Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-12-27

| lilitv for the body of which they are mem
bers, nor to take ii for granted, that eve
| nv law which it may pass, must, necessa-
| rily be wise and wholesome act OF iegis-
| lation. Human errors and imperfections
| find their way into AL bodies. And there
| is, doubtless, existing in the. judgment OF
| the community, Q power under whose re-
vision this and other acts OF government
mist and ought to pass. III, however, on
| a review cfthis subject, the House should
still he of opinion thar the law in question
orsome equivalent provision, has become
essentially necessary for the useiui eNer-
else of the powers OF government, ana for
the safety. security and honor OF the
! people Themselves, its. members may still
hope. that in not hastily departing from
if, they viii be justified by the enlightened
sense and generous sentiments OF the ma
ton. The abandonment of ameasure,
which. according 10 their most conscien-
fious conviction, ~ ultimately connected
with the general COED, would be no means
Of obtaining favour with the American
people.
If. in passing the law in question, the
House of Representatives discharged It's
portion of its duty, 1t acted upon general
and public principles, with an entire dis
regard 10 the convenience OF It's own MEM
bers, any further than their convenience
was supposed to be connected with the
public service. Ii treated the question,
not S ne between them and the public.
but as exclusively Of public and national
concern. II regarded II as subject OF
general policy, by which the nation, and
the nation only, was TO be Affected /; as
much so, as any other act OF Legislation
whatever Any imputatIon, so gross as
l. -
particular, a feeling Of self-respect must
compel the House TO pass over in silence,
and its members must Teiv or their known
character, as members of the government
and as citizens of the community to dis
prove il. The House would not presume
10 Judge whether its services III the varl-
Gus and important matters upon which IT
has acted, have deservedaRy consideration
orrespect from the public, but forthOseser-
vices such as they are, it has not sought, nor
would accept any reward, which could be
measured out TO 1t in mere pecuniary
compensation. And while the members
of the House would certainly not think
of claiming any merit for passing the law
in question, any more than for the dis
charge of what they thought their duty
in any other case, The committee do not
see that they have'any cause for taking hui
| initiation upon themselves, on account of
| having PASSED an act, which they belicY-
| edwouid be essentially useful to the coun-
| try, but which they must have foreseen
would be exposed itself, & mightexposei its
| authors, TO misapprehension and misre-
| presentation Of ali sorts. Holding Offices
! in the immediate gift or the people, of
| short duration, and alta time when the
| people were soon 10 exercise, In most
| districts, their accustomed privilege of
| new election, if these Offices had been
| objects of their regard. and if they had
| permitted personal considerations to in
| fuence their conduct, il is obvious, that
| all such consideration pointed TO course
| different from that which they pursued.
| They must have known, that no measure
| could be more easily misconstrucd and
| perverted TO the purposes of obloquy and
reproach. The committee cannot yet be-
lievc that faithful discharge of duty, in
the face of these probable consequences
| is to be reckoned among dangerous poll
! ted errors.
| At tlle announcement of This govern
ment, it was of course among lis first
measures to fix, by law, agrceably to the
| requisition of the constitution, the pay OF
| of members ofCongress. Ir the old Con
| gress nnder the confederation, the mem
| DtTS were PAM Otlt vi tie fldlOflli tTed-
| sury, but by the States which they re-
presented. The rates of compensation
! were different in different States :some
States paid to it's delegates eight dollars
! day; Others six; others less q one State
at least paid them by annual provision
Of six hundred pounds sterling. 1t was
natural to recur to these precedents, when
the subject was taken up by the frs
| Congress, under this constitution. Ia
| king as just and obvious standard, bS
which to regulate the amount of compen
satlon, the average of the rates which haC
been paid by the different States, to then
delegates in the old Congress, it wa.
| found that such<aveTage, amounted tC
| somewhat more than six dollars a dav
! The compensation was accordingly fixed
at six dollars day, by the law of 1889.
| As if was foreseen, that the depreciation
Of money, or the increased expense ofli
wing might render this provision made
quate, the law was limited in its durati
on, III order that IT might be considered
and altered, if necessary, at future pc
Rod. The subject was again brougb
before Congress, in 1906, by the expirati
on oil the former law. On tits occasion
as the committee have learned, and in
| deed as some Of them remember, t1cr,
was much diversity of opinion in tn,
House Of Representatives; some members
wished, then TO change the mode from
daily TO an annual allowance others pre-
| fcrraI Il, retain fhp existing mode i,,f 4,