The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-15
SENATE is LUXURY
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ARE nv
PENDED EVERY YEAR FOR
ITS COMFORT
FURNITURE IS A LARGE ITEM


Mineral Water In PROPULSION.
WASHINGTON, May IA. = (SpeciaIl-
The charge that the United States senate
is an 'extravagent body applies as well to
its private as its public expenditures. Dur
Ing the past five or six years the conn
try has been treated to a rare examnJa
OF senatorinal economy and stern Sim
piicity The senate is composed of nine
ty-two members, and, while it is expected
that the furnishing and fitting of so high
and august a body shall be handsome
and in keeping with It's dignity, it seems
little strange that within this period the
necessity should have arisen to expend
slo9,oOO for new" furniture for these ninety
two representatives of the people in their
official apacities-something over 81, 900 a
senator for mere Office furniture
The annual reports of the secretary of
state, printed public documents, which
can be had upon application to the docu-
ment room at the capitol, state the yari-
Gus expenditures Of the senate every year,
furnishing itemized accounts and showing
IN detail that during the past five years
over 100000 have been expended by this
economical body for office furniture
The sergeant-at-arms of the senate is
the officer who makes all such purchases,
and the senate appropriates the money
therefor. Notwithstanding that the SEN
ate committee rooms were fairly well
supplied with desks, chairs, etc, the SEN
ate appropriated in 1894 for the purchase
and repair of furniture. $l5,14319 This
expenditure should certainly have placed
the senate chamber, it's committee rooms
and offices on respectable basis, so far
as furniture was concerned, and yet dur
ing the following year, 1895, there was
expended $11, 1890 for furniture and re-
pairs, and in 1896 a further expenditure
was made of $23, .78 for furniture and
repairs. Still the number of desks and
chairs was deemed insufficient, and in
1897 the sum of 81, SO was spent for
this purpose. Last year, 1898, it was
found that the rooms and offices were so
bare Of Office requirements as to neces-
state further expenditure of s23, 131.67;
and still the buying goes on in 1899. over
$15.OO0 according to the printed report.
having been already appropriated. The
following statement shows by years the
amounts expended.
THOUSANDS EACH YEAR.
These expenditures are really confined
to the offices, halls and cammittee rooms,
as practically no expenditures for furni-
ture have been made in the senate cham
Der itself. The desks there are never
removed, the new men occupying the
seats and desks left behind by retiring
senators. The showing is exclusive of all
salaries of carpenters, etc, and does not
include writing materials, books. news
papers nor materials for heating or light
ing etc: Fiscal year 1894, SIS, 1910; 1895.
81. 7346O; 1896, $23.S167S; 1897, 81, 1863;
1898, $23, 1S1.67.
What the expenditures will be for 1899.
the last year of the present regime. 1t is.
of course, impossible to say. Even as
Stunning that it is only as high as the av-
erage Of the past five years, namely, Sl7,-
900, total footing of the six years of fur
nishing expenses, exclusive of salaries,
would be upwards of $102 900.
Additional to these expenses, the senate
has on it's roll one upho!sterer and lock-
smith, at 81 400 per annum, and three car
penters, at $500 each. These employees
are apparently kept so busy, however,
that it is necessary to eXpend large sums
additional for ordinary repairs to furni-
ture and for making chests. etc. Sena-
tors are furnished each year with three
wooden packing chests. These are per-
fectly plain boxes, such as any carpenter
can quickly make, yet they are supplied
by outside labor at a cost annually of
about s., 600.
There are various other little items
which the senate. in its dignity. must
needs appropriate money for. For in
stance, in the senate chamber, halls and
committee rooms, there are numerous
clocks. and to wind these clocks It costs
over $500 annually. Not that they are in
any way intricate or require particular or
expert winding, but the numerous en-
ployes and watchment of the senate have
other things on hand. 1T is presumed, so
the winding is done by contract for the
year, whether the senate be In session for
three or nine months.
A further examination of the printed
expense account shows that the senate
has INDUCED in other little extrava-
gances unknown to the forefathers of the
republic. Under each year are found
sums appropriated for various articles
for personal use, such as ordinary peo-
pie pay out Of their private pockets
drugs OF various kinds. mineral waters.
etc. During 1894 the expenditures for
such artiles. including hair brushes. SOAP.
hair tonic. bay rum eau de cologne some
1000 grains of quinnine, and settler and
apollinaris waters, and excluding labor
and Ice. were quite economical. being only
s., "A. but the following year, 1895. these
expenses for some reason amounted to
S4,551 20. In 1896 they were sS.O57.75. and
1897, 81, 4205S
FOR FANCY DRINKS.
Last summer. it will be remembered
was extremely hot and dry throughout
the country, and the halls of congress
were no exception. What then is more
natural than to find on the senate ex
pense account an appropriation for pur
chases during the latter part of June and
July, 1898. of seventy-three cases of lem
ons. costing $685. and 15S cases of Ozonate
Lithia water, costing s1,15264, with nine
barrels of granulated sugar for sweeten-
ing purposes. A striking feature of this
economy, however, is an ACCOMMODATING
memorandum showing the return of s 200
empty bottles, and a rebate therefor at
che cent each, amounting to $62. To ba
applied on future supplies These re-
freshments. In conjunction with the q, 500
grains OF quinine and various other drugs.
stated In the printed list as having been
purchased, and amounting in total to
S3,6SSS0, kept most of the senator's I'm fair
health during the season.
mere are various other necessary ex-
penses not here mentioned. During fba
fiscal year of 1898, however. what may bs
classed as the total furniture expenses of
the senate as set forth by its published
report. IS shown by the following table
The item contained herein for carnetS
alone amounted to $3722.5e, and 1t was
likewise found necessary to buy no new
chairs, Notwithstanding that every CONF
mittee room was fully supplied with
chairs the preceding ear What the
senate has done with the surplus chairs
and other furnishings no one knows. as
the reports show that during the entire
period. between 1894 and 1898. inclusive.
the sales of waste paper and old furni-
ture amounted TO only $105 90
Disbursements OF Senate on Account Of
Furniture. Repairs. etc.. 1885,
Salary of one upholsterer and