The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-08
From the Washington Star.

From the Washington Star.
Men in all walks of life battle every
two years fer seats in congress Rich
men, many of them millionaires, leave
or neglect lucrative positions to be-
come senator's or representatives. Poor
men, ambitious for pecuniary advance
ments, struggle for the same Offices.
Yet it is impossible to find a member
of either house of congress who Will
confess that his official salary enables
him to more than cover expenses.
What is it that they are all to enjoy
after they have won the goal' First
OF all the annual salary of S1.OoO-'a
tenth of that received from the gov
ernment by Mr.. Mckinley. For repre-
sentatives add $1,000 allowed yearly
for clerical services, but whose eXpen-
diture needn't be accounted for to any
one. For members of both houses adj
S125 year allowed for stationery, the
balance to be drawn at the end of each
session if not all used. 1t seldom hap
pens that more than $50 Of this allow
ance is expended.
In addition to this each senator and
representative annually receives thou
sands of packages of vegetables and
science, maps and charts from the
government surveys, and a certain
number of cuttings, bushes and plants,
furnished gratis by the government
and mailed under frank to his consti-
tuents The flowers which deck his
house and adorn his wife and daugh-
ters are furnished free by the botanical
gardens. He seldom has to buy
postage stamp. When he comes from
home at the beginning of a session or
returns at the end his railroad fare Is
paid for. While at his desk he need
4 only press a button or clap his hands
to have any number Of pages standing
at his side eager to wait upon him.
The government pays mounted mes
sengerS to run his errandS between tho
capitol and the citv. He is protected
against certain penalties by a consti-
tutioual right. He has the pleasure of
seeing all of his literary efforts, no
matter how poor, appear in print, laid
on his desk within twenty-four hours
after delivery, and mailed to his con-
stituents under government frank. IL
he dies while in office his funeral ex-
pcnses will be paid fer by the govern
ment. If a senator he may take free
Turkish baths and receive free mas
sage in the senate bath rooms, get free
shaVes, hair cuts and shines in the
senate barber shop, and drink his fill
of apollinaris lemonade paid for by the
government and kept in the senate
cloak rooms during hot weather. The
perquisites in the last paragraph, how
ever, are not open to a member of the
house, though a representative may
take ordinary baths with free soap,
towels and perfumery.
CUTTING DOWN EXPENSES.
There is no reason why q thrifty
man-even one accustomed to the
niceties of life-should not save one or
two thousand dollars during each term
in the house. 1t is hardly possible for
a senator to save, however, since he
has to spend a great deal of money to
keep up with his greater social duties
in the "Millionaires' Club" The truth
of the matter is that many represen-
tatives and a few senators do manage
to save little. The richer the man in
the Washington official set the more is
required of him. Over third of the
men who sat in the senate during the
last congress economized by living at
hotels or in apartment houses. A half
of the representatives cut down eX-
penses in the same manner. They
thus avoided the unnecessary cost of
maintaining n house, rented or leased,
between sessions.
To the millionaire member of con-
gress the annual official salary is mere
ly ornamental. 1t is the heavy swell
thing for the legislator of this brand to
turn over his five thousand year to
his private secretary, who generally has
his employers private interests to at
tend to in addition. A number have done
this already, and it is said that Mr..
Hanna not only gives his secretary his
whole salary, but a thousand dollars
per annum in addition. From the ap-
pearance of things in his office this
particular secretary earns every cent
of what he is given, but that is neith-
er here nor there. Mr.. Brice Is said to
have given his whole senatorial salary
to his secretary, while his social pilot
probably receives even more. But good
things like Calvin seldom blow into the
senate, except from Ohio.
Under the old order of things senat-
ors' secretaries received Sc a day dur
ing session. The salary of the senator
lal secretary was changed to 81 200 a
year. 10 be received in monthly paw
mehts, regardless of session or adjourn
ments. 1t was figured that under the
new rule each secretary would receive
ABOUT as much per congress as he did
petore, but extra sessions were not in
cluued In this reckoning Many sena-
tors secretaries are underpaid at the
nxed rate. No two senator's. however
nave the same amount of work TO do
some VINO mold chairmanships of unim-
portant committees are supposed to use
the committee clerks for their personal
correspondence, and are, therefore, not
allowed a secretary.
GOOD SECRETARIES.
The new senator or representative
VINO employs green youth from
home, to be his secretary will probably