Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-04-04

) letter from the Treasurer OF The
d. States, transmitting his annual re
port of receipts and payments at the
Treasury (; which was ordered to lie
on the table and be printed.
The Speaker also laid before the
House the report Of the Secretary OF
the Navy, on the petition ct John
M'Cauly, prize agent which was
read and referred to the committee
on naval affairs.
The Speaker also laid before the
House a letter from the Secretary OF
he Treasury, enclosing q statement
of e;Spences &c. Of prosecutions be-
half of the Untid States, 10 the states
Of Few Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Vermont and n. YORK;
which was ordered to oe printed.
The House then resolved itself IN.
10 committee Of the whole, Mr..
Lewis in the chair. on the bib TO in ,
crease the pensions cY certain Invalid
pensioners. Ne an jndment being
offered the commit d.e rose, report.
|. d the bill to the Honse /; and it was
then ordered to be eugrossed for a
third reading.
TIE House. OH motion CT MT
Lovade resolved itself into com
nittee of the whole, Mr.. Nielsen OF
Va. Ia the chair, ON TIE bill making
appropriations for tha supporter SO
yeranent for the yearfsi6.
In r,,ssng up the blank in the bill,
left for thr appropriasien for the pay
Elnent of the Members Of Congress,
some debate arose as to the manner
of drawing this compensation. The
act lately. passed to aIter~the mode
OF compensation the Members OF
Congress, declares that they shall
receive an" annual" salary of 1900
|iolars ; and in subsequent clause.
proyides that the compensation shaii
|be.i certified and made in the man
DER heretofore provided by law;'
the custom under the former law
was 10 pay the members from time
Ito sine, as the services were render.
ed. 4
Mr.. flewndes, in obedience to in
trom the committee or
Ways I'D Means, and in accordance
with what was understood to De the
CONSUMPTION given to the act by the
Attorney General, moved 10 ell the
blank with sum sufficient to de-
fray the compensation snr the year
ending on the 4th Of March 1915,
and making no provision for the ser
vices vhlsh would intervene DC.
tween That period and the end of the
uexi SESSION.
THIS construction of the act was
disputed by MIR. Clay. the Speaker.
He thought that the members, when
eSei they could exhibit evidence OF
the rendition of services. had fair
claim for due proportion of the an
|uual salary.--Such had been the
practice heretofore and If the rule
Laid down by tho Attorney General
w,.c adopted, member WHO hap
|peaed to come into Congress after
the 9TH of March would receive
nothing until the next March. A.
Igaiast the Inconvenience and hard
ship Of this construction, Mr.. G. ar
|gued at some length aud for the
purpose Of making an appropriation
out (which to compensate the mem
beers for the remainder Of this ses
sion. and part Of the next, moved to
lfH the blank with a sum adequate
Ito meet that object. Mr. c. aadtd.
that rs the public interest would be
unaffected by this decision, let either
redistribution Of the act he adopted,
ne saw no objection TO pursuing the
coarse he proposed, without however
|a'!ysing AIRY member to draw so
.aach Of The salary as would bring
jhsm at any tine in debt to the go
!vfrnment.
Gar. jackson Of Ky. differed both
from the speaker and the attorney
general in this that the compensation
given to members was intended to
embrace a whole session long or
short ; but as ii made no difference
to the u. States, and that consfruc'
ton had been given, he should acqui;