Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1872-02-09


Manassas to the volcanic heights of
Gettysburg; from the CORY bitches of
VicksburG TO the ensanguined fields of
Sharpsburg leaving the bleaching
bones of the yeomanry of Virginia, as
the only monuments of their glory
Is it indeed from the comrades, the
widows, and orphans of these fallen
braves, from the survivors of these
many hard fought, calamity contested,
glorious fields, that the revenues OfVir-
ginia must also come? And yet we
find reduction of our pay seriously op-
posed by their representatives.
And to those who oppose ii, may /
ask, cannot we serve Virginia for the
same pay that such States as New
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, DC, pay
their senators and representatives Ii
so, may l be indUlged with snort
statistical account of how others are
paid. The great State of New York,
with population of ABS, ,5l9, pays
her senators and delegates three dollars
per day, and she has only thirty
two senators and one hundred and
twenty eight delegates. Compare this
with Virginia, and we find that If
New York paid in proportion to her
population and wealth, as compared
above, paying the number she now has,
she would pay nearly twenty dollars
per day if she had the same amount OF
Representatives as Virginia, in proper
ton to her population, she would have
one hundred and seventy-two senators
and five hundred ard twenty-cight
delegates, and her governor, permit
me 70 add, presiding over that great
State, is only paid 81, 1000 per anum !;
and here, sir, without stopping to fur
ther compare, 1 will give a statement
of other members of this great Union,
promising that in many of them their
legislatures meet biennielly, thus
saving half their legislative expenses
as compared with our system.
Pennsylvania, with a population of
3,521, ,79I, pays her governor So 900, and
her senators and representative sal
ary of 500, annually; she has thirty
three senators and one hundred dele
gates, whose mileage is l5 cents; she
has less number to be paid, with
1900, coo more people, and five times
our wealth to pay with. Ohio, with q
population of 1865, ,260, pays her gov
ernor s., 900 per year; she has only
thirty-seven senators and one hundred
and five delegates, whose pay, / am
informed, is about $500 per day.
Missouri, with ], ,72l .295, pays her gov
ernor s., 900, has thirty-fOur senators,
two hundred delegates, whom she pays
s., 90 per day, and mileage, and she,
like Virginia, has been suffering from
misruIe. The State of Iowa, with a
greater population than Virginia, viz !:
,191, 1872, pays hergovernor 81. 500, has
fOrty-nine senators and one hundred
delegates, of whose pay | am uni form
ed, but had in her treasury in 1867,
S97, 740, As. Illinois, with population
of :, ,539 ,891, pays her governor 81 300
annually, has twenty-five senators and
ninety delegates, whom she pays s.
per day for the the first forty days,
and My 81 thereafter. And were
let me ask, do yOu find state OF he1
age nd population, that will compare
with her in wealth, learning, public
schools, prosperity, contentment,
everything that renders life pleasant
and government attractive. She
stands bCacon-light to Virginia, and
invites her to "retrenchment and re-
FORM" Indiana, with population OF
$50, ,637-fifty senators and ninety
eight representativds-falls, also far
short of Virgsnia expenditures.
Kentucky, the land of luxury, chiv-
airy and song, with a population OF
,32I OIL, pays her governor s., 600 an
| nually, has 80 senators and l00 dele
gates, whom she pays only 81 90 per
diem, and Is cents mileage, and she,
| in my humble opinion, for number and
price. considering her wealth and OPP
| portunities, is a model State. She
has 900 more people than Virginia,
and much more wealth, and yet to
make them equal in the price which
j they pay their senators and represen-
tatfves, is all we ask. She, too, in the
voice of her daughter, by her example,
| invites us to "retrench and reform. y
Now. sir, / invite a comparison OF
| these figures with the following III
Virginia, and we will see where we
| stand. Can Virginia pay more than
| the most wealthy and opulent of the
members of this Union for the same
services? And yet she does, and we
are told by the opponents of this bill
that she ought TO do so without muir
mur. l will now give the expenses
| of Virginia, with a population oi
I,125, ,l63, for the lest session of heI
legislature:
Senate per diem, S34, ,498 so, mileage
| 50. .Ol3 90, first and second assistant
! clerks, Sl,6l0 90, sergeant-at-arms
S7o2 2S6. pages. 81. .3OS, 90 first and second
door-keepers, 81 ,3SG. porter, $500, clerks
of committees, 50 $50, printing, bind
ing and stationery, S930 30. Making
total of SIC, $50 96.
House of Delegates, per diem
S96, 800 90, mileage, So, 139 90, assistant
clerk, S722 s., sergeant-at-arms, S722O0
door-keepers, $2, $4,000, pages, s., ,070 co
clerks of committees, 81, ,507 90, porter
S677 80, enrolling clerk, $500 90, print
ing, binding, stationery, &c, 4,554 81
Making total of Sl19,753 %. Grand
total of both houses, Sl66,334 Is.
Ard yet, sir, Virginia, once proud
! glorious old Virginia, the nursery o.
science and home elcquence, the birth
| place OF statesmen and patron of ge
Mus. with one-third of her former
| popuiation and territory gone, hel
wealth swept away from her withou
moments warming or preparation
her salves, the very basis of her credit
liberated, her personal property con
sumed by the war, her fields laiC
waste, her cities, towns, public build
1 ings and institutions burned and il
ruins, her citizens manned and disa
bled by the casualties of war, he
treasury exhausted by the folly OF mis-
rule and the unscrupulously of busi
ness rings, her bond-holdeFs, Shylocl
like, calling on her in her distress L
pay the last farthing, compound inter
est. and pay that, sne, say, with al
this upon her, must pay her represen
| tatives more than any other State o
this Union. Why? Do we domore
or have shorter sessions than an
other State? Or make more whole
some laws? / think not. But In
opponents OF this measure say that il
other States legislatures are bribed.-
And has it not been said of Firgini;
also? Besides the rule viii apply 4
six dollars as readily as at four. Who
then, let me ask, in these hard an'
oppressive times will ask. more, Civ
me more? Nay, who will say, vii
not reduce? That economy, ''retrench