Evening star., 1935-04-14
CHAPTER L.


TT COSTS a great deal to bury a
member of Congress. Senator Ben
Hills funeral expenses are given
L by the Senate at $3,100. OF this
$500 Is for embalming. $500 for
carriages and $500 for a coffin. Many
. many would die for half the sum.
II the Congressman be buried away
from Washington, q committee of both
Houses, consisting Of ten or more
members, is sent along to accompany
the remains to their home. This COM
mittee often takes a special car. And
the lunch bills of these excursions are
among the heaviest items.
I took occasion yesterday to look
through q volume or two of the ac-
counts Of the clerk of the House dur
Ing several Congresses, and ! found
these funeral accounts scattered all
through the miscellaneous items.
The clerk would not lump the .ac-
count with its details on one page, but
would enter 1t in bits so that its real
size was not apparent at first sight.
Here, for instance, was the funeral
Of the Hon. Thomas Allen, who was
buried at Pittsf1eld, Mass. not more
than days ride from Washington.
Still the transportation cost 1923 and
one of the lunches 1922. Among the
items I noticed one of IS for porter
fees and another of $3.50 for a hat
which q messenger lost upon the train.
Among the lunch items there is SIG
worth of imported Apollinaris water,
$40 worth of turkey and ham, $40
worth of sandwiches and SIS worth
of strawberries at fifty cents a quart.
Some of the items are quite moderate
however, as SIPS for cheese, only
$l.00 for mustard and fifty cents for
Worcestershire sauce. Another lunch
account of this same trip amounts to
more than $50
When Senator Burnside died, the
Is white scarfs used at his burial
cost $l44, and 81 pairs of kid gloves
cost SAT. Fernando Wood died several
years ago at Hot Springs, and the
expenses Of his burying were con-
siderably over $1,000. The under
takers bill at Hot Springs was s285,
and at Washington, 1853, to say
nothing of the hacks and other ex-
penses. In addition to this the casket
used cost $3.50; eight black silk
sashes cost $72; II white silk ones,
$99. and 27 pairs of kid gloves. S225
apiece. In addition to this were the
usual lunch bills and railroad fares
charged for Congressman who prob
ably Travelled on passes.
The funeral of Gen A. S. williams
at Detroit during the Forty-sixt
Congress cost 81 ,343 90: that of Julian
Hartridge of Georgia at Savanoah
was $4,000: that Of D. B. Douglas,
who was buried at Richmond, con-
siderably over $1,000. I have taken
these figures at random from three
or four reports which looked at. An
investigation would probably bring
out more extravagant cases.
The Librarian.
Mr.. Spofford Is overjoyed at the
passage Of the National Library bill.
His whole soul is wrapped up in the
Library and he is as much a part of
it as any book on the shelves. I
sometimes ride home with him from
the Capitol. He is methodical. At
a certain hour each day wiry dark
faced man may be seen going out Of
the Senate entrance of the Capitol,
carrying in his hand a green bag
which is fastened by draw-string.
This bag has many angles and is ap-
parently filled with books. The wiry,
dark-faced man carries his bag with
him into the Herdic, lunches himself
up in a conner, and taking book or
pamphlet out, reads away throughout
the long ride to Scott Circle. Here
he puts the book back into the bag
and alighting walks to a fine house
on Massachusetts, avenue. 1t is Mr..
Spofford. He owns this house which
is next that of Justice Harlan. Our
librarian Is now so years old. He is
a man of many friendships and his
favorite amusement is the horseback
ride that he and George Bancroft
take together every Sunday morning.
Jay Gould.
"There he sitsi That little dark
faced man there, and they say he
Is worth 100000, ,000!"
This is the remark I heard yeSter-
day afternoon when I entered the
committee room in the Capitol where
Jay Gould was being investigated.
The speaker was laboring man. I
followed the direction Of his finger
and my eyes rested on Jay Gould,
the maker and breaker Of railroads
and the most powerful rich man on
this hemisphere. The papers have
published his picture. but none of
them give any idea of the real man.
He was the last man in the room
you would have taken for Jay Gould,
and he looked pigmy beside the
tall, heavy Congressman who sat
around him.
If ex-Gov. Curtin could be doubled
up like ruler he would, when folded.
be almost as tall as Jay Gould, and
Burns Of Missouri, who sat on the
other side Of the table, has enough
flesh to make two men Of the multi
millionaire's size. Still Gould has