New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-08-25

Wahicg goa t,s inflated its prices OF real es's''
| and increased the cost Of living there. Ihis no"
| Coppensa.on Act will aegravste this tendency a.
Index ayogs in notifying US that he shau e1pe''
his salary TO be raised in consequence. Thus Con
pres, having recently raised the pay OF the judges
Secretaries and Clerks, now raises is own pay be-
cause the other rise has increased the cost OF RVns
in Washington: WHO does Lot see that, by party
Of reasoning the Secretaries and Clerks must nave
f,ssh advance, because the increase Of Congress
.ioosl Compensation has sent up the cos! OF hSlng
there 70 a still higher figure. and 50 on in Vi
cious circle indefinitely We propose totally
different course. Stop this lavish expenditure Of
Public Money, or el-e employ it in improving
Rivers aad Harbors ard constructing the Pacific
Railroad; qui. all attempts TO support tie City OF
Warrington entirely out Of the Treasury, and tell
its It ale state owners to pave and Light th.r own
streets, supper. their OWL Pciice aud Courts, and
supply their own property with water; and you
will very soen bring down the prices of living In
that city 10 q reasonable standard. The present
t.,-l,uc, is towsrd state Of thiogs In which OF
the people, who naturally wish t. see how their
business is transacted by their Representatives.,
none but the cry rich can afford to spend week
or two in Washington.
So much for the gist Of our correspondents pies;
let rs now cal entlon to our positions which he
leaves uDcontIoverted:
|. We maintain that the present Members OF
Cor gre.s having seen fit to accept that position
without complaint Of the compensation or notice
that they should try r. increase it. were morally
bound 70 serve out their respective terms at the old
price and to make any increase OF pay prospective
only, not retrospectve-that is to say, it should
have taken effect rom and after the assembling OF
the next Congress.
3. We hold that If the pay were to be increased
at all, then ard thenceforth the present unequal
e1orbitant and slippery Mileage should have been
reformed, reduced and eQualized. Now some Men,
bers receive more than double the pay of others.
3. We insist that bill which changes the CON-
pensa.ion from SO much per day to so much per
year should have deducted at least as much from
Members pay for each days unnecessary absence
as be receives for each days actual service. Now
the new Act, while it pays Members about $50 for
each days actual service, deducts only fraction
over 81 for each days willful absence In other
words; Member elect who shall see fit not to take
his seat at all, but to devote his whole time to
tour Of business or pleasure in Europe, would be
entitled to receive about 900 from the Treasury
as Congressional compensation.
A Finally, while We do no: object 10 the change
from daily to an annual compensation we insist
that $1,000 instead of $4,000 per term would be
quite enough, and that with this the Mileage
should be reduced and Strengthened, and the fine
for willful non.sttendance should be raised to at
least S25 per day. No one will contend that Con-
press ought to sit or will sit more than six months
at the long Session while the shorter is limited by
the Constitution to three mOnths-making nine |
months service for full term. Why is not |
- 0OO for the long and $1,000 for the short |
Se.sicn-being at the rate Of $4,000 per annum |
for actual service-quite enough Remember
that paving Congress at the rate of $4,000 per
annum for the term of actual service, with news
papers, documents and postage free, is certain TO
L. al to the enhancement Of salaries and allowances
on all hands. Remember that the next act of Con-
gress after increasing its own pay was to vote
gratuity Of twenty per cent on their several ST.
ponds to all their regiment of already overpaid
doolkeepers, pages, folders, packers, ire.makers'
sweepers, &c. Men aud brethren will you con-
slider that our National expenditures are already
Sixty-odd Millions in time Of peace, of which not
Five Millions are devoted to purposes OF practical
utility to future generations, while our Public
Lands are being swept away at the rate Of Thirty
Millions of acres per annum' Will you ask your
,eyes Vhitlert these things tend