereabouts annually
The eulogies will be delivered and
the funerals will go on after the olu
plan. 1t has cost us up to date over
500 900 to bury dead senator's. Senator
PETERS 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 member shall appoint
a committee ito properly prepare and
incase the body Of the deceased and 1or-
ward it in charge of sergeant-at-arms
to the home of the deceased and denver
1t to his family or to his relatives.
This is to be done at government eX-
nense but mo action or proceeding re-
uuiring the expenditure OF puphc
money other than is herein provided
for. shall be taken" This is the pro-
posed legislation which the press SO
unanimously indorses. Senator Haw-
lev of Connecticut, Senator Mills OF
Texas. Senator Faulkner of west VIZ
qinia and Senator Mitchell of Oregon
have in turn found parliamentary OBJ
iections which have prevented a vote
on the bill. Doubtless some other SEN
ators will be ready the next time the
hill comes up as unfinished business"
TO shunt it out of the way. One day
the hill was to be considered at z
o'clock. That day the senate adjourned
at 1:4S.
Where Senator PETER finds an unan-
swerable argument is in the groWlngeX-
travagance in attending these funerals.
Tin 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
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 1S47 no SEN
atorial funeral cost as much as $l,OOO.
Since 1877 every senator but one VINO
has died has been buried at government
expense. 1t is perhaps worthy OF men
ton that the last senatorial death be-
fore 1877 which did not cost the govern
iment 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 s21 ,322.55.
! 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 a copper lining at cost of 500
more. A brick grave and marble
slab we're put in by the thrifty ceme-
terry management in Ohio. 1t cost
1887. "a to take the committee from
washington to Dayton and back, and
ITO feed them en- route. When these
bills were audited it was found neces-
lsary to disburse in addition $74.6O for
meals en- route. Dayton is about fifteen
hours from Washington. The commit