Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1899-12-22
United States Senators Enjoy
Life at Peoples Expense.
MONEY OF LITTLE VALUE.
Spend it as Freely as Does Water
Decend the Hills Enjoying Pros
perity to its Fullest Extent--A
Few of the Items Given Below.

| The members OF the lower House OF
Congress at Washington frequently
have their envy aroused when consid-
ering the privileges enjoyed by mem
bers of the Senate, as shown by the
expenditures from the contingent fund
of the Senate. A few of the more in
teresting items in the report just sub
mitted by Secretary Cox are here
presented:
Senator Caffery is charged with a
years subscription to Baltimore
paper, while Senator G. D. Clark had
five magazines. Among the items for
furniture are 4S oak chairs, $432; one
brass pole, with standards and double
curtains, for the committee on privi-
leges and elections, $145; two pairs of
curtains for cloakrooms, $145; antique
mahogany desk and bookcase for Vice
Presidents room, all hand work, 1925;
desk for committee on postoffces and
postroads, $275; brass pole and curtain
for committee on the revision of the
laws of the United States, $95; one
imported silk mohair khedive carpet
for the presidents room, $465.
Fourteen mahogany chairs for the
committee on finance cost 1887; two
mahogany tables for the Vice-Presi-
dents room, $3.50, and one sofa for
same room $3.50; brass poles and por-
there's for the committee on Indian
affairs. $40; a carpet for committee
on rules, $40, or about 81 per square
foot. Two specially designed mahog-
any desks for the Senate chamber cost
$3.50; a perforated rubber mat SIG.
The carpet in the sergeant-at-arms'
Office cost 1924, while that in the room
Of the committee on the District of
Columbia cost 1872. Eight Flemish
oak benches for the reception room
cost $565; two pairs Brussels point lace
curtains for the Vice -President's room
cost $500.
A carpet rug for the Presidents
room was purchased for $500, and two
rugs for the Vice-P President s room for
$12O and 1872, respectively. A carpet
in the Senate lobby, imported, was laid
at cost of 1926, while a rug for the
Senate postoffice cost 5000. The COM
mittee on privileges and elections got
a bookcase for 1925. One bill for IA
revolving chairs amounted to 81 ,296.
The Grand Pacific Hotel, Chicago, was
paid $571 for entertaining select
committee on manufactures, while
S6,7 759 was paid the Western Union
Telegraph company for kilograms to
and from Senators.
The amount spent for quipine, bro
mo seltzer, camphor, soap and sponges
was $432.
But after all these costly desks and
tables and curtains and other things
are thrown into the shade by the
crowning item of extravaganza. Upon
the mahogany desk of the Vice-Presi-
dent is a silver inkstand. It is mas
sive, artistic, elegant. 1t ought to be.
The taxpayers of the United States
paid for that single inkstand upon the
Vice. Presidents desk the sum of ONE
THOUSAND DOLLARS.
There are other items in this report
of expenditures which afford food for
thought. For instance, it cost the
Senate $136 for lemons for lemonade
during one week in June-but it may
have been pretty hot week-while the
statement that at the same time no less
than 3,700 empty bottles, which had
contained lithia water, were returned.
shows that the Senators must have had
an almost unquenchable thirst. Dur
ing the blizzard last winter the Senate
spent $100 for carriages.