The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-02-17
BY THE SOUTHERN MAIL
Washington.
VH1rfS tOT'
Correspondence Of the Herald.l
WactrrNr,rnr NITadnasJo

or pay OF all Officers Of the Government
Army, Navy, &c. UT not OF members az
Gonsress-Mc Dufie and Evans IlesoI u.
lions all laid on the table In the senate.
Well, to the establishment of every body, Arnold
celebrated House Bill, No. 54s, which created such
laughter yesterday has assed the House this day by
vote Of l66 to 49, Unlike yesterday, the question
was not debated; and although all sorts of amend
ments were offered, nearly all were voted down
The Bill, however, is so far different from Arnod's
original Bill, that whereas the former proposed to
pay the members So day and So for every twenty
miles OF travel; the present Bill gives them SIS day
and only $4 tor every twenty miles OF travel IL
also provides against those c'ructi Ue journes made
by members between Session and Session when per-
haps they have not stirred out OF the city; and says
that unless a member actually travels the distance
he charges, he shall only receive an amount OF
mileage that will never exceed the rate of Sc day
for the number of days between the end of one
session and the beginning OF another For inst ance
if Congress was 10 adjourn Oct g. and meet again
on the 4th of December, that would include space
of sixty days. If then Mr.. Benton were to remain
in Washington that sixty Gays, he could only by
this act receive six times sixty or $3.50 instead Of
$500 or $4,000 as he has had before.
However, as the bill affects large class of people
and all must he anxious 10 see this wonderful and
sweeping measure Of retrenchment, which cuts
down the pay OF all IN the army, navy government
service whose salaries over $1,000, just 20 per
cent send you copy Of the Bill which have
written out ana corrected myself from the original
Bill, in the hands of the engrossng clerk, this even
ing. Here ii is
BILL 54s
Bill to reduce the compensation the members of the
Senate members OF the House of Representatives of the
United States and to the delegates of the Territories and
other officers and repeating all other laws the subject
Sec. That in lieu Of the daily pay and mileage now
allowed by law to the Senators and members the H. of
senator and delegate
shall hereafter be entitled receive So per day for
Ia eve mil
of travel aad that the mileage in all shall be
minated computed by the shortest mail route according
to the last post office book Of distance from the
vernmen TO the post office the residence of each
SENATOR representative and delegate and that the
rule tor computing distances shall apply all other
sons to whom travel may be allowed by tho most
usual route from his residence to and rcm the of go
vernment in all cases where the session of Congress
s"all continue no longer than five months If the session
shall be extended time longer and exceeding two
months more each SENATOR representative and delegate
shall receive SO per day for the additional term and ii the
session shall be protraced longer than seven months
each senator and member of the House shall receive 81
day for the remainder OF the session If any senator
member of the House should be detained by sickness on
his journey to from the meeting of Congress or after
his arrival at the seat of Government shall be
by sickness from attendance in the House he
shall be entitled to the daily allowance The Presi.
dent of the Senate pro em when the Vice President
he absent, when the office of Vice President shall be
vacant shall receive double the daily pay which he is
entitled representative for every day he shall attend
the Senate tine Speaker of the House of Representa-
ves shall receive double the daily pay which he is
titled as representative for every day he shall attend
the House.
SEC Provided always that it he the duty of each
Senator and of each Representative and Delegate before
his account is settled and certified the number of
days he has been actually attendance in the Senate or
House. and also the number Of days he has been absent
and whether said absence has been owing to sickness or
otherwise and unless such have been caused
by sickness OF himself or family orby leave Of the Senate
sent without cause, shall be deducted from his account
and provided further that Senator Representative or
Delegate shall be allowed for mileage exceeding
The amount Of So per day. from the end of session
meeting the time of taking his at succeeding
session meetings unless he shall have actually travel
led the entire distance which said mileage is claimed
SEC g. And be further enacted That the said CON-
pensaon shall be due to the members OF the Sc
nate shall be certified by the President thereof and that
which shall he due the and Delegates
shall be certified by the Speakers and the shall be
passed public accounts and paid out Of the public Trea
sury
sEc And be further enacted That all acts and parts
Of acts on the subject Of compensation to members
Senate and of the House of Representatives and Dele
gates OF the Territories be- the are hereby re
peaed iro and alter the close of the present session
Congress.
SIC. And be it further enacted That from and after
the passage OF this act the psy and emouments of all
OF the Federal Government in the civil departments
thereof excepting officers the diplomatic service abroad
the Commissioner of Pensions and officers whose pay ana
emolumenfs do not exceed tho one thousand dol
lars per and those the reduction whose salaries
prohibited by the Constitution shall be reduced at the
following rates, to wit when the pay and emouments o.
any officer shall amount to the of thousand dol
lars upwards annum the shall be reduced .C
per cent and when the pay and emouments of any Off
Ger amount to less sum than two thousand dollars
more than one thousand deilars the shall
be reduced twelve and hal Provided That the
pay and emsuments officer SHALL by the scale of re-
ducon adopted in this act be reduced less than
thousand dollars per and that no officer ex-
cepng those of the diplomatic corps, &c. aforesaid
alter day Of January next shall receive under
denomination OF salary, fees other perqusi,es any
greater compensation for his official services for any one
year. than Ave thousand dollars that where officer re-
ceves given per centum for his services the per
cenum shall be reduced at and after the
cenum, excepting deputy postmasers whose compensa
ton il less than thousand dollars that all contingent
expenses (other than salaries Of ocers connected with
the Judiciary shall be reduced twenty per ,ntum and
all perquisties fees, and costs which the United States
be required to pay may be paid process issuing
from returnabe to the United States courts hereby
reduced twenty per cent that the pay Of all officers
the navy and all commissioned officers of the army shall
be reduced twenty per cent the allowed by
law and the pay or allowance made for rations fuel
quarters, servants clothing forage horses and the
mutation or allowance for any ether supplies shall be
duced twenty per cent Provided however, That the de-
ducon OF rations shall not be considered any
other officer who does not receive than raions
per day that officer shall receive greater paw for
transportation Of baggage than six cents per mile And
provided Also That the offices Of Recorder and Solicitor
the General Land Office be, and the hereby abo
shed and that the duties shall hereafter performed by
the Commissioner Of the General Land Office, or such
SEC g. And be it further enacted That all laws or parts
of laws initiating against this act be, and the
hereby repealed.
You see it reads very badly and confusedly, but
the members all say the Senate must correct that,
aud many beiiere the Senate ,ciH pass L.. You will
ask how it came to be passed. after the queer state
in which my last letter LETT it. will tell you. Last
night the wings held caucus, and decided to rush
1t right through to-day, and take the glory oft. So
to-day. Mr.. M'Kennan (whig) moved an amend
ment for the first two sections, made few verbal
alt. ratons to the rest of the BILL and the wings
voted down all other amendments, and the locos
were glad TO get rid of it,.
As the House met to-day, Mr.. GARRETT
DAVIS got resolution passed, that the Secretary OF
State, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the
Treasury, the Secretary of the Navy, and the
Postmaster General, report to this House the num-
Der, classes, and compensation of persons employed
their Departments, respectively, on the first OF
January, 1889, distinguishing by bureaus, where
such exist in the Departments.
Then Mr. KENNEDY tried to get next Tuesday set
aside for the special consideration ofthe Warehouse
Bill but without effect
Mr.. REED, of Pa then offered resolution to in
sruct the Committee of Ways and Means TO report
bill supplementary to the tart! act passed last Au'
gust, as TO produce adequate revenue for an
economical administration OF the government. and