Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-02-15

1t is handed over to him. personally
and he need not to account for it.
He can danosit It in bank to his credit
and let his wife and family do the
clerical work for him. or he may mere
ly divide it with some one, hired as
official secretary. One speaker of the
house appointed his daughter clerk
to the committee on rules. Several
senators have openly credited their
wives as secretaries.
Nation Pays for Baths.
Some members put up at cheap no.
tells, engaging rooms without baths.
What is the use of paying extra for
this luxury when there are in the cap
it0l, free to congressman, the best
Turkish, Russian and electric baths
this side of the ocean," they ask.
side and a gOOdly number for sena-
tors, all in the basement of the cap
itOl. During sessions a cOlOred func-
tionary with bundle Of towels is
kept busy calling next at the bath
room doors.
The electric bath of the capitol is a
luxury free to the member who awak-
ems in the morning with one of those
trip-hammer headaches so common to
his calling. A dusky attendant ten
derby removes the great mans appar-
ell. He Is placed over me zinc plate
of platform and over his head is
suspended crOwn--no matter If it
be Of brass and upside down. A
switch is turned on and he receives
first a Chain shower"-the artificial
lightning cracking DOWN from the
teeth of the brazen halo. Then he
seats himself while fiat glass bulb,
charged with the subtle fluid, is rub
bed over his face and brow.
Next he is treated with throat
irOner. Then an electrified roller is
passed over his back and shoulders.
He is topped off with a gentle spray
of the current and feels so invigorat-
ed that he can scarce be restrained
from repeating the lndiscretion of
Archimides. He hastens into the leg
islative chamber, charged to over
flowing with electric eloquence, and
makes speech which is assured to
pass into type, no matter how poor
1t is, for the congressional record is
bound to report it next morning, af-
ter he has edited it carefully.-or his
clerk has.
Shaved Without Pay.
Or he pauses in one of the free bar
Der shops of the great capitols base
ment, there being three chairs of ton
serial science in the senate wing, six
in that of the house. Half of the bar
bers on the house side attend exclu-
sively to Democrats, the other half
to Republicans. But on the senate
side there is no political division of
tonsorial skill. Republican and Dem
ocratic hair cuts look alike.
Senators need expend little for med
icine, for out of the contingent fund
of the upper house has long been pur-
chased wholesale quantities of drugs.
In one session were purchased $4,000
quinine pills-163 for each senator.
Other heavy items are usually those
effervescent salts which come in blue
bottles, headache powders, lithia wa
ter, digestive tablets and cough drops.
But why should the member of either
house take cold? Whenever it halls,
SHOWS or blows he is sent home at
public expense behind spanking liv-
cry team-if he have none himself.
An undertaken is usually favored with
this livery contract and I have note
of a voucher for 1882 thus expended
in one day.
Buried at Public Expense.
On the house side is kept an emer-
gency surgical case, Always conven-
lent for the treatment of stricken
members. But in spite of all such pre-
cautions members persist, year after
year, in dying on the battle line of
duty. Then they are buried at pub.
lie expense, and if their families pre-
fer, they may lie in state in the CAPT
toll. For one congressional funeral,
not so many years back, $500 was paid
to local undertaken, over $4,000 to
the railroads hauling the funeral train,
$40 to quartet choir, $125 to dec
orator and 5000 for crepe, ribbon,
gloves and regalia. The grand total
| for this free congressional funeral was
| $3,1u5.79 and $4,000 additional--a
years salary-was voted to the wild
Ow, according to long-standing Gus
| tom.
1t has been estimated that through
extreme thrift a member of either
house can realize from his office any
where from $12,65O to $13,29O per con.
gress. without being worse than par
simOnious.
AS for the glory, few representa-
tives are known at all outside of theil
districts. Only the important commit
tee chairmen and those men who have
attained national fame before coming
to congress are known on the streets
of Washington. In the house it is the
rule for new members to keep mouths
shut and ears open during their firsI
congress. Few can gain recognition
from the speaker, even if they choose
to break this rule. In the senate al
is different. halo of glory circles
above every senatorial head, young OF
old.-Washington Star.
| Free Coupon.
Any one suffering with kidney Of
| bladder trouble can get absolutely