The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-09
GENERAL BANKS ON the STUMP.

He Explains HIS Action In Congress
The Increase in the Pay OF Congress-
men Only Equalization OF Mileage
The President a Usurpcr, Etc.
BOSTON, October S.-General Banks has taken the
stump in the district which he represented IN the
last ssssien Of Congress-the Sixth District. lie
made ms first speech in Charestown, the principal
city in his district this evening before very large
audience. His speech was quite long and somewhat
btayY In che first part he told his constituents
what part he had taken iu the recent Congress and
how much he had tried to represent them with
ability and with truth.
speaking of the part he had taken in the question
of raising the pay OF members OF Congress, he said
this increase OF compensation of members is not
increase of pay, but it is an equalization Of mileage.
One gentleman no sat near me in the house
ceived $4,000 or $40 OO0 while only got $500, or
thereabouts; and those Representatives from the
ask what justice Is there in one Representative
ceving ten thousand and the other three thouSandP
This gentleman tnat have referred to was man of
vast wealth. was not. He had no family. hal
one here that was bound to support He made no
speeches. L. must confess, made many. 1t cost
him nothing to PRINT 1t cost me about $2O0 each to
The pay of each member is the same. but in
anci, mt times uavel was dihCut, and in addition to
the pay forty cents mile was alo we'd each, and
thus q member from the Pacific coast received
several thousand dollars more than one from the
Atlantic coast Now the only D oper way to remedy
this was TO equallze The mi cage 1t was necessary
to do that at once, so that when the Rebel States
should return 10 part cipae in the Government OF
the natlon-and by their good conduct, or by the
face we shall put upon them, they shall return
tmC-tnlS question snail Ue settled. Ine u pneral,
in further excusing himself said he did not take
part in the movement nor assume the responsibility
OF it until tt came up in connection with the subject
e1 the equalization OF bounties: He tnen deter
mined that whatever would be the consequence he
would see that the soldiers had recognition OF
The equalization of mileage as caused by the recent
act of Congress, gives to the representatives from
the Atlantic and Pacific coast the same compen sa-
ton, without taking one dollar more from the trea
sury than was taken to pay members lunder the old
system In this connection General Banks said hat
a Dia NnyO NOrE
member OF the last Congress, had me out wltn
card, stating that at the next he would offer
ject Of members pay. He General Banks) would
vote Tor and perhaps introduce a bill to reduce the
mileage to ten cents q mle. After speaking of the
labor question, and PREDICTING that the next Con-
gress uld satisfy the working men, the General
launched out into discussion OF the topics of the
day
had disappointed the party that elected him. and
to the is.ue between the Executive and Congress.
He deeu ded Congress, OF course denied that it had
ever made radical declaration or had shown that it
intended to force negro suffrage on The South. He
believed that the amendment to the Constitution
is the only safety for the nation The provisions of
this amendment are well known to all. Now, who
opposes this! The President of the United States.
W hat is his theory? That which has been expressed
by the dec araton of the Philadelphia Convention,
the President on his recent remarkable tour-that
these states have tie right to representation, and
we have no right to keep them out, now that peace
When they were fgh,ing us they had no rights;
when they were beating us they had no rights; now
that we have bea en- them they come into the enjoy
a ent Of full aud compete rights This is the doc
trine OF the President and those who support hun.
1t should be remembered, the General continued,
that The Executive has the power to administer the
PRINCIPLES OF the Govern ent but not to make them
he dec aration of tpnlon belongs to Congress- not
to the President Congress has no executive power,
no administrative power. All it has to do is to
declare the principles bv which it thinks the Govern
menr OUGHT to be administered Congress has been
charged with u'urpaton. Now, body of men
rarely usurp power.
The usurpers have been single individual; but
what does CODgre say? Does 1t say that its prn-
ciples shall tecome awg No; it says refer these
principles to the people. What says the PresideutH
He does not refer to the people. He declares that
represen alton rests on tue Constitution. He
makes his Interpretation nality, which is usurpa-
ton.
In conclusion, General Banks referred to the vic
tories of the Republicans in Maine and Vermont,
and said that they had wonderfully changed pubic
opinion. The New York papers had marvellously
altered their tunes After the returns had come
Penns lvania ard the Western States he wou d not
be surprised to hear that the NelUS had engaged
Thad. Stevens contributor, and that the Erpress
had made oyertures to Fred Douglass to become its
assistant editor.