Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-02-15
HA,.P|PYt0F0F
! CONGRESSMAN
In Addition to HE Salary, the States
man Receives a Lot Of Valuable
J. Perquisites.
MILEAGE A CONSIDERABLE ITEM
Clerk Hire, Free Books, Baths and
Funerals Among the Things Al.
lowed Him by Custom.

'sent to congress" these days?
Dollars to doughnuts, you would
make a pretty bad "flunk" If exam
tned on this point, unless you be in pol
1tics. AS matter of fact, the aver
age congressional freshman" knows
little of what is expected of him, or
of what he need expect, until a blind
folded page draws his seat for him
by lot on his thrilling and exciting
first day at school,"
Since the civil war tue Republicans
have had majority in the senate ex-
cept in four congresses. In the house
the Democrats have had control dur
ing eight congresses only within the
same period. During the second half
of Grants last term there were a Re-
publican senate and Democratic
house. Garfield and Arthur came in
to power with reversion of this con-
dition-a Democratic senate and a Re-
publican house, the latter half of Ar
thurs term being Republican and the
house Democratic, and SO they remain
ed in two other mixed congresses dur
ing Cleveland's first administration.
Harrison had solid Republican
congress with him during the first
half of his term, but in the latter half
the house was Democratic. 1t would
have been better for him had the mix
ed legislature been in the first instead
OF the last two years of his admins
tration. Cleveland suffered the same
fate, for the senate was Republican
during the last two years of his next
regime.
Pay Of Legislators Small.
The senator's and representatives
pittance of $4,000 year is meager
compared with what the average sue
cessful physician, lawyer, engineer or
merchant receives annually. But just
as the peers and commoners of Eng
land are practically all of them busl-
ness men, our congressman do not
depend upon politics for their livell-
hoods. Fortunately for them, it is not
demanded that they abandon their pri-
vate pursuits. So it is not surprising
to note that poor, hand-to-mouth-living
lawyers from the back woods are en-
tered in the same class with multi
miflionaires of the great cities for
this exciting congressional race.
A large majority of every congress
are lawyers. A seat In either house
is sure to stimulate their practice or
increase their clientele, even when
they are marked with the Tex brand
OF the has-beens. Many are heads of
great commercial enterprises, but to
them Tho official salary is mere drop
in the 1ucket. Hanna, while senator,
turned over his entire congressional
salary to his clerk. But there are
some lazy fellows elected to congress,
who loaf during the nine months va
cation of the short session year and
the six months holiday of the long
session year, and who try to make
ends meet on the bare congressional
wage. How do they do it?
Mileage and Other Perquisites.
A member, whether he be senator
or representative. profits, as a rule,
directly in proportion to the distance
from Washington at which he lives,
At the beginning and end of each ses.
sion he draws five cents the mile on
his distance, with which to pay his
-
course he uses a pass and this mile.
age drawn from the public treasury
is saved. If he lives on the Pacific
lars year. If he lives in Hawaii
and has free transportation it goes up
into four figures each session. Ev.
cry member is issued an annual pass
by the large railroad companies. One
RI
such gift during the last session and
proclaimed the fact from the house
tops. But his colleagues held on to
theirs and inwardly called him a
@'chump."
Another perquisite in both houses
is $125 year allowed for Stationery,
which, since the earliest days, has in
cluded cutlery, card cases, pocket
book and even gloves, dispensed at an
Official shop. with counter and sales.
men, in either wing of the capital.
Articles are bought at wholesale
prices and sold at cost in these stores
Each spring 1925 worth of garden
seeds is given to each member. These
are supposed to be distributed among
the poor farmer constituents, but un'
scrupulOus congressman have been
known to sell them, pocketing the
cash realized. Some time ago a mem
Der sold his entire seed quota for SIS
to an agent having contract to sup
ply the department of agriculture
Choice flowers and cuttings from the
national botanical gardens at the foot
of the capitol are supplied gratis tc
members and their families. and thus
the florists bill for pink teas is often
eliminated.
Draw Chests and Libraries.
When he travels the new member
draws from the official carpenter gen
eral of the capitol wooden chests de
signed for his official documents, but
which serve excellently we'll as substi
tutes for chests and trunks in which
to pack Mrs. Members wardrobe. En-
tire libraries of books are issued tt
congressman each session. These are
printed free at the great government
printing house-the largest in Tho
woodland many of them are valuable
scientific treatises. These as we'll as
charts and miscellaneous literature
are delivered to each member osten
sibly for distribution among constit
uents.
Many of them arrive at their legi
innate destinations. but others fall b!
the wayside-often into the clutche.
of secondhand book dealers. Thu
most popular government work of thi:
category was a large volume of The
diseases of the horse, run through sew
eral issues. Not O. long ago it wa!
announced that the quota for congress