Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-04-10

propose to move to strike out tie words.
allowances authorised ~ The House Of
! Representatives, and to insert srcsolu-
tons passed BY the iienss OF Representa-
I tives = AMI to atrike o;.lti;c word .'a.lnw
a1ccs" where it occurs afterwards. aud 70
insert resolutions. VI
| My reason for this II, thai 7 am inclined
TO think, from an examination Of the t. q !,
/ IN connection With lie hatter. that the
chairman CT tie Committee Of Acnot.t.ts Of
The last Congress not by virtue Of any reso-
iut;ons passed BY this House. or laws pass
( ed by Congress, seemed to have considered
| it his duty and his right to pass upon all
accounts presented to the COMMITTEES He
did pass upon suet allowances as I have
mentioned, Witch PC siebseaseftlr paid
4 BY the Treasurer. ] cane IL .5,iis cancla-
sion from ar eTaminet'on of the reports or,
finances Of 1S56-3I.
1t will be rccollectel that, at the close Of
the last sessisn Of Congress, sundry resolu-
tons were passed giving compensation to
Various officers and various employers
about the House, some specific and some
general. These resolutions, numbering
some four or five, embraced different class
es Of employees, 10 whom was given twenty
per cent extra compensation. Now, sir,
while | do Tot Ehow tile fact, | Say. from
! the best informationI can get, from an ex-
animation Of the statements made Ia s'lc re-
ports OF the Secretary Of tho Treasury, that
there are some allowances here made, which
are not justified by any lie ltion With
has passed this House, or by any law W i h
has passed Congress. / notice here, in the
first place:
For additional COM ell alton for settling
and q ljusting the outstanding bills under
the book resolution, found on file in the
Office which belonged to my predecessor,
S75oD
Now, find that wherever 81 allowance is
made under q resolution e the IIous ox
ltw Of Congress, the authority is also re-
farred to specifically by its date in the state
ncnt which precedes the receipt. In this
ease, | find no such reference. either to the
,w or to the resolution If the House direct
ing the payment Of this money ont of tie
contingent. fund Or any other fund to whicli
it is chargcable This IS oily ny conclu-
sion. ] dJ not know how the facts may be !;
but, from the information have | think
aln warranted in drawing this conclusion
from tue manner in which these items are
stated in this report. refer, gentlemen,
to this report from page 81 to page 50, for
information on this subject Now, in the
very next item for Mr.. Barclay, it reads :;
For compensation allowed BY the reso-
luton of the House Of Representatives, Of
March 3. 1857, S5,706 81
But in the next item, there is no resolsi,-
ton referred to. Then l refer .c tie item
fol Mr.. ingram:
For services as clerk to TIC Committee
cf Accounts If the Thirty fourth Congress,
$3.50"
Now, sir, there is no law or resolution
authorizing the Commute of Accounts to
pay Mr.. Ingram for this service.
Then is an item for Mr.. John Baily:
For compensation for additional service
as &c K in tie Office Of tie House Of Rep
rescntatiyes Of the United States, twenty
FIVE dollars a month, from the ist Of May,
1850 u June 80, 1853, being thirty eight
isIo.ist.ls. $3.50"
Now, sir, see no reference to any rcso-
lution or law authorizing this money to be
paid nor have been able to find resoln-
ton OF law of Congress Which authorizes the
+ payment Of this money to Nr. Faily. I
understand he is mere assistant clerk in
the Clerks Office, and entitled to no add
tional Compensation for any services.
! Now, sir, unless I can get sofne infors,a-
ton which shall satisfy me that these allow
ances were properly made | cannot vote to
give them credit for these allowances. Now,
sir, know there will be 81 elton upon the
part Of many Of our friends to this s. ct on
Of the bill but siE, it strikes NE the OBJ
lection ought to have been made at the time
the resolutions were passed in the last Con-
grcss glTirg the extra compensation. I op-
posed those resolutions but now concur
with the Secretary Of the Treasury in re-
commencing al appropriation for the pay
ment of parties embraced hfile resolutions
Besides these claims, there are, under
stand, others which have been authorized
by resolution, which have not been paid.
The Secretary says, on the cishty-flth
page:
"TLoro arc other claims, as IN isAform-
ed, which have not been presented. Ct 9 sim
liar character.
i "A portion Of these payments were made
rnler resolutions of the House, directing
the Clerk to make them The others were
made under the directions of the Commit
tee of Accounts Of tl,e House; all of them
were made cut of the contingent fund Of
the House Upon this state Of facts, the
question arises, shall the Clerk be allowed
credit for them by the accounting officers of
the Treasury in the settlement of his ac~
counts 2"
I, And then. again, after going on t. exam
inc the various laws now in force, and hav-
ing satisfied his o@d mine tEi::t those laws
| prohibited him from allowing the extra com
! fiensation provided under these resolutions,
the Secretary closes his report in these
! words:
/ 1.-The greatest reluctance have felt in
coming to this conclusion arises from the ap-
prehension that injustice s.lay bc done to
the persons whose claims I1ave thus been ~
cognized, and tie officers Of t|sc scnate and
4 House, who have acted IN good faith in
complying with the direction Of their re-
spective Houses.
..T b.,-a IA Jc,,Ls' frof tlc-o cr?s7,ors h,ya