The Madisonian., 1840-01-23
DEBATE IN THE SENATE.
ON THE SUB.TREASuRY.

THURSDAY, Jan. l6
Mr.. CLAY's motion to postpone the bill to Mon
day week having been decided in the negative by a
vote of 26 to l6
Mr.. WRIGHT explained and advocated the bill
briefly and statsticaly.
Various amendments offered BY the committee
were considered and adopted.
Mr.. BENTON, having urged with much earnest
ness that the officers engaged under this bill ought to
be men OF family and respeclabiv, entirely tree
from the vexalions and temptations of other worldly
concerns, and supported by Government in so full
and liberal way as TO take from them the motive
OF the mere love OF gain and Of obtaining necessa-
ry support moved 10 increase the salaries OF the Re-
ceiver-General al New York from $s3 900 to "a 600
and Of the other Receivers General from 81 500 10
$3 OOO
Mr.. WRIGHT made few remarks on the high
living in New York, and in favor of $4,000
Mr.. DAVIS said he hoped these salaries would
not be enlarged. He believed that SO 600 or SO 500
was as great compensation as anv OF the Stale Off
GERS in New York received, except the Governor.
He had urged on a former occasion that this Go
ought not TO make its salaries greater than
those Of the State Governments under similar cir
cumstances The example was pernicious, and the
influence of il was bad in every respect. The Sc.
nator from New York had mentioned representa-
tions 10 regard TO the expenses OF living in New
York city, which he had received from that quar-.
ter. Blu, who was il that made heml Mr.. ID. con.
ectured that il was men who were interested in this
matter, and wanted the greatest salary lheg could OBJ
tain. Mr.. d. did not know any limit in this re-
Spect TO the desires of those who living on the
public Treasury If you desire them 10 be honest,
said Mr.. D., you cannot make them honest in this
II is false principle, condemned by all ex-
perence. | shall not interfere with this bill the
committee may make il as they wish But if am
10 record my yea or nay, wish to have my opinion
justified
Mr. WRIGHT said the Senator from Massachu.
sets was right. The highest salary in New York,
except that of the Governor, was - 500 and this
was $500 less even than the salary of the Receiver
preme Court and Chancery had $1,000. But the
consequences OF it was, that the salary had driven
from the bench several OF the most valuable judges,
because, with what property they had in connexion
with their salaries, they could not live where they
were situated; they had left the bench and taken to
cerkShps, which last offices infinitely the best
of the two. No Judge did or could reside in the
city of New York and support his family on his
salary.
And then as TO the source of Mr. WIS advice TO
which the Senator from Massachusetts had alluded.
Mr. w was not surprised at his inference; but in
this case he was quite mistaken. No man, in Mr.
w Is recollection, had spoken of that subject here ;
and he did not recollect that any had, but mer-
chants in New York, of whose politics Mr.. w. knew
nothing, except the Attorney-General there, (Mr
Butler) and he could not be induced TO take thi,
Office of Receiver-General at 81 600.
MIR. DAVIS True They have gone from the
example of the vice against which have been ex-
DOS ulating Ii is because a clerk receives more COM
penSation than Judge. In this respect our own le
eislation is unsound. | suppose the quartermaster
of one Of your ships olen receives money than
your commodore on deck, who il he could be so far
debased would become avicluaer instead Of COM
mander This cannot be right. And the inference
is not sound that you cannot obtain men of suitable
qualifications unless they receive an enormous sum
Of money. you must thus induce some OF our dis
-. had mo Ia nj nI pf hat
you give Do we not know that some of fihem high
in the practice of the law receiving SSl5 600 and
even 600 annually But this would be no right
graduation OF your salaries. Nor are to go on
the notion of supporting family; for il they 20 TO
work and SET down all the items deemed necessary
in a city for the support of family, one can sup
port family on that theory, And yet OF these
offices go begging, even for the most distinguished
men. And why2 Because they the means Of
support and enjoy compensation that satisfies them.
And what is the reason that the States, who give so
low salaries in comparison with yours, YET fill their
public offices in a respectable way And what bet
Ter proof can you have that your salaries are more
than competent Sir you can never satisfy men by
the largeness of their salaries and on this subject
do not know better rule than TO follow the practice
OF the States.
The question was now put on changing the salary
of the Receiver General at New York from $1,000
TO s 900, and carried in the affirmative by yeas and
nays as follows:
IEao-heSSIS. hileD, btHtoHt bioWb,
an, Calhoun, Clay, of Ala. Fulton, Grundy, Hub.
bard, King, Linn Mouton, Nicholas, Norvell, Pres
ton Roane, Sew n, Smith, OF Conn. Strange, Tap
pan, Walker, Wall, Wrgbi-23.
NAYS-Messrs. Belts, Clay, OF KY, Clayton,
Crittenden, Davis Dickson, Henderson, Lumpkin,
Myr1ick Phelps, Pierce, PreptiSs Robinson, Rug
giles, Smith, OF linda, Southard, White, of Indiana,
Williams Young-lS.
The question now rose on the other dv ion Of Mr..
BENToNs motion, viz. TO change the salaries of the
other Receivers General, respectively, from -, 800
TO $1,000
MIR. HUBBARD said the Judges Of these States
(South Carolina and LouiSana) received $1,000 or
more.
Mr.. DAVIS did not propose as standard the
salaries Of the State Judges in particular but of the
State officers generally and would ask the Senator
from New Hampshire how much The judges OF his
own State receive
Mr.. CALHOUN rose TO say that the expenses Of
living for the Receiver-Genera at Charleston ought
at least TO BE- estimated al SO 900.
Mr.. ALLEN said he should vote against an in
crease Of the salaries OF these officers because II
would increase the responsibility atlhese points.
The question was now put on the increase Of the
salaries OF the Receiyers-General at Charleston and