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Show LUXURY IN OFFICIALDOM. A good many of the member? oi Congress, coming from districts in which simplicity of living prevails, nnl when even in public life the extremes of lu.ur.vrre unknown, are astounded at the richness and gorgoousnees with which the official departments and the Congieisioiial Utilises arc furnished. Thus, Representative d. T, Ilcflin of Alabama, who is :. Democrat of .lefl'or soman simplicity, dcclmos his discontent, discon-tent, with thc luxuries in the different public offices in f.ho capital city. Wo says thai he cannot enter a depart ment in Washington "without getting his feet mired in a costly Oriental rug." He contrast a the iiplendor oi" furnishings ami of general appcarnuce wilh the difficulties of an already overtaxed people who have as much a they can do lo live simpl and pay iiic extortionate prices for tho necessities of I i Co which have been imposed b3' the speculative combines. He declares that this contrast, gets on his nerves, and that he is not willing to be a part3r to such luxurious appointments a riy further. fur-ther. There is a good deal of justice in what Representative Heflin says. There is altogether loo much of a tendency toward piling luxury upon luxury and providing lavish- and needlessly for thc furnishings and thc equipments for transacting tho public business. There is duplication and even triplication of officialdom, and each must be completely com-pletely and luxuriously established so as to present no invidious contrasts as between ono office and another. . All must be furnished on substantial' (he same st3'lc of luxury and magnificence, find all. must bo of the highest and most extravagant order; ns the report is. it costs six dollars to give a Senator a bath.. Commenting upon this' matter, the Boston Traveler makes this shrewd comment: The experience of Congressman Heflin is only that of other people It is wonderful won-derful how extravagant thc Ideas of some men become when they get Into office. Take an ordinary man whose highest Idea of office luxury In his private affairs af-fairs Is a modoratc-piiccd rolltop desk and a cheap chair, both set upon a bare floor, or at thc best a little piece of linoleum, thc whole combination with an earning capacity of about $1000 a year, and Install him In an official State or Xatlonal position and immediatelv there if, a change in his manner of living. Where oak was good enough before now nothing will do but mahogany; his plain office chair gives way to one luxuriously upholstered in leather, with so much stuffing stuf-fing in it that he sinks Into it wilh a sigh of content, and rests Ills elbows upon Its broad arms while he puffs his after-dinner after-dinner cigar nnd surveys the world superciliously. su-perciliously. Ills little piece of linoleum remains with him no longer. It has given way to a beautiful and expensive oriental rug. Into which, as the Alabama Congressman Con-gressman says, one's feet sink as if they were to be mired.. This Is inevitably the evolution of the man as he grows Into public, office. And the people settle the bills. That is not onlr true ns regards the National Capital, it is true also as regards re-gards State capitals; nay, it extends even further yet; it gets right down to the count3' capitals, to city halls, and to all forms of public equipment and adornment. Men who, in their ordinary or-dinary business, never dream of luxurious lux-urious furnishings, all at. once must have the most ornate and lavish equipment equip-ment in order to do the public business, busi-ness, without much fitness thorel'or. They require things that they may not even know the use of, and insist upou silver where thc3 have had crocket, or gold where they have hud silver. Tt is a weakness of tho time, a bad sign for the perpetuity of the Republic and for thc welfare of those who pay to keep up this pomp and displn3 |