Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-07-20
WHAT Tie SENATE COSTS.
Many Queer Expenses Outside of Oh
Members Salaries

Many Queer Expenses Outside, of Oh,
Members Salaries.
The United States senate has been
popularity dubbed the "NIillionaires'
I club
IL Is the cheapest club IN the world
for the poor man to join. Its pergui-
/ sites, daily Increasing are too cnor.
nous for reckoning. The newly pre-
/ pared report Ct the secretary of this
dSnitied body reveals some amusing
facts. 1t shows, for instance. that a
4 local drug firm received in the last fis-
! cal year more than SLIGO for medi-
cines and toilet articles. These We're
supplied to the senators for their indi.
vidual use and paid for out of the gen
erOuS pocket of Uncle Sam. No small
item of this expenditure was 1000
doses of hromo settler and bromo caf-
feline. Three dozens OF caffeine DOW
dsrs. four eases of lithia water. two
bottles of bromo lithia and $2.I0 worth
OF lithia tablets further contributed to
keep the senatorial system i'm good re-
pair. Twelve pounds of soda mint tab
lets were purchased for the alienation
of that dark brown taste" and the
eNtravagant sum of so cents was ex-
changed for tabules for Indigestion.
To each senator there are four en-
ployees in various capacities. The
smaller body of congress has come to
cost Uncle Sam twice as much per
member per annum as the house. Al
most all of the GO messengers receive
S1,4iO year each, whereas the old
blind chaplain is considered to be
worth only $500. Yet he is dependent
upon some one to lead him daily to and
from the capitol. Laborers i'm the fold
ing room get $1,000, and those who run
the elevators enjoy still more-S1, 200.
The man in charge of the stationery
room draws S2,102.4O annually: his as
siStants, $500 and $1,000 respectively.
The little pages who wait upon sena-
tors get $40 Il month. the postmaster
of the senate S2.250 annually. firemen
Sl,095 and the upholsterer and lock-
smith lilo.
By far the greatest proportion of px-
pense incurred each year for toilet arti-
cleS is demanded by the senate barber
shops and bathrooms. 1t is not gener-
ally known that each member of this
distinguished body is barberized gratis
as many times n day as he wishes. In
conjunction are all the appurtenances
to Turkish and Russian baths. Skilled
masseurs are always i'm readiness to
hasten the course of slothful blood.
During one hot week in June the
senate paid $136 for lemons for lemon.
adc and shortly afterward returned
no less than 3.7o0 empty bottles which
had contained lithia water. But the
taxpayer should not grow long faced
at such modest rate of reveIrv rs
this. considering the fact that IL years
ago nearly every committee room at
the senate end Of the canitol had IFS
provision Of liquors purchased by the
chairman or by member with repu-
tation as cOnnolsseur.
The senator's salary of $1,000 n wear
is perhaps nothing to brag of. yet it is |
Just $1,000 year more than is given to |
members of the British house OF lords |
Tor their parliamentary duties. To this |
add Sl2o allowed each year for news |
papers and stationery, only about $50 |
of which need be spent: further add |
an allowance for railroad mileage civ |
en- ut the beginning and end of each /
session and which need not he expcnd- |
ed 10y those who hold passes.
While seated ut his desk senator
need only clap his hands 20 summon as |
many pages us necessary To order his /
lunch, deliver his notes or fetch him
books. stationery or glass of water.
III chairman of committee he has
mt his personal disposal the clerkshin
or that committee. insuring a hand |
some SALARY of So OOO or g. 600 - A.
mention an assistant clerkship or mes
sengership at from $1.440 up. IL with
out n craftsmanship. he is insured the
personal appointment of clerk NJ ST.
QUO year.-Chicago TimcS.Herald.