Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-01-16

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was an exception 10 ,!,c principle which
prevailed IL regard 90 every other impor
tant officer of The United States. Asre-
garded the convenicnce.o Of citizens, also,
Mir. B. conceiyedit inip0r,an; hat this oiii-
Ger s5o0ld be placed near the other Dc
partmcuis, 10 whom also such vicinity
wcuid lie very useful. AS matter OF JUS
tice, also, lie favored this measure, since
the sSlarv OF the Attorney GsneI;h bore
no proportion 30 that OF other officers Of
ths government, d hcoughi not 90 he call
ed upon 10 pay the expcIceS Ofhis Office
out of his moderate compensation.
MIR. 3. did not give muCh weight to
the argument that the Attorney General
O! the United States could pursae his pTI-
vaie practice, aud at tie s3me time dis
charge with fidelity his public d'it'es,
which required his constant residence at
The seat OF government, sc. So lar from
considering his compensation too great,
h would, If II should appear necessary,
increase the compensation OF this officer,
which was small relatively 20 the salaries
Of other officers of THE government.
Mr.. bacon and Mr. n1s,n of y. n
spoke, the latter more al large, III favor
ofexpnnging the two first sections ofthe
bill, AMI Messrs. Daggft, Stafford, and
Irop, against it.
Tie Arguments in favor Of striking them
out were, generally, these: that the Office
Of attorney general, with the proposed all
ditlOn 10 it OF an Office aud = clerk, be
comes at once the Department of Law,
never Intended certainly when this ole
was established, and this change siD be
the sure foundation ola bill! &c increase the
salary attached to the Office TINT the Sala
~ OF the office had already grown NJ from
1900 10 30eo dollars; that, whatever vas
til practice, IL could never have been
intended thar the attorney general should
be a member of the cabinet, any more
than tEe comptroller of the treasury, and
some otter officers; thai the attorney
general was now better paid, III proporti-
on 50 his duties, than any other officer of
the gov rnment, since, from the first esta-
bllshment of the supreme court, the at
iOrney generals, one wear with another,
had not argued more than two cases each
term Of 1t for the United States that ii
was contemplated always that the attor-
ney general should pursuc his private
practice that he ought to do so, since
constant practice was known 20 be es-
sential 10 make ag ood LAWYER that the
predecessor of the present attorney gene
raj pursued 20 great advantage his private
practice; that in Great Britain the atfor-
ney general is generally the most exIen-
sive practitioner, although by the terms
OF his otiice al the same time a cabinet
counsellor: that, therefore, no increase OF
! compensation (as this proposition wa,
| deemed essentially to be) was necessary
and because, If tire compensation Of The
| attorney general was increased, az aig-
mentatiOn of the salaries OF all the otneF
| officers OFthc government would follow
! Of course.
On The other hand, it was argued, that
| the attorney general was AN officer of
| great Importance, TO whom was cOniided
| the mana cement Of the law concerns oi
! the United States, who was continually
| (almOst daily) appealed 10 for his legal adj.
! vice by one department brother, & who was
besides by the practiceof the govt, q
! cahlRetCOuHsellor;t hatbc ought therefore
! have the same accommodation as other
officers Ofthe government, of an Office and
| ciegk-of Clcrk, becuase il was impor-
! t1nt to retain copies of opinions, OF let
| teFs, and of correspondence with dis.
| ifict 8tiornos, which ~ former attorna,
| generals had never been done, no paper
| OF any description having been handed
! from any one Of them TO his successor
| that the private practice Of the law, witt
| the personalities OF the Office, which occu
| pied all TIE time of the incumbent mus;
be inconsiderable indeed, if not neon
pallble; that it was unjust to ask from
an officer, whose salary WAS perhaps ina
de1"atc 10 his support, that he shout,
| suhsiract fhcretorm the amount of hi.
| official expcnces, &c. sc.
The question on striking out the frs
! section respecting Office rent) was deci
! ded IN the negative, ayes II.
he question on striking out the Sc
cond section (allowiug clerk was carrieC
| by vote OF 10 to l2-iGaiority 4.
engrossed fora third reading.
Tie Senate then proceeded 10 the bil
topTOvlde forthe prompt settlement of til,
public accounts: tie consideration o
which was, ON motion Of MIR. Macon. posi-
poued TO Monday
To which day the Senate adjourned.
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VIRGINIA LEGISLATURF.