Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1854-09-04


Remarks Of iii. fletcher Of Virginia.
On the BIZ to regulate the pay and increase
The efficiency OF the Army q the United
States and fer other pprroses.'
A3R CHAIRMAN do not propose, at
! this late period of the session, to occupy
the ttne Of the house ith anything like
a speeel OH this bill. rise merely 10 pre-
sent few practical considerations in the
shape ot facts and figures. for the purpose
of showing the operations of this bill SO
far as the compensation OF the officers is
concerned.
1t is known that every branch OF the
Government, civil, military. and other, is
setting up now for an increase of compen-.
saiioH, and the very moment you undertake
to increase the pay Of one class Of public
servants, you find another class .devising
plans for all increase Of their compensation.
Now, happen 10 have in this connection
a statement showing the increase Of COM
pensa.ion under tsis bill to the various Of,
fcers therein enumerated. II has beeh
made ont b. those who are interested in
carrying ont the recommendation Of the
Secretary Of the Treasury to the COMMITTEES
f6f Ways and Means for the increase Of the
pay OF the Comptrollers the Auditors, ana
almost everybody else employed at the 9TH
er end of the avenue ! lsayn from this
statement that in the qdartef,s.a?assst .gener-5
ais office, the brigadier general I1sscs'yess
now in the way of pay, rations, forage. SER
wants, clothing for same. fuel, quarters per
diem, medicines for himself and family,
and mileage when travelling OH DUTY, the
sum Of s4,413 %. BY the bill now under
consideration, if it be passed, that officer
will receive IS, 155 al. The first lieuten-
ant colonel one Of his assistants receives
now S2,9S7 90 ; and if this bill should be
passed, he will receive So, l5s 20 per an
: mum. The first brevet major. another of
his assistants, now receives $l,S1U Is. |.
will be by this bill increased to So $50 l6.
The captain now receives S1,977 0j, and
by this bill it will be increased to 80, 3S7
10. The chic: colonel in the adintant gem
, erals office now receives 1888 %, and
under this bill it will be increas. "a to 81
4l3 %. The major who IS the Judge adj
vocate, now receives $3.50 81, aud his
pay will be by this bill increased 10 81
939 81. The brevet major now receives
S3,S94 49, and BY this bill his pay will be
increased TO $a,3l4 IS.
: In the Commissary Generals Office the
, chief colonel gttss$3 .421 04, aud that will
be raised TO S 3 ,a6l Oh. The assistant cap
tain, in the same office, now receives ST.
9A6 30, and that will BIC raised to $2,3G6
. 40. =
In the Oidinala.Aoilies the ehiefcolonsl
now receives ss.!-s41 %, and that will be
raised o. o87 50. The assistant cap
tail. in NJ same office now receives 49,
$40 So, seid that will be raised to $1,000
So.
In the Paymaster Generals Office the
chief eelouel now. receives S3,779 90, and
that Will besHereased TO 81 $40 93. The
pay of assistant lieutenant colonel, in the
same office, is now So 0l2 eli, and that will
be increased to $3,i9i ca.
IN the Surgeon Generals Office the sala-
slfY OF the chet-fank Oh colonel-is now
sIlsSs 7s7 49, aud that will be raised by this
s3b!i q ST ,f56 l3. One assistant, rank
Of major, receives now 52,S 03, aud it
viii be raised to 1886 o.. One assistant
rank oil caplain. now receives $4,000 05,
and that will be raised to 81, 622 o.. Aa-
Other OF the same rank, tow receives ST.
1873 80 and that VIII he raised to 81, 156
..
Ia the Engineers Office the chief colo
gel new receives So 500 CT, and that will
De raised to 81 1872 o.. One assistant,
rank OF lieutenant, now receives IS ,3CS
O., aud that vii! be raised TO s., TIC OF.
In the Typographical Engiae.,s office
the chief, rank OF eol'fnel, now receives
So. 462 q, and that will be raised to ST.
002 q. One assistant captain how receives
S ,8l2 2i. and that will be raised to ST.
33l q.
Now, sir, as said before, tais list was
made cut, not ior the purpose Of showing
The operation OF this biii---not to be used
IN debate here-bui made out for the pur-
pose OF showing that there are certain
eomptfollerS, chief clerks. auditors, treas
arer, commissioner OF customs, solicitor,
and register up al the other end Of the
avenue, W no are on the look out for inereas.
ed compensation, having ascertained that
Congress commenced this session by APP.
plopriating pretty largely in that way, and
,lal the Secretary Of the Treasury had rec
esamended it. Ithas resulted in this Army
bill /; and this statement was made out for
the purpose OF sho wing that the salaries Of
these gentlemen, i'll civil pursuits here
ought to be Increased as well as those OF
the Array officers.
Now, sir il seems 10 me there ought 10
be some stopping point. When the pay Of
the clerks was Increased, in the ea.iy part
OF the session, we were told that it was t.
a case suigeneris-that nothing of the sorc
would be likely to happen again; and thai
there would be no necessity of increasing
the pay Of those who now receive more -
But no sooner is that done. than we find
propos ton to increase the pay of the Ar
my, and that isfollowed by proposition
to increase the pay Of those who receive
now three or four thousand dollars year
Mr. FAULKNER. Will the gentle
man inform me from what document he
read those statements
/, MI. LETCHER. From paper pre-
pared by civil officer at the other end Of
the avenue, which was intended to show
thai when you carry out the provisions Of
, this bill, increasing the pay vote of the
Army, you oughtto increase their compen-
J saton in a corresponding ratio. II was
prepared for the purpose Of showing that
he who now receives $4,000 year,