Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-03-03

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they did, why did they not pass law and say SOP
Then thsTe would have been no difficulty there would
have been no eon1c between heH0uss an any account
ing officer Of the Government
But sir, it is conceded believe even by those who
claim, under that resolution that If tbera had been M
SUBS qusnt eSonlf Congress itself had not acted it,
me Clerk o. the Ouse you'd have been authorized
under that bare resolution Of this House. 70 pay that extra
compensation because the law of 1854 provides that they
VINO nave received the benefit of that joint resolution
shall not hereafter receive this extra copensaOn Then
they cou,d not be paid ia that way hew do they claim
~ vas me CLERK OF the House AUTHORISED under that
Dare T9souon, and in the face Of the Joint outOn Of
20h July 1854 to lake from the contingent fund s720
ana put 1t IN his pocket aud to pay twenty per
the salaries of alt these other officers and empoTees VIII
had reserved the benefit Of this joint resolution OF 1882
Ihere was, IN the general appropriation bill, this prov
son:
To the Clerk of the House of Representatives to
pay the add ona pehssOn lis empoye and Others
authorized BY the resolution Of the House Representa-
Otherwise aprop and beyev added To The coming.
ent fund Of the House Of Representatives"
ege SIT, s an iad ea9te made for the con
ungent expenses Of this House. To whom is the money to
go To such persons the Clerk Of this House auhO
rzd BY the resolution Of August Is 1856, that extra
compensation. The senate and the Predentof the United
States, in their approval of it. did nothing more,
ceve than to furnish the money pay whom the Clerk
was aunozea 70 pay under the resolution Of August 10,
1856 and BY doing that hold that they did not attend that
il should repeal OF into conflict with the act Of 1854
How wasths provision enacted into law By viola
tion Of the rules Of this House Did go Com
mittee the Whole on the state the Union think not
Of Conference appointed by the Houses the dis
d-tS0hB totoo on INC appropriation el GIN
bFac this provision, although not referred them,
when mot Of the disagreeng votes berween the
the Commune Of the Whole the state of the Union,
where the rules require that should have gOns pass
under the operation Of previous question and sir,
Is is this very question that this has arisen.
After The adopton Of that resolution BY the House and the
passage ofths appropriation the Clerk this House
equisitiOn the Treasury for money pay under this
resolution The accounting officer the Treasury said that
there branches 70 the resolution one which
bTaced those he ready to acknowledge entitled to
that extra compensation and he called on the Clerk to know
to whom be intended TO under the other branch When
he informed hat that class officers
Poyees precluded by the law OF si he as think he was
bound do so long as he regarded his honesty his integrity
and his oath refused sign the equisiOn. Can pass
aW mere saying at e accounting OmceFs Of the treasury
shall sign requsions and pay money upon the acquisitions
OF these any other ofncersS No. sir
the law Of s5 the Comptroller OF the Treasury refused
/ to sign that requsiiOn.
experienced lawyers who going to this question
upon the other side They may refer to Preeedents and to
practice; but them that have regard for
pTecedenis any further than satisfied that the prece
| dent right az the time it was adopted.
Now, ground upon which this bill may be attempted
to be supported is that the Secretary Of the Treasury
ofJuly %, 1852 When he where the act was it
turned out in facan Of August o. 1912; another
men the course OF his correspondence with the commit
eehe referred Of 1882 prohibiting cOmpen-
saton but which, ttnrued out had been rePealedpehaps
at the same sessions But s the Comptroller ofthe Treasury
never rested his decision either upon the act Of 1872
any supposed actOf 1859 He rested his tcsOn upon
House and the other branch Of Congress.
Another point may be made. swell, Mr.. Comptroller
how IS 1t that you have paid extra compensation under
similar resolutions OF this House. when the act Of Is 70
staring You in the fecep Why sir, be paid it upon
the Old doctrine Of precedent aud practice When be
came into c and when the present head of the Treas
ury Department into the office which he occu.
PIES twas the practice TO pay out OF the Treasury under
such resolutions that Of the House adopted August
1885, disregard of the law Of Is q They found that
that law had become obsolete by practice and Therefore.
lawyers as they all are and bound by presidents and pac
ce they paid the money upon the strength of tat form
or practcs But when Congress had come forward and
said that they would that Practice that they would
pass this of 1884 and substantially the law
As / he
was b,Und to do, refused to sign the reqGisiton.
think myself that the proper mode Is for Congress By
Law to bx The compensation OF those whom they employ
and then make appropriations to meet such compensation
Whenever that the compensation is not
adj quate tor hs required the power lies in Con-
gTesS to pass law Os an increase thereof aud then
preparation 70 pay It can be made by law. But sir |
would submit House 10 their camer and more deib
crate moments whether the compensation Of any resent
employee of this House sinadsqu4t? What their GU.
and services hertf Why, sir, Congress of two
years Duration they employed upon averagea lutte
ia twelve months. The Clerk has annuIl saa.
