Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1854-02-09
REPORT;

REPORT:
The 3lst section of the I'd article Of the Con-
stitution provides THAT the members and Of
6cers of the General Assembly shall receive a
fixed compensation to be prescribed by law,
and no other allowdnce or per9aSites, either IN
payment Of postage or otheaciSe and no change
in their compensation shall take effect during
their term of Office"
Tue language Of the foregoing section is not
free frcm ambiguity But the proposition that
the postage OF members cannot be paid out of
the treasury, in the opinion of your committee
admits of no doubt. The practice of paying
the postage of members on all mail matter pei
tanning to their duty as such members, and not
co"ering their private correspondence, existed
for long time under the old Constitution. -
Perhaps under this practice the publication of
documents for distribution had largely in.
creaped, and the postage account OF the mem
bers of the Legislature had been gradually in
creasing up to about the time OF the meeting
of the Unconstitutional Convention" when itI
hai reached an alarming amount. The Con-
vention, as your committee believe, regarded
it as a grievance, and provided a remedy, in
the section above referred to. Your commit
tee are confirmed in this opinion by the exam,
nation of the debates OF said Conventlon.-
One reason urged for the Adoption OF that pro
vision was that it would sop the heavy drain
upon The treasury for printing documents on
which members were charged with the post
age. Whether under the form practice OF
the Legislature, of paying postage DC, the
members abused the privilege, your committee
do not deem it their duty to inquire. But they
! find that they never had the right to charge
postage on any thing sent through the mail,
except what pertaned TO the business of leglS-
tion. Your committee are therefore of the
opinion, that if the Constitution meant to cut
off the payment of any postage it was The post
age of such documents as were authorized by
the Legislature, to be printed that 1t could
not mean the postage on the private cores
pondence of members, for that never was auth
orized by any practice.
Your committee cannot close their eyes tc
the fact, that the very question now under con
sideration, was acted upon and decided by the
last General Assembly, and after full inves
tigation of the whole matter, the right to pay
THE hostage of members on documents distrib
uted through the mail was denied, and you'
committee cannot consent to change the con
structon of the Constitution unless that de-
cison was manifestly wrong. Regarding the
( action of the last General Assembly as correct
} your committee are of opinion that the sait
3lst section Of the Cd article of the Constltu
3 ton does in terms prohibit the payment of The
! postage of members on documents printed tol
t distribution by members Of the General As
sembly. Your committe do not agree that tht
members of the General Assembly have no IT.
| terest in the distribution of public documents
Documents intended for distribution are divi
. ded amongst members and by them sent t
a their friends Some send them generally u
5 their constituents, others to their friends only
and some do not send them at all.
J. Your committee therefore, in view of tn
e evil complained of !, the remedy intended to b.
y provided by the said 3lst section Of the Cd ar
. ticle Of the Constitution the practice under it
J. do not hesitate in giving it as their opinion
that the correct Interpretation OF said artlcl
. prohibits the payment of postage on oil docu
nments ordered to be printed by the Genera
d Assembly or either branch thereof for distri
: button by the members among the people; an
Therefore recommend the indefinite postponem
- ent of the subject.
:, All Of which is respectfully submitted.
Ii f. r. EOKLEY,
}. JNO. H. O'NEILL.