The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-21


ia friendly talk and making treaty with those west
ern wild men. In consequence of the annexation Of
Texas, these tribes had become our neighbors and
hence the importance of having treaty arrangements
with them. II was deemed important that, afteI
the contamination of the treaty, certain number Of
these Indians should make Journey to tbs seat Of
government, to smoke the pipe of peace with their
Great Father, the President, and see something Of
the power, extent, and resources Of our country.
They are now here under the authority of the War
Department. There is no appropriation of money
10 pay their expenses here and back to their wig
vans. They are impatient TO leave, and cannot do
so until this bill shall pass. Some OF them are said
TO be sick. Common charity called for the passage
of the bill -.
II was with an eye to this appropriation that he
(Mr. w. had voted to postpone an important spe-
cia order. to Jake up this bill, for the passage OF
which there was (he said) the loudest call. = ..
The second object of the bill (Mr W. said) was
to appropriate money to pay the members Of this
House and of the Senate. Forlk object, no said
he had no anxiety. IL would cake care Of itself
There was littie danger Of members adjourninswith-
out seeing 10 their pay. But (said Mr.. WI certain
members have taken occasion Of this discussion TO
alude to the per diem and mileage Of members of
Congress, and TO speak loudly IN favor Of their re-
duction. ... ....... ....... d.. .. ....3
Mr.. w. said the country ought to understand
this IL had become standard theme tor Buneomb-
King Every year or two a bill reducing the per
diem and nage was made to pass this House. in
confidence that the same would be srangled in the
Senate tie, for one, thought the pay and mileage,
as now liked by law, none too much. Experience
had proved to many a demagogus, who had ex-
claimed against II before getting into Congress- that
sS per day for half the time, (and the other hall
losi) was no great shakes. After deductng ex-
penses of living in Washington, and Of buying
speeches to send TO constituents, he believed some
such gentlemen had become convinced Of their
psrdaney in imagining themselves on the high road
TO fortune by getting into Congress. Mr. w. said
he believed he had heretofore voted against such
propositions. He for one, did believe that if il
were not perfectly understood that such bill could
not pass the Senate, il would ever pass this House.
and he did not hesitate to say that, in his opinion,
if each member of this House should cast his vote
IN favor of its passage, or if his would pass
the BILL such bill would find little favor here As
is, however, (said Mr.. w certain members were
ever ready to advocate the measure, and he (Mr W
now gave them notice that hereafter he should
vote with them, and far as in his power,
promote the passage Of bill reducing the pay
and mileage of members of Congress, and stop
ping the pay of absentees. He said that he for
one, would rejoice to those who were so
ready to advocate the reduction i ecessfu in their
advocacy. He had never heard that any of them
had refused to receive all that the existing law ent-
tied them to. He thought it barely possible that their
advocacy OF reduction was little insncere; and he
would be glad to see them in the category they
hoped that in due time a reducing law would pass
both houses; and had he on former occasions I'M
derstood gentlemen he now did he certainly
would have accommodated them so far az his vote
would 90. -..
Mr.. MCKAY said he would not answer the gen.
tleman from Pennsylvania Mr.. STEWART in re-
gard to the Tariff nor would he reply to other gen.
tlemen in regard to the pay and mileage Of members
Of Congress He was opposed to the irregular
practice which prevailed, particularly in this House.
Of irrelevant debate He thought the Legislation Of
this country would be much more judicious than il
is, it, when any measure was before this House,
gentlemen would conhne their remarks to the ques-
ton appropriately under consideration. ~ Beiepiag
this correct, and 1t being that which he had
uniformly followed, he would not now depart from
1t. - r.r. aa- ta
What the bill under consideration First, it
appropriated 900 to the fulflment OF the stpula
tons Of treaty made with the Kanzas Indians and
which ratified since the passage of the ordinary
Indian appropriation bill 1t was to carry that
treaty into execution. He presumed there would
be no objections to that. ...s- ...
The next item was s76 900 additional for the pay
and mileage of members of Congress To this OBJ
ections interposed. Now what was the ma
ture Of them He had stated to the committee
when this bill was under consideration before,
that the appropriation applicable to this object made
by the last Congress was $50 000 that that
appropriation was made the supposition that the
session would terminate about the LIST Of June last
In consequence, however, of the great number of
important questions brought before Congress, the
session has been continued and will continue to the
10th of August Ofcourse everybody secs the ne
cessity of making additional appropriations. lie
had in his hand statement he would read to the
committee.
The statement embodied the following facts: 2S3
members of the two houses, Composing them full)
their pay each day is 81 264. Congress will have been
in session, up to the 10th of August, 253 days, and
that will make. in conneyion with the nieape
which is Sl70,563 an aggregate of S747,355; from
this, deductng the former appropriation $50 SOC,
il leaves Sl76545 which is proposed to be provided
for by this BILL
But his friend from Virginia Mr.. DRomoooLEl
and others said there would have been no necessity
for this appropriation if the civil and diplomatic
bill had passed, and that they were hastily making
appropriations for themselves when they left other
officers of the government unprovided for. They
have fallen into great mistake; all other officers Of
the government are provided for up TO the LIST of
the present month-the commencement the fiscal
yearly the appropriation made last year; but, ac-
cording to the statement he had already made, the
appropriation for the pay and mileage of members
of Congress was exhausted, (supposing that all the
members of Congress had drawn out their nav and
mcage) on the lst June. 1t true that the ser
gea ut alarms had continued to pay them until with
in few days ago, but it was in consequence of
many members not having drawn out the full sum
TO which they were entitled. All the other officers
Of the government--our civil officers, the officers
of our army and navy--are paid could have
been paid, II they thought proper to make the
demand, up to the lst July. But this could
not have been the case with regard to members of
Congress. If these appropriations were NOT made
now, his friend from Virginia said the appropra-
ton by the civil and diplomatic bill would have been
applicable. Ii was true, it might have been, but
not strictly; the appropriations by that bill APP
pcabe to the service of the present fiscal year, and
it would be seen from the statement he had already
made that there was deficiency in this particular
in part for the service of the last year--the appro-
priaon being made for pay and mileage only up to
lst June.
Mr.. EWING, of Pennsylvania called upon the
gentleman, as but few minutes were remaining for
debate, to bring forward the estimates for the In
dian appropriation which was proposed.
Mr.. MCKAY said that, surprising from the in
curry made from the other side of the House no
further opposition would be made to this portion Of
the bill, he would dismiss it by simply calling at
tendon to one further point. It might be supposed
that this was unusual that bill appropriang for
the pay and mileage of members of Congress should
IL IL 81,