The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-06-10
EXPENSIVE LUXURY
IS The SENATE
(From John W. FIennerl

D now managed, is rather expensive
luxury and that no evidences of econ
' omy are noticeable this year is taker
: from the fact that the legislative ap
preparation bill for the next fiscal yeal
will set aside in excess Of 81 800, 00(
for the ordinary running expenses oi
the senate, including the salaries oi
the 96 senator's
The senate has already agreed tc
: the following provisions in this years
bill:
Salaries OF SO senators, $4,000;
J committee clerks and messengers
$S7O,94O; employees under the SER
geant-at-arms and doorkeeper, 1892
6O4; bath room attendants, BARRIERS,
etc, in the senate Office building,
$1S,5OO; capitol policemen, $4,000;
senate postmaster and assistants,
SIS, ,1S7 80; stationery, newspapers,
magazines and lemonade for the sen
ators, $l8,125; for folding speeches,
$4,000; furniture and repairs, $4,000;
extra stenographers, including three
stenographers for the three junior mi
Inority committees, one of which Sen
ator owen is chairman, at $500 a
year each, $S9,6O0 or course there
win be a great deal more expense
tackled on, including the mileage of
senators at 20 cents mile going and
coming to and from their homes.
1t costs the government approxi-
mately $4,000 annually to keep the
average senator, For instance, SEN
ator Owen draws a salary of $500 a
year; he franks out an average of a
million speeches a year, which at 81
thousand, amounts to an additional
81 900 that the government pays. The
senator draws $500 year milage. The
clerk to this committee-the commit
tee on Parific Railroads, is James w.
Beller of West Virginia and Oregon,
whom the government pays 1920
| year. The messenger to the commit
tee is Harold Vermilye, of New York,
who gets 81 ,440 year; and now the
senate proposes to tack on an addi-
tonal 81 800 year for stenographer
to the committee. Senator Owen has
an allowance of about 5000 year for
stationery, besides other incidentals
allowed by the senate.
Even senator is taken care of dur
| ing his summer vacation If he so de-
sires, as scarcely a year passes but
some senate committee does not go
on a jaunt to Europe or to the Pa
ci6c coast, or to Panama, or some
| place at government expense. Every
year or so the Interparliamentary
Peace Union, composed of peace pro-
pagandists, meets in one of the CAPT
tails of Europe, and Andrew Carnegie,
the Iron King, provides free trips to
those senators who desire to attend
the meetings. The Peace Union was
to have met last summer in Rome, and
Senator Owen was one of the sena-
tors that signifed his intentions of
goi !, TO the meeting Owing to the
outbreak of the Turko-Italian war the
meeting was postponed and Senator
Owen was forced to spend the sum-
NOR In tba United States
Senator Williams, of Mississippi,
has gone on record against what he
terms the graft perpetrqted annually
by the senate
"They have figured it out that Il
costs $l2 to bathe a senator and SIS
to shave senator under the present
system" declared Mr.. Williams The
graft is not worth while, outside of
every other consideration. There is
no sense in it. There is no use hay
ing the United States government
bathe us, or worse yet, pay men whose
only reason of being on the pay roll
is to bathe us. Tourists come to
Washington and go around, and the
guides say. Here is where senators
battle at the public expense" cal
cuation has been made and they will
say It costs so many dollars to bathe
"a senator, 1t is no wonder that it
costs the American people tea times
as much to have the senate and house
of representatives waited on as ii
costs the people of Great Britain to
have the House of Lords and the
House of Commons waited on, includ
ing office accommodations as part Of
the waiting"
This years sundry civil appropria-
ton bill, as reported to the house car
ries items of $275,O00 to be expended
during the next fiscal year in Okla,
homa. as follows For commence
ment of work on federal building at
Tulsa, 100000. for commencement OF
work on McAlester federal building,
$4,000 for commencement of work
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