Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-09-03
SWfudliug.

6windling.
Two years ago a Know Nothing tornado
swept over the country, and by which large
number of the disciples of g Sam" suddenly.
found themselves elevated to the halls of our
state Legislature, and of Congress How they
exercised their brief authority in the :. Key
stone" the people of our good old state will
long remember, and the obnoxious laws then
passed pointed to as monuments of their fanat-
icism and folly. Some of them have since
been repealed but the law providing for an
increase of their pay and by which they voted
fee hundred dollars into each of their own
pockets still remains. They were not content
with the old law which gave Pennsylvania
legislator three dollars day and mileage, but
changed it to salary of $500 per annum, and
made the law applicable to themselves
The example thus set in Pennsylvania has
been followed by their brethren in the present
Congress. Eight dollars day, and eight
doltars for every twenty miles travel in going
to and from the seat of government was too lit
tie for those :. Americans who should rule
America and they have accordingly voted
to raise the pay Of members of Congress to
$4,000 per anpum, and made the law apply to
the present Congress
BY this Legislative trick the present Know
Nothing Congress has not only imIuortalized
itself. but the nneml ers have received several
hundred dollars more than they had contracted
for with their constituents at the time they
| Il, Al
syIvania they see the hand writing on the wall
and know that the voice of an indignant peo-
pie will soon compel them to retire to that OBJ
security from which they suddenly emerged =
They we'll aware that it is their last chance
| and they make grab at the public treasury
and fill their own pockets whilst they at the
same time refuse to vote supplies to the SOL
diers engaged in the defence of the country
Even the New York TriJuue, the organ of
the Black Republicans, is forced to condemn
this act, to which it alludes in the following
| structures
" 1t was just forty years ago that the Con-
gress IF that day undertook to increase the
pay Of members. They put it up to barely
81 800 year, which is about what they now
receive, on the average, at the old charge of
| eight dollars per day. We believe that they
did not make the rise retrospective, as the new
act does. Yet this 81 500 year demolished
nearly all who were concerned in it. Henry
Clay, who had not had a competitor at the
polls for some time previous, barely saved
himself from defeat by superhuman exertons,
unrivalled ability on the stump, by appealing
co his great and admitted public services. and
by virtually confessing that he had done wrong
and promising to do better Members of
moderate abilities aud ordinary services went
down before the surge of public indignation
| like dry grass before prairie fire. The new
Congress hastened to repeal the Compensation
Act and go back to the eight dollars per day,
which did not look SO Insignificant to their
constituents at their lonely fircsides as to the
dispensers of millions at Washington
But the retrospective feature of the new act
is most iudefeasible Every member now in
Congress virtually contracted to serve through
tue last term for S720. Instead of that
majority have now voted to take to themselves
50 200 for that service. This is not exactly
stealing, but it is very sharp kind of convey
| ing. See if it dues not bow down good ma
ny of those engaged in it We earnestly ad-
wise all parties not to put up any members
who voted for this grab any of the close dis
| tricts. 1t will not be safe.
People of the United States ask YOU,
present or prospective candidates for Congress
what they think of this new Compensation
Act. and try to have their answer in black and
white before you vote for any of them ~
1t is not long since Mr. Greeley congratu-
lated the country On having such glorious
ongress as the present. He might have toll
Grated little stealing in consideration of ex-
ira services on the Kansas question.