IS 6JO two assistant clerks g. 60 EACH other
csIks. 81 o each. Your rye INT alarms Postmaster,
and DOorkeepsr. W . salaries but 81 $40 lew
years ago, now rec - each q 6O year Go into the
fl Of this House. and you will see that they have
" snecures. They hold the offices but have 9th.
ers TO do the work Look at the Clerks Office where the
report made 1912 provided for eight clerks 500
year you now ha7eseven al 81 S0O and two at s high
salaries. Then, sir, messenger, at two dollars day.
has grown and magnhed into clerk to take charge Of
sauonery at salary OF 81 500 yeT-hOw, know rot
whether under the ctO1 Cf the COMMITTEES Accounts
or Of the Speaker OF the Cs rhe has fitted up
fancy store, with show cases, which fancy articles
exhibited Tor sale to the members Of this House Laugh
1 ter
Again sir up to a few years ago. within nv recollection
you had messenger in charge Of the House library re
csivng 81 80 da7 during the session and you have
Librarian at 81 800 year. ana no discount when Con
gress nOtn session; and be has lsSeEger attend
the orders Of members for books and documents And
then sir 90 down Where the documents folded But
few years ago you had messenger there to attend to
that business Now it has grown into department, with
at salary of SlSOO. with clerks and
messengers and with books regularly opened aud kept
in some large commission or business house in of
importing CItes-wiih some forty, ~ or sixty messen'
gers folders and emp Dyes, each Of whom under these
aunual compensation resolutions, receives two hundred
and fifty or two hundred dollars extra
Then look in ard around this He'll. You have two
D0orkeepsrs there Y, 20 to he post Office believe
there generally two stationed there-t|c big, Stout
able oiled men-One to pull half of the door open,
AID one to pull the other half open. Laughter Go to
that other door, leading tn Of the Speaker aud
5ergeant-at.Ars. There two stout aoe-bodied
men, each 70 open half OF the dOOr-nOt it would
seem to me, to determine who are entitled, and to admit
those who to this Hail. but to let in everybody
that comes and asks admission And at the centre door
the Lord knows how many ablebOdied doOTkeepers are
there for have never been able to ascertain Renewed
laughter Then back Of the Speakers chair JOu have
two or three messengers to fold papers for members while
the House is in session. and to CD door leading to the
ladies gallery have more messengers stationed all
in the receipt of this $3.50 EACH extra under these com
pensati0n resolutions
To other messengers from per diem compensate
Of g SO each have grown in rev years. to clerk
in charge of books MEMBERS and the other into read
ing CleTk-at salaries of 81 Soc
Then look into the Office of the where
Won that officer with salary Of 100, clerk whose
annual compensation is 81 60O-WhO draws the checks Tor
the mem6ers pay and keeps the books of the ofce-a
messenger with faxed salary of 81 300 60 the Treas
urv gel the money and bring it here for the members
ana 10 addition a page at tLC0 dOqrs per day. wait on
the head OF the office suppose who is pretty well reey-
ed from ell duty SERVICE except hst Of receiving his
salary and occasional summons arrest of absent
member rscUsant Witness for each summons arrest
believe he receives fee OF two dollars and meageh out
of the city or at least travelling expenses.
In the House post Os= similar provision been mad
in the way OF Increasing DensatiOn. As already stated
the salary of the House Postmaster has ben increased
from 500 to S2l6l; and the tive messengers in
Eisuice whose compensation four or five years sgO
but 50 so day. and that during the sessions Of Congress-
If N stake not have perm Euent aud liked salary
of 81 A per annam All Interested in the pas ag Of
these extra compensation resolutions passed in dis
regard Of the express rules of the House and in vO
the Sergeant at Arms attended to the duties of the Office
in person lie drew the drafts for the msmbera pay and
kert the books and had messenger to q after money
Thus sir you have increased the number aud c0mpensa
ton ofyour employ e.; aud IsuPPase tha this pass
we are to have another extra Compensation resolution for
the benefit the whole OF them at the close OF this session
would ask my friends to pause GBd consider what
hsv are doing. IL Is made the duty y. your controlling
and accounting off GER to tia law aud sCrun-
every aud every Ist0a for money the Treas
urv of the United States aad that it is clear and
tain that it is law and that he is authorize to pay Jne
money required
Now, wna is tbs proper mode Of action if ~ Comp
rOler has done wrong OF the accounting C3ers have