The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1897-01-05
AN EXPENSIVE Club.
WHAT THE UNITED STATES SENATE
COSTS TIE TAXPAYeRS

Expense Is Nothing t" Senator's They
Charge Up $500 Inkstands and S135
Chairs -Laundrcs-cs Have a snap De
mand For Desks Never Ceases. \
1t takes "a nice little POT Of money to
run that exclusive club OF 90 gentlemen
known as the United states senate. The
sundry expense accoun for the last year
footed up $40 Go. and the total dis
bursementS ofVacCOunt of the senate
were IL. l21.SS9.
An Inspection Of The annual report Of
the secretary of the senate shows that
nothing is too good for the legislators
III the upper house OF congress, and un-
der the flexible title Of ''cOntlngent ex-
penses'' one may find anything from
Qulnine pills 70 SOild silver inkstands,
from Wilton carpets to steel wheelbar-
rows. There is "a voucher for every
thing, and each item Is properly &C
counted for, but there seems TO be no
limit to the amoun Of furniture which
may be purchased for the senate. Very
few of the lawmakers at the north II
Of the capitol ride q wheel, yet it is TAX
Ell as a matter of curse to find An item
of 800 for 20 antique bronze bicycle
holders put III place i'll the crypt for the
use of the senate
The senate chamber itself is not such
a luxurious place, but the committee
rooms swallow up u lot of i~ncidentals.
Committees which never meet from one
years end TO the other nave new type
writers every few months, and the num-
Der of expensive desks swallowed up in
this end of the capitol is almost incred-
ible. There is a sale Of condemned fur
niture every 10 and then, but the
amounts received are out Of all proper
ton to the charges collected by local
firms for supplies. 1t costs $3.50 "a year
TO wind and regulate the clocks Of the
senate and yet the charges for repair
are frequent. They pay $40 for a 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 IA swell "tonsorial parlor'
green with envy.
Oct. IA, 1895, the Office Of the secre-
tary was enriched by two roll top desks
which cost so apiece. u which cost
$72, one which cost only SIS AND An
other valued at 500, making the conf
Portable item of S29S for desks. This
was not all for the luxurious secretary
room, for Oct. 23 there was purchased
GS3, yards of administer carpet at 81. 60,
and Dec. ii another walnut desk at SIS
was rolled into the secretary's Office.
Nov. 20 it seemed necessary to fit up the
senate cham Der with new chairs, and %
of them were purchased at $29 apiece,
making the total cost of this little item
1925.
According to the statement OF dis
bursements, they must carpet about ev-
cry committee room in the enate wing
every year. One firm supplied in a lump
81, 81 worth of carpets and mating fol
the various committee rooms and CALLER
s. les. and the carpets ran up to as high as
$3.50 a yard even in such humble
places as the anteroom of the commit
tee on foreign relations.
The corners of the senate chamber
looked bare, and so two mahogany table
desks with brass ratings were ordered
made to order at a cost of $50. The
hand carved, leather seated, mahogany.
revolving, tilt chair for the use of the
vice president in the senate chamber wa
made to order at the rather stiff price
of 1886. The secretary of the senate
u-n,tnI n hatrocl- Vap 90 o,l ca hx
went to q furniture store and pai(
s22. 80 for il.
During the month of August, at which
, time the senate was not III session, thu
local ice company was paid $l7l TO
frozen water to keep the employees cool
and during the same month two hum
Bile w~asherwomen received $54 for clean
ing 1863 dozen towels which had beef
soiled by the attaches. A local jewele
was paid $500 for winding and regulat
ing the senate clocks from July to Nov
80.
When the account Of d favorite drug
gist is reached, the items are exceeding
ly interesting. July 80, 400 quinn
pills and an ounce Of two grain quinn
tablets were charged for, and Oct.
1000 quinine pills were also sent to tn
capitol building, although the senat
was not in session, and the medicir
must evidently have been intended fu
the employees. 1t is possible that 2 90
quinine pills charged up Nov. % NIGH
have been in anticipation Of the meetin
of the senate a week later, although
has not generally been supposed ths
quinine is among the list Of perquisite
OF the United States senatorship.
The singular array of BARRIERS too
and medicaments suggests that, the littl
barber shop, which is exclusively Il
the use Of the senators, must be we
supplied, although they do 60 at it in
rather wholesale manner. as shown b
the fact that on that eventful Nov.
there were sent down t. the sena
chamber four d zen combs, two doze
email combs, q gross Of French blacI
ing, six dozen of patent leather polisl
two boxes of shaving soap, a dozen ba
bers' whisk brooms, three bottles of ha
tonic at 81 a bottle, two large boxes