Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1840-09-19
Communication
So"s"see'''e'As'o
PROM THE MILTON LED0ER'
The Extra Pay.

The Extra Pay.
"Mr. Enron In your paper of the Sth inst,
1 observed under the editorial head, some remarks
with the caption of Extra Pay" in which you
pretend to give the vote upon allowing daily pay
to the members during the recess. Your remarks
apeear to lie particularly intended to operate to the
prejudice of Charles w. Hegns, our late member,
You, however, with apparen, candor aud sincerity,
oGcr the of your columns to Mr.. Hegins, to re-
ply to the charges you make against him. Sup
posing that you would extend the privilege
to his friends, shall endeavor enter into brief
explanation of an error which you, as well as
other editors have fallen into-more perhaps, from
your not having the Journal your poss' ssion, and
therefore dependant other for your nfor-
nation, than from intentional misrepresentation.
The law, under which the members received
iheir pay, gives them daily pay from the time of
their meeting until the final adjournment. So that
the daily pay of the members would continue du-
ring temporary adjournment, without action
on the part of the Legislature.
The question then was, not whether they woald
vote themselves pay for the lao already giues il to
them, but whether they wuud rehnqush that pay
TO which they were entitled by law. Tkc vote
which you publish was not upon that question as
shall show.
1t will be remembered, that the Legislature al
journed sine die Oh the l6h of April having failed
to pass the important public bills, which the public
interests imieriousIy required. The Governor
called special session of the Legislature the
i7th of April, by proclamation issued the previous
evening in pursuance Of which, they met on that
day. The members were all ready to depart to their
homes, and many of them had already left Harris
burg As soon as they met, resolution was offer
ed TOR temporary adjournment and extra
sion. That resolution was lost, Mr.. Higgins voting
against it. After some time spent in Intellectual
attempts made to pass the b mon ioned in the
Governors proclamatien, another resolution was in.
irojuced for an extra .ession and carried, Mr. He.
gins voting egti iaa it, They met again in the
afternoon, after an extra session had been deierm-
ined upon, vixen Mr. Brodhead offered the follow
ing resolution:
4" Resolved, That the dssly pay Of the members
shall be suspended during the temporary adjourn.
ment of the Legislature" (Journal, VOL /, page
IO3a)
To prevent the passage of this resolution, an ad-
joumment was moved and carried, and upon call
of the yeas and nays, they stood yeas 80, nays IS,
Mr.. Higgins voting against adjournment (Jour.
na, page 1884 .)-HeTe, upon the threshold OF the
matter, we find Mr.. Higgins not enly voting against
extra ssioh, but voting ag rins adj urnmen,,
which adjournment pge,eRtd the passage of the
above resolution, showing his wish to .iinQu sh
the daily pay during the adjournment
On the 18th of May, after the Legislature had
again met, (JounaI page 1919 the House re-
solved itself into committee OF the whole on the
above resolution of Mr.. Broadhead. After some
time spt ut in the committee, the speaker resumed
the chair and the chairman reported progress, and
asked leave to sit again Leave Sss granted, and
motion was made that the committee have leave
TO sit again on the Fourth Of July. This would Of
course. defeat the resolution. This motion was
lost MIR. Hegins voting against it, (Jounal, page
l07L) A meen was then made lha, he commit.
tee sit the ?olh of June (Journai, page iO7I J
This would also have defeated the resolution. Mr.
Higgins voted against this too The committee wa.
then refused leave to sit again. aud the resolution
came b'fJre the House. Mr. Mil novel To strike
cut all after the word resolved and insert in lieu q
it, the following, viz by the Senate &c. Tha
the members Of the legislature shall not receive pe
diem allowance from the all urnment on the lTtl
of April last, until the 18th Of May lslo, nor shal
they receive mirage allowance for going to Harris
burg and retp'uing to their se'sal places Of abode