The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-01-04
BILLS TOO LARGE
CONGRESSIONAL FUNERALS ARE TO
BIZ REDUCED IN COST.
A Limit Of ~ ,as<tD IL C0nsiAered Suf-
Aeiemtly AMple-AttenApts OF Tn
dertakers to Impose Upon the Gov
ermn, ent-R~presentatfve Hull WIFE
nra " tn. E,t,rs> an Duying = Family
Lot for q Dead Member.


ermment-R~pre.enta Hull VIII
Draw thu Lime ~ D~yinx u Family
Lot for &. Dead Member.
Congress has determined to cut down the
expenses of elaborate funerals accorded to
dead members and senators, says the Chica-
20 Inter- Ocean. The upset figure which VIII
hereafter be paid for q state funeral ID
81 OO0 not including the cost OF railroad
transportation, In case the obseQufes are
held far from Washington, but no member
Of congress or senator who gets funeral
can have one that will cost more than the
stipulated amount. This is final.
Representative Bull, of Rhode Island,
who. during the congressional recess. has
been chairman of committee In charge OF
the miscellaneous accounts of the house OF
representatives. and who will undoubtedly
be chairman Of the committee OF accounts
for the next two years, has audited several
funeral accounts during the past few months
while congress- was not In session. y
Il discovered, he said, that there has
: been a great deal of imposition on the part
Z of -undertakers engaged to conduct o6fcial
]. funerals for members OF the house OF rep
$ resentatfves. i am told that q similar state
Of affairs exfAts on the senatorial side of the
capitol building. When a member of con-
{ gress dies, II congress is in session, a reso-
s luton relative to giving the deceased an
Official funeral is always passed. and a spe-
cial committee is appointed to make all the
necessary arrangements. This committee
engages the undertaken. who is usually sug
gested by the family of the dead member.
and then, without any word or previous ar
rangement regarding the expense the funer-
nj tAkoR Mace Thon ~ n or nonda
in his bill to the committee on accounts, and
practically puts his own valuation on his
services which Is generally out Of all pro-
portion.
But still the house has to pay the bill,
no matter how extravagant it may be. Dur
ing the recess between the sessions of con-
Krees. the committee of accounts has q little
more discretion accorded to 1t in the matter
of auditing these bills. but when congress
Is in session the committee on accounts has
to act with due regard for the proprieties.
Last summer a member of congress died
I will not mention his name, but he was from
q Southern state. In accordance with the
usual precedent, an undertaken Of his native
town was directed by me to take charge of
the funeral at the expense of the United
States. The ObseQuies took place down
South, and a few weeks later bill was for
warded to me by this undertaken with an
Item OF $500 for the funeral ITSELF and an ad-
ditional item of $500 for family lot in the
cemetery where the member had been
buried. In other words the house of rep
resentatives was called upon to purchase
family lot in which not only the member
could be buried but all his immediate rela-
tfves later on when the occasion arose. l
sent back the bill for the lot with peremp-
tory refusal to pay it, adding that the cost
nj iy,o1n
but that the United States government did
not furnish family lots for any one
An undertaken who officiated at another
funeral during the past summer of a mem
Der who died shortly after congress adj
1ourned, while on his way home to a West
ern state. sent in bill for 81 200 for the
funeral services. / sent the bill back as
that was a little bit more than we could
stand and In a few days the undertaken rel
turned it, cut down to $685.. He sent me a
note, saying that he did not wish to over
charge any one, but that he had been told
that it was customary. when doing business
wltn the United States and the house of
representatives, to send In a BILL for lust
double the actual amount He had done 40.
and probably though that hts bill of 81. 200
should have been 81. $50 in the Arst place
as that was just double of what he really
received :
dont wish to pose as a reformer It is
one matter to be reformer and another to
simply point out abuses Of these things. I
INTEND to Introduce bill providing that in
no case shall the expenses Of funeral Of n
member OF congress be more than 81. 900. ex-
Guiding railroad rates in case q deleeation
from congress attends the funeral In any
unusual case, such. for instance as the fu
neral OF the speaker Of the house, should
such calamity as his death occur, the mat
Ter OF expense of the state funeral would
not be considered. The senate, of course.
hase the power to control it's own expendi-
lures on an occasion Of this character.
snoold senator die and be accorded a state
funeral. but so far as I can control it on
the house side no bill for more than 81 600
iOr funeral services of a member shall he
approved by the house committee on ac
counts.
While upon this topic" continued Rep
resentatfve Bull. there is another matter
which Is OF a similar character I believe
mat the whole system of government COM
pensation for employees of the house and the
senate Is wrong. There is no justice in one
messenger working as doorkeeper at 5000 :
year. while another. working at the very
next entrance. receives 81 200 a year for ex-
actly the same kind Of work. But that Ia
not the only instance of inequality of nav
among house employees. There are men in
year. and working right alongside them and
doing the same kind Of work are men who
get 81 600 year. intend to have the mat
ter Investigated little, to see If a more
equitable system of compensation cannot
be devised. As for the funeral abuses. 1t is
grewsome subject. but it has gone 80 far
now that 1t must be rectiied at once"
The chairman Of the committee on audit
Ing accounts for the senate is Senator John
r. Jones of Nevada. When asked what he
thought the limit of funeral expenses for
senator's should be he said:
Limit? l don't think ayone should sneak
Of money in connection with such a sub
ject. did anyone mention expense in con-
nection with the state funeral Of the late
vice president? Certainly net II the sen
. ate intends to give any senator state
funeral 1t should not attach string to
that proyisian liniting the expenditure
No one Is going to squander money on state
funerals unless it is necessary when a
senator dies It is only hitting that this great
government and the senate should offcfalfy
defray the expenses OF 4 BIZ state funeral
in recognition Of the services extended to
the nation by the senator So far as
am concerned, there will be no definite
limit Axed to the cost OF a senate funeral
or course, II anything exorbitant in the
way OF q bill was sent in to us il wolud
be returned for detailed statement. and