New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-07-13
Congressional Absenteeism.

VrODt be
The fact is, the neglect of duty by Members OF
Congress is becoming lntoieraoe' ana no'nlns noie
nor less than constructive swindling To exact pay
by our employee s, whatever may be their vocation,
for work they have not done, is dishonest, and no
thing else can be made Of it. The Clerks in the
several Departments, who stipulate to DO their
work for specified sum, cannot reserve 70 them
selves the privilege Of being absent at pleasure
and when they are absent, excepting for cause,
they are charged for the time. Mechanics in our
dock.yards, and those engaged on public WORKS, are
all charged for absent time-and why should nota
Member of Congress be, who receives his IS per
diem for q days scOrk?
That the people may know how their public ser
wants are earning their wages, we will give lew
facts. Until recently, the House 1--WE are now al
luding to the lorer House, met at IL nj. After
few minutes spent IN reading and correcting the
Journals the Members in turn proceed 70 deliver
themselves of speech on the Slavery question:
The custom has lately been introduced-and we DO
not know but what it is good one-ior Members
10 read their speeches, which have been previously
printed in pamphlet FORM 1t is a matter oil no mo-
ment what these speeches contain; as general
rule, they are written by some one else than the
putative author, or they are compilations rom the
speeches of wiser and better men. During the de-
livery Of these addresses there is seldom if ever,
quorum OF the House present In one instance the
number Of auditors was sixteen. On recent occa-
sion, when an important vote was taken, out OF the
23l Members, there were lOe absent; and Tor the
last several weeks, the most important Committees
of the House-in which the chief labor OF the SEES
sion has to be done-have been unable to mature
the bills which ought ere this to have been report
ed simply because members had "psired on, or
without pairing had left the city.
The members thus absent il is true, were OIL no
intrinsic value but their presence was needea
merely 10 act as dummy" for the purpose o. or
| eanizaton; there are men in the House who have
not been in their seats two days per week since
| the session began. :,
This practice Of pairing off," although an old
! Parliamentary usage is novel one In this country
! Some Of our uusophisticRted readers may not un'
! derstand IT, We will enlighten them 1t IS Dor
! rowed from the British Parliament, and therefore
falls within that comprehensive and convenient
| construction Of Parliamentary role, which deter
mines all vexed and controversial points. "Jefer-
| sons Manual" learned compilation OF Parlamen-
tary law, interprets and reconclles all Legislative
conduct however absurd and homogeneous; and
pairing off" by this infallib,e standard, is perfect
| lylegtimate There is, however, this essential
difference in the English and American practice
| An English NJ p. may have multltarlous duties 70
perform. He may be judge, sheriff, a mayor,
an alderman, justice of the peace, or an ot1cer In
! the army and when these extra legislative oihces
REQUIRE bis absence from his Parliamentary duties,
| it is usual for him to make an arrangement with
some member of opposite politics, but similarly slt
uated, to absent himself from voting on important
| questions A member OF the United States Con
gress can hold no other public Office, and when he
absents himself from his legislative duties, 1t is oi
| bis personal convenience or interest. There Is
another very material discrepancy. A member o
Parliament receives no pay; member of Congress
gets his ss day, whether present or absent, and
his mileage of % for every twenty miles, measured
according to a sometimes very elastic conscience
Many, no doubt are Of the opinion, that no incon
l IL klo h. ri nv hn NrQl
spa,ed, and the country benefited by their absence
Such would be the case were their presence no
required to constitute quorums in the committees
1t is on this account that Congressional
is SO much to be reprobated, and not because th'
sbsentees are of themselves Of any value.