The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-05
WASHINGTON FOR THE RICH.
Statement That Supports Senator Spooner,s Reasons for Resigning.

Senator Beveridge in Appletons Maga-
 zine
 What is the reason for this alarmingly extravagant rate of living at the nations s
 capital which is rapidly making it im- possible for poor men to have any part
 in the government?
 1 This regime of almost Roman luxury and splendor began with Secretary Whit l ney when he became a member of Presl- dent Cleveland s cabinet. This riot of the
 millions was increased when Calvin 5 l BrIce became senator from Ohio and took the famous Corcoran mansion facing l LaFayette Square, derectly across from 1 the White House It is said that Vice 1 President Morton kept up the pace set l by Whitney and Brice. And Vice Presi' dent Hobart lived magnificently and was
 sumptuous in his generous hospitality. | Thirty thousand dollars year is very 1 ordinary outlay for the maintenance or one of these establishments. Forty thou sand dollars a year is by no means rare. There are some who spend as high as
 s60, GOO annually. It was told of one indi- vidual that his expenses are $5,00O every year. and in that establishment there is only husband and wife-no children. Think now, in contrast, of the cost ot living in Websters time, and even down to the period of Sumner and Conkling.
 Senator Conl1ling, coneededly one Of the
 greatest men in American public life, lived at Wormley's-a small, old-tash- toned hotel conducted by a colored man. His living expenses were not more than S25 a week-at any rate, he could have gotten along on that amount very well. Thaddeus Stevens, the famous 'Com- moner', from Pennsylvania and absolute dictator of the house for several sesslons lived in a small frame hiuse on B street southeast-a none too pleasant quarter or | the city.
 John A. Logan lived at Mrs. Rine boarding house, Twelfth street, between | H and New York avenue, table board being SIS a month for each person. Lot M. Merrill, chairman of the house committee on Appropriations, lived at a boarding house on Fourth street between 1 D nd streets-an extremely unfashion-
 able part of the city with very modest charges.
 In 1860 Senator Sumner lived at Mrs. Cammack's boarding house. For years
 Senator Wade, of Ohio, lived at Mrs. Hyatt's boarding house, while senator William P, Fessenden lived at Mrs. | C,hapman's boarding house, very hum- | ble hostelry.
 Sometimes several senators clubbed and
 
 I lived at single modest boarding house. l For example, in 1866 Senator Doolittle, or Wisconsin; Senator Cowan, of Pennsyl- vania: Senators Foote and Collfiar, Of Vermont, all lived at Mrs Carters board | ing house on A street northeast. The cost of living everywhere through out the republic is many hundred per cent what it was a hundred years ago, seven ty-five years ago, fifty years ago. Yet, oraat as has been the cost of living throughout the whole nation, the increase of the cost of living in the republics cap | ital has been vastly greater than and enormously out of proportion with the greatly increased cost of living elsewhere throughout the country.
 But, notwithstanding this, the salaries of congressman and senators remain pre- cisely what they were forty years ago.
 Most state treasurers and state auditors oct much more, and hundreds of county officers get many times more than the salary of a United States senator.