Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-03-30
CONGRESSIONAL.

3Ef,,nanm0uS consent, ana agreed to.
 # Resore1, That the secretary of war be. ant | be he.eby is, sc9ucs'ed to communicate. for tn Sp,se of the Senate, any information within hi
 re.ch concerning the late expedition of Leuten
 ont E. N Beale, to open wagon road from |z ,oipt near Fort Defiance, in New Mexico. to tn,
 $ sestern borders of California; and that he b,
 S,eouested to furnish a map or chart of sucl Broad.
 House bills making appropriations for the cur Brent and contingent expenses of the Indian de |S Spartment, and for fulfilling treaty stipulation. % with the various Indian tribes, for the yea # ending June 30th, 1859; and also bill making Appropriations to fulfill treaty stipulations rea
 stive to the discontinuance of the Danish Sound #dues. was received and referred to the committee Son finance.
 The credentials of Hon. J. P. Henderson #chosor bv the legislature of Texas, to fill the $vac.,,cv occasioned by the death of Senator
 9,,sk were nresented, the oath was administered
 .rd NJ, Henderson took his seat. The bill admitting Kansas under the Le-
 ,,tor, constitution was taken up and discussed
 M, Green of Mo- (dem.) who offered as a
 rnhstitnte bill admitting Kansas and Mime I Mr COLAMER, of Vt, (black republican, oJe .lenothv speech against the admission of IKans,s and without concluding gave way to 2 roo,ion to % into executive session. After [or,otim. spent therein the Senate adjourned. T Uore,-The select committee In the case oi sMottoson va. appointed by the speaker n A hill fixing the number and compensation of .lorks messengers. pages, and laborerS of the R1Ioree of Representa !es was taken up and dis Earssod ot length. by Messrs. Mason, of Ky, &fJom Rufin. of N. C., (dem.) Jones, of Tenn, Elem Smith. of Va, (dem.) and Stanton, of anbo Chlack renublican,) in favor of its passage, I.nd Warren. of Ark, (dem. J Smith, of H., |fDonoIss dom.) Learing, of N. Y., (dem) and 'Nichols of Oho (black republican, agaln't It's 4assaqe. but without disposing of the question 4he House adjourned.
 During the debate Mir Warren, of Ark, (dem.) had. the following remarks:
 Mr WARREN. It is not my purpose MT Spoaker. to enter into anything like lengthy arrrment in regard to the proposition before the Hogse I desire simply to enter my protest against some positions taken by the honorable eertleman from Kentucky, Mir MASON. l have no hesitancy. however, m saying that am opposed to the bill as reported by thls com, nitfee. But before give any attention at all b the bill. L.desire to notice suggestion when fel from the lips of that gentleman, slmpl De- cause am not willing that sentiment o1 such character should go forth from the Congress of he United States to the people of thls country.
 The gentleman tells you that, In order to get incompetent inefficient men into position, It IS but necessary te increase the salaries attached to their offices Now. it has been held in the country from which I hail, and l have un- derstood it to be the policy of the country generally, that if you want to get efficient, com petent men to discharge the duties of any posi- iion you must give them something like ade- quate compensation. That gentleman, howev- er tells you that, as to positions here, under the federal government, if you want to have them filled bv inefficient men, yOu must give them adequate psy-I mean high pay. That is a new doctrine. It may attach to the State of Kentucky, but am sure it cannot attach to any other place than Kentucky.
 MT. MASON. Will the gentleman allow ne to correct him? I said extravagant pay"
 Mr WARREN. Well, extravagant, if the gentleman prefers it. hold this to be the truth -and the history of all States and all countries 'ustains me in the declaration-that the higher he pay, the more efficient officer you can get to discharge the duties. Hence, hesitate not to 'nnounce that, if I had been in the Thirty Fourth Congress, I would have voted for the pill increasing the compensation of members if the gentleman from Kentucky had 1een here, he, too, would have voted for that pill. And yet, sir, while we would increase our 1ay, and while we are all willing to increase the oay of functionsres of the government, we would now strike-at whom? Strike at those whose very bread depends upon the little salary hey get for the performance of their arduous ,r functionaries perform.
 Now, if the gentleman is really sincere about his system of retrenchment and reform, I am willing to go with him and other gentlemen in heir efforts, and go as far as he who goes fur hest Let him go around and see the commit ee rooms, and notice the gorgeous manner in which they are furnished. Let him see the ,earks employed by committees, at four dollars per day, and not single thing to do. Let him
 rike at them, and not at the little boys on this loor, many of whom are sustaining their wd- owed mothers, and their little orphan brothers md sisters. Strike at a man who is able to live within himself, if you are for retrenchment and etom. But now you strike, by this bill, at hose subordinate offices that are filled by poor nen, and poor men's children, and widows chi- lren; and some of them are to be turned off, md others to have their salaries reduced so low hat they will not be able to pay their board, much less help to support their widowed moth- ITS and orphan brothers and sisters.
 Mr. RUFFIN. wish to remind the gentle nan that the committee does not propose to decrease the pay of pages They propose to cave their salaries at two dollars day, and in- tead of decreasing, to increase their number.
 Mir. WARREN. The position I take is fight. If gentlemen wish it to go from the American Congress that they are in favor of re- and reform; that they are in favor of strict economy, let them strike at what will pay. Now, sir suppose that forty or fifty or 1ne hundred thousad dollars would be saved by his bill, what is that in comparison with the amount of money expended by this government in the payment of various sinecures, md of thousands of officers whom you might possibly call inefficient, and who have been pro- noted simply because they have been puffed? sav let us strike at the proper place. lot us get lp a system of retrenchment and reform am as much in favor of that as any body; but am in favor of beginning at the right place. Let us strike at game that is worthy of us. The pay given to clerks and messengers and pages is not much in comparison with what we receve.-- Suppose bill were introduced reducing the salary of members of the American Congress, would the gentleman have voted for it? Not so.
 Mir. RUFFIN. will.
 Mr. WARREN. Well, let the gentleman bring in such a bill. am glad to see so much patriotism evinced by gentlemen; have not so much patriotism. I frankly confess that am proud to represent my constituents on the floor of the American Congress- but if you take away the pay attached to the position, you will take with it such portion of my patriotism as will force me to return to my constituents in Arkan- sas, and work again there as an humble citizen as have been wont to do. But say, if gen. tlemeu want reform, they ought to commence at head quarters. Let them strike the first blow at members of Congress, and then I will possibly assist them in striking at the small fry, if may use such term. But as it is, I shall vote against this bill. I shall vote against any measure that does not propose first to reduce the salaries of higher officers, of those who per form less service. There is no member on this floor who performs as arduous services as many of these clerks do, and even as these little pages do. Theirs is a kind of physical labor which any of us would shrink from performing.
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