Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-01-24
&.EE'GEskp.E y.


unt that oil Congress- whether they occupied the
whole time on the public business not. His homo
raoie COLLEAGUES asked If Congress had not power TO
pay THIS extra allowance OF its contingent fund.-;
mr. r. would ask ftcse persons were paid as COM
'issoners or as members of Congress: Ifas commits
soners, an act OF appropriation be passed. if rs
members OF Congress the existing laws already rruat-
"a and fixed what be done. The case Of the Bank
investigating Committee had been cited as a precedent
put IL was not III point since that committee lad
vel out OF their usual route; whereas in the case before
us The members travelled FROM their residences direct
.l's city, which they must have done if they had
Deen on The committee. Mr. f. declared his intention of
opposing any proposition for extra allowance
MI Wardwell sud- this seemed to DC New York
affair, he would make few brief re marks The gentle
man who spoke last did seem to understand what the
law was II MIR WIS. recollection correct, it was,
tat no member of that House entitled to any paw
unless he attended and if any member went away with
out icares' ne was also not entitled pay lie could
house. Mr. w said he was opposed to the ndmeni;
not for the assigned by the gentleman from Penn
syivania who said that those who from the great
est distance had the advantage Mr. w. thought other
wise, and that those who lived home had the adj
ventage for they could have holiday every week and
were not only near enough TO give prompt orders about
teir private affairs, but they might go home every Sa
urday night la this case, Mr. w contended the House
had no power 10 oder the extra mileage, or any more
than the lawful So per diem. He even doubted whe-
ther they had power to pay them Committee but at
all events he was decidedly opposed to the paying them
MIR. r. NJ. johnson said il was his intention 70 sub
mt very few remarks TO the House He observed that
u was proper occasion to state emphaticaly that lac
ing committees to IN the recess what ought to be done
during the session of Congress- He hoped that the
practice would hereafter cease 1t could not, in his
opinion, be Justified; nor did he think the people would
sancuonlt whenever the subject investigated; but
having been driven into The measure in se.defence
on account OF the committee created by the Senate
1T had become duty fix the rate of common s,ton
to the members, and he for paying them neither
more nor less than the per diem allowance of SO per
uay, winch all OF the members received. Mr. John
son SAID, that IL was objected that the per diem
allowance embraced the whole recess, and was not
limited to the number of days which the commit
zee mad been engaged in this city. He understood that
the duty OF the committee co-ex.ensive with the
Gohiederacy, and not confined to this miles square
il extended alike to Maine and St. Louis and syond;
our ost Oihccs existed every where; mail staes
niail coaches were running every where and he ann
posed that The committee extended TO a minnie ,,p
uon OF every thing which concerned the Department
OF matters and things in general The commission was
not confined to this place, and if the committee had per-
FORMED TINS aTduous duty they deserved pay for every
dny OF the recess, and lie would suppose for mo-
inent that any member of the committee had been def
i'c expected tnat every member of the commit
zee mad SO devoted his time TO his duty, wherever
ne was, that be could not, and did not attend TO
any oie business 1t was an interruption of his time
ana occupied his mind. If this not the case he
would not be willing to give full wages He rccollccted
that during the last session. sufficient mass document,
had been reported require two months 10 exan,;ne
anu understand them. This, lac understood was per
formed by the commttee-no doubt the mass of useless
documents would be found be pretty much like two
grams oil wheat IN Bushcl of chaff-yet they were
documents and requirdd examination and close cxanna
committee and e Maa sSSsiP fbFs % s
fully as much employed during the recess as members
OF Congress during session. for which we received by
law and by the will of constituents eight dollars per
day Unless, therefore, better mode of compensation
could be devised, he should for the original propo
siiion and he wished to gAe much by the day and
not allow mileage, go into constructive iourneys or
the contingent expenses OF the committee If we de.
parted from the rule of paying what all got while in
session. did not know what we should rive and he
wished TO know precisely the amount given and then
there was no deception uncertainty.
MIR. j. said he should trouble the House any LONGER
a. Iha Nyi.pIn
pended in debate. The committee were willing TO take
whatever the House would grant and he should be con-
tented and satisfied, whatever it might be- but for his
part he would vo;e for payinga reasonable conpe nsaon
to the servants OF the people, fthose were faith
M winch IN the present instance he believed to be the
case For his part, he would say that while he would
make any sacrifice for his country, if duty called for it,
yet Tor money he would not have undertaken and exc
cuted what had been done by the committee for double
the amount proposed.
The discussion was here arrested by a CALL (by Mr.
AshieyD for the orders Of the day which prevailed
yeas ct, nays ~.