Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-03-20
CONGRESS-.
IN SENATE.
Wednesday, DtSrcA IS.
COMPENSATION BILL.

nun in the chair, on the bill to change
the mode of compensation of the Senators,
Representatives and Delegates in Cen
gress.
This bill, it will be borne in mind,
proposes to change the rate aud mode
of compensation from six dollars per day
during attendance to 1,5e0 dollars per an
mum.
Mr.. Taylor, in proposing an amendment
to the bill, said, he was left, from the alb
sence of reasons assigned in favor of the
bill. to presume the motive of it to be,
that there would be a greater dispatch
in the public business, if members were
paid by the job than if they were paid by
this inference. If, for six dollars day,
the sessions of Congress are spun out to az
inconvenient length, and public business
delayed by the desire of members to in
crease the amount of their pay, (supposing
them the immoral agents which the adop-
ton of this system presupposes)-would
they not, he asked, be induced by the
change in the mode of compensation, in
order to Curtail their expenses and in
crease their profits, to go home before the
public business is finished, or so urge the
public business as to leave it in an i'm
perfect form He thought, as he said yes
terd2y, that the amount of the present al
iowance as incompetent; that the sacrifice
was too great, to come here for nothing,
and, in many instances, at certain loss
He felt desire, however, that an altera-
ton should be made in this bill to lessen
the inducements which it appeared to him
to hold out TO the Members to hurry over
or neglect the public business, SC. With
such views, he moved to strike out 5000
1.-THE compensation, double that allowed to
the Members, of the President Of the Sen
ate and Speaker OF the other House, and
In lieu thereof to insert 1000; with view
to reduce the compensation of the Mem
berS from 1900 to 1000, and to add
new section. for allowing, besides, three
dollars per day to the Members for each
day they actually attended in Congress-
This amendment, he said, would bring into
play the principle of paying by the job, and
would prevent the public work from being
done in slovenly manner, by paying
a daily compensa ton adequate, or near
ly so, to the daily eXpences of the mem
bers.
Mr. Macon also moved to amend the bill
so as to strike out the salary feature alto
gethcr, and in lieu thereof to insert pro-
vision that the compensation should be
hereafter dollars per day-intending
that the blank might be filled with such
sum as the Senate should prefer. He was
oppos I'd to the idea of a salary for legisla-
tive services: such rule of compensation
was not known under any of the govern
ments OF the states, &c.
Mr.. Daggett opposed all amendments of
this nature to the bill !; considering it
better to take it in its present shape. The
increase OF compensation, he estimated, ac-
cordng to an average computation would
not be greater than as 100 to II, &C.
Was 1t worth while for this small object
to enter into controversy with the other
house He Showed, besides, that the sal
aries of all the officers of government,
Judges excepted, to his regret had been
increased since the compensation of the
members was fixed, &c.
Both the amendments above stated were
negatived without division.
Mr. Taylor then proposed an amendment
to the detail of the bill, which he consider
ed very defective.
This motion gave rise to considerable
debate chiefly of a critical nature, in which
Messrs. Taylor, Dana, Chace, Harper,
Daggett, Talbot and Taylor, took part.
The motion was negatived, % to7.
Mr.. Wilson briefly assigned the reasons
why he was opposed to the bill in its pre-
sent shape. They were, substantially, that
the bill was retrospective in its operation
that the state of the Treasury, the pres
sure Of existing taxes, and the unsettled
state of the general system OF taxation,
was unfavorable to the increase of the ex-
pences Of the civil list that the bill con-
templates novelty in the annals of our gov
eminent /; that the increase of compensa-
ton was TOO great, going at once to double
the present rate of compensation estima-
ting the session a four and 4 half months
Duration; that the precedent would be of
Injurious effect that the principle of high
salaries was not COngenial to our nsti-
tutions and that the manecr in which
this bill had progressed, was objection
able, and unusual on subjects of such
magnitude, bearing too much the APPEAR
ance Of haste. These were MIR. WIS gen
erd virws.
The bill having been reported to the
Senate
MIR. Sanford moved to amend the
bill, 50 as to substitute compensation
Of dollars per day, for the annvalsala-
rY.
Mr.. Campbell opposed this motion; as
signing, among the gruun4s Of It, that the
allowance for travelling would be also
increased by such an amendm, mt, though
not proposed to be increased by the bill
from the House
The question on MIR. Sanford's motion
was decidedin the negAtive--23 to 10, by
Yeas and Nays.
Tie question on ordering the bill to be
read a third fine WAS then decided as fol :