The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-03-18


fastened on the People, and no man can rsay
by whom. The mischief is done by Nobody,
who is responsible to any body. This work
of raising salaries or otherwise increasing
the public burthens for object. as yet unau-
thorized by law is at war with all Republican
principle, condemned by Parliamentary law,
and an outrage on the spirit and intent OF
the Constitution.
But in the present instance, the job was
performed even more indecently than usual
1t was begun in the Senate, where jobbing
and squandering habitually run riot and
through which man may any time drive his
wagon into the Treasury and load up if he
only understands the way. (TheuSenate is
forbidden by the Constitution to Sfiginate
money -bill-that is, a fresh burtlen on the
People.) This Salary job was started there,
and went through of course. Going thence
to the House, it was there promptly and en-
phatically put down-only Mirty-three voting
for it in House Of 234 Members. So the
bill went back TO- the Senate, which insisted
and told the House, 'You shall submit, or we
will defeat the Appropriation Civil and
l'DiplOmatic) altogether, and compel an Extra
Session The House defed this threat and
said, Let the Appropriations go, if they mnst'
But finally, leading friends of the new Ad.
ministration said, To begin with an Extra
Session is ruinous--that broke down Van
Buren's Administration-then Harrison's'--
So at last the House cavcd in, and the job
was accomplished Will honorable and high
minded men, in the face and eyes of the
Country, consent to receive money that was
thus screwed out of the Treasury-the House
consenting to the sack as if with pistol at
its head
2. 'The Usual Extra Compensation. Con
s gress employs twice as many sub Clerks sub
Doorkeepers, Messengers. Fir EN- a ers.
, Sweepers, Pages, &c, &C., as there is any
, need of and pays them most exorbitantly
t The least efficient men get 80 per day fol
very short and light days work. The Pages
(mere lads of IL to Is years. receive $lOI
, per week. Aud in addition to this, it has be.
come habit to vote them all $3.50 each u,
r the close Of each Session, as the USUAL extra
compensation 1t began with vote OF tha,
sum at the close of very long and rather
arduous Session, when it was pleaded tha,
G the undcrlings had been worked very hard &
u had fairly earned something more than or
: dinary Then it was urged and passed u.
l., extra compensation ever since it has beer
the usual extra compensation Many of the
: boys could not earn S54 per week any where
e else in the world; yet they are paid S0.l pei
week tor attending on Congress few hours
i each day IN the dulest part of the year, ant
c then $40 additional per week at the close o
the Session as 'thc usual extra compensation.
d In return for this, they pay in some So cacl
$ for liberal spread OF cold fowl, ham, brandy
q wine, &c, which is set out in some sly Com
n mlttec-room of the Capitol on the last nigh
Of each Session for the Members to get drunl
f and quarrelsUme upon. That is to sny--tht
/, Members take out of the Treasury some $50 ;,
A 600 or y 1000 to give to their messengers
{ pages, &c, who gratefully contribute some
{ $1,000 or so out Of it to make the Members
t jJo'ly over night and savagey sick next day
VI course, all the Members do not vote tor
the swindle, nor do all partakc of tho tipple;
but the business is so managed that the peo.
pie cannot know who does or does not. In
the present case, we regret to see that a
Member from our City, and u Wing at that
(flon. Geo Briggs) was put forward to move
, this most unjustiiable Galphinism, though all
, the profit ot it enureo to the adverse party.
George is good FELLOW, but he does allow his
fingers to be used to rake other folks
ches,nuts out of the fire rather freely.
We had intended to go on, and walk in
to various other plundcr-iobs, but time and
space fail us for to-day and besides, we do
not yet know, (nor does anybody what was
really passed and what has been defeated.
Not even half the Members could tell to-day
what contested items ioisted into Cor at) the
Appropriation bills have failed and what huve
passed. Hear The National Hieliiyencer of
Saiurd"y-thc day after Congress adjourned;
"While many things of Importance failed,
those measures necessary TO carry on the
Government were finally passed; for, putting
oil the real business OF the session to the
last week or two, several Appropriation bills,
and even that for the Civil Service of the
Government, were in great danger az late as
yesterday morning at O'Clock, OF being lost
They finally got through however but in what
precise shape one can tell.
"The numerous bills which were partially
considered, amended, and lost, or not taken
up at ALTO say nothing Of the scores of re-
ports prepared by Committees and not per-
mitted to see the light--lie in mrsses in the
Offices of the House or on the Speakers
table; and owing to the late hour of yester-
duy to which the sittings of the two Houses
extended, it was impossible to collect from
the exhausted clerks even the titles of the
acts which were passed. 1t is evident, from
illusions in debate, thut the members were
aware OF the grievance OF this great hindrance
TO The public business, but the proper remedy
seemed less obvious or attuinube."
The ''Statesman" ON Taxation.
The Statesman thinks that because the
States support their government by direct
taxation, therefore the General Government |
should be supported in the snme wnv I, MA,