The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-10-13
sPEEIcH OF q GEN. en- BANKS.


Defense or the IncreasetI PAY Of. Con.
isa,trp esiI bra iEress. rs liie, 1tH
|bg Members of Congress have maintain
ed aiprIdent silence during the present
icanvassuponth the hematterof the increased
pay Of Congress! Gen. Banks, In a
speech at Charlestown, Monday even
ing, broke tho silence on the sub biect,
and presented the only defense thatca
be made for the act. The defense would
have been perfect il the action Of the
bill had been prospective, and the men,
betss had not voted themselves extra
pay. for past services, and II also the
mileage had been reduced to the actual
cost of travel, or something near it.
Having discussed the bill concerning
soldiers ibounties, Gen. Banks went on
to say;T ie fesi at7es5 ,5-,,,f -
Accompanying this measure, for
which was myself in a great degree
responsible, is another, less acceptable
touhs people and less understood, but
to which, as your representative, i ain
boundito REFER That measure was the
increase of the compensation of men,
'bers of Congress. And i IGl0fit not be-
cause Efearithe vote which,I gave upon
DuL ludG measures.
ode Of which could mot have passed
without the other; may be properly rep
resented, uand knowing, that i cannot
claim credit for. one without being re-
quired to give, am explanation, of the
other The increase of the compensa
tion of members of Congress is not an
Increase OF the pay, but is an eqna1iza-
Congress. On myo right in the rep
resentatives' ball sat. q gentleman
from distant State VINO received every
session nine or ten thousand dollars
compensation. Forimysslf, I received,
Ifbelieve, something like $500. Hehad
$40 y000y = had s., 500, and others of your
Representatives, from this State a like
should be paid ten Thousand dollars
and another threefa How sit possible
that byyalaw of this country one man
shall be paid ten Thousand dollars and
another three for the same serViceG He
was man tofsVaSt wealth; Twas not.
HelhRd no family; IhRd one that I was
Obliged to take care of here. HI made
very few speeches., j ram sorry to say I
made very many. IIIanghter.) It cost
him nothing TO print his speeches; when
Imake a speech in Congress 1t costs me
500 or $50 to print it; and III make ten
apeechRs q year !, pay at. least a. thou
sand dollars, perhaps fifteen hundred
0OA4atAat 40A PAAAG4AB 4uGAA1 anu N5 your
representative, say with pleasure,
thatIwere Z able, no sesSiOnio of Congress
would pass during which I should not
be ccalled upon 70 gexpend at least a
thousandfor fifteen hundred dollars in
setting before the country that which
had done and my reasons foridoing it.
This isnotia matter ofpride; It Is a mat
ter of duty; it lisa matter of necessity
as we'll as Justice Every representa-
tive and every BeI1RtOri ought tn do the
same. i very well remember hearing
aidistinguished citizen, who is now Sec
retaEy OF State ofithe United States, say
that, for some. tenlyea while che was
in Congress; lhe4 every year expended
S1I500 for printing his own speeches.
This necessarily comes outof the pay
ofth0se members who have no other
resource froms which TO draw. Now,
how is. thisf ] ask you, citizens OF
0harlestown1 interested IN this ques.
ton for any one Of you may have the
misfortune to- be representative In