New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-01-15
c.-pr.sarien Of Congress.


Cempe.saIien Of Congress.
Whoever has paid any attention to the recent
discussions in Congress and elsewhere Of the
Mileage or travelling allowance OF Members must
be struck with the fact that no man has attempted
70 Justify the existing Mileage system directly and
circamstantially, though several have chosen 70
regard il az very trifing matter and any egrnes.
eaor. for it's correction contemplate business.
The more usual line Of defence, however, implies
that the Mileage is not too high because the Com
pensstion is too lows if two wrongs would
make right or as if robbing one man Of 800
fairly earned would excuse the lavishing Of el'''V
On another who had not earned IL IL must be
that the public will perceive the ire evancy OF this
srgument and-even if IL be held that = per day
for all would be too lttle-will not therefore agree
that els to $50 per day for part while those
who do a. much If not more get but g 70 sl3, is
as 1t should be.
But we ask attention al this time 70 Compen-
sstion by itself Let Us assume that the Mileage
abuse will be corrected-that an ars pie, even gen.
erous, allowance will be made to every Member
for the time required and expense imposed BY
journey from his residence TO Wsshington-what
would then be fair scale OF compensation Tor ser
vice as Member Of Congress
It is quite easy, but not quite fair, 10 urge that
there are men in Congress whose actual service is
worth more than g per day Nobody has ever dis
poted this Take Mr. Vinton, for example, IN con-
necton with bis post Of Chairman Of the Committee
Of Way and Mesns-a post requiring the highest
Legislative talent, the ripest experience, cspa-
city for ready and crisp speaking, and most IN
defatigabe industry We will most cheerfuly sd-
NIT that no man could ill that post decenily who
could no, earn a great deal more than - per day
in some private capacity. There may be dozen
more posts ia the House and many 10 the Senate
which require not equal but still eminent ability and
assiduity. But these posts not affair criterion Of
the average standard either Of capacity or service
We mean nothing disrespectul, state nothing but
the notorious truth, when we say that large pro-
portion OF the Members could not honestly and fairly
earn o. per day in any capacity and certainly do
not in Congress ali they might. 1t is not fair
then, 10 determine the value Of ordinary service IN
Congress by the amount which Mr. Webster, Mr.
Clayton, Mr.. Reverdy Johnson, or Mr.. Ashmun can
earn at the Bar You might well determine
the ordinary pay Of an Artillery subaltern by in
quiriDg what Bonspsrte was worth at Toulon.
II there could be scale Of graduated payment
according to actual capacity and service we doubt
not that great benefit would accrue but is this pos
sible We will venture suggestion toward it
which may not be deemed unworthy of considera-
non Our scale of payment would be substantial
Iy thus
J. Reduce the Mileage to generous but not extrsvs
CANT allowance for the time and expense Of travel
ing
E.x ~. f,fr, A.
or I'VE prefer s. for each day Of actual service de
Quoting Sundays, days Of adjournment within two
hours from the time Of assembling, and all sb-
senoes not caused by sickness
}. Whenever Member shall have served elk Sessions
In either House both together. let his pay
thenceforward be increased fifty per cent and a.
ter he shall have served twelve yeara as aforesaid
let It be double that OF an ordinary new Member
4. Pay the Chairman OF each Committee and all the
Members of the three most important and lsboriou,
Committees Of each House fifty per cent above the
ordinary rates, and the Chairman of the three (or
more) most responsible and lsborious Committees
of each House Gay Ways and Means, Judiciary and
Clsims) double the ordinary rates the Speaker
double or treble as should be deemed just,
s. Limit the Long Sessions to four months hslfpsy
thereafter.
Under such a system Of compensation as we
have rudely outlined, the aggregate Of Pay and
Mileage would be considerably less than it now
IT, but it would be much more justly and benef
oially distributed 1t is notorious that fifty men
do more than half the real work Of the Honse,
(which is not done in the Hall, but in committees
and in examining papers and drawing Reports IN
their own private rooms and IT is hardly fair 70
call these men from business at which they could
earn each $4,000 and over per year to do the work,
and give the pay for it to men who do not and
hardly can earn 81 500 per year. Every one IA
niliar with legislation must know that Member
with six or eight years Congressional experience
10 actually worth more-provided he be worth
any ,hing-thsn he can be in his first or second
term and that the old stsnd-bys in the House
are the men depended on TO do the greater part OF
the work. Beside, as general rule, those who
are kept in for years generally the better
men; we know many OF the best 60 out earlier
but il is because they don't choose to stay in and
IL such scale as we have suggested were adopt.
ed, it would tempt the best to hold on.
We hope this subject will undergo thorough
popular scrutiny. What we advocate is not high
pay nor low pay bat just pay. such as Will secure
the RICH, men to do the work on the one hand, and
on the other afford temptations to ,rhng with
II and spinning out the sessions. We know well
that the public rarely pays dearer for any service
than Tor that il undertakes 90 obtain for hsfrricc
or nothing. We are confident that the present
system 10 about the most vicious ever devised BY
the pervsrse ingenuity Of man, and that the basis
OF all Reform in our National Expenditures must
be Reform in the Compensation of Congress-
Wherefore it cannot be effected too soon.
The Frisate savannah.
RoSroN, sunday, Jan. H.
The U s. frigate Savannah from New York, is