The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-12-16

DECEMBER l6, 1873.
Judge Poland on urc,s nav

In the important debate on the salary
bill, which occurred in the House on Thurs
day, Judge Poland spoke at length IN sup
port of the amendment which he offered
some days since. The amendment, it will
be remembered repeats so much Of the
salary act as relates to the increased pay of
Senators and Representatives, and fixes II
at what 1t was Immediately prior TO that
act requires that all moneys paid TO senat-
ors and representatives, Of the forty-thrd
Congress, shall be charged and recl,oned as
part payment of their compensation as
members Of the forty third Congress and
also, 1t requires the treasurer Of the United
States to mail to each member of the forty
third Congress. and who received addition
nj compensation, notice informing him of
the repeal of the law and requesting 10 re.
pay the difference received by him into the
treasury.
The judge said that "hc had been few
days ago in company with large number
Of gentlemen, when the conversation turned
on the subject and they all concurrcd with
out exception in saying that the increase of
salary had been utterly condemned bv the
public judgment of the whole people Of the
United States. What did the bill rcportcd
by the special committee propose? Il pro-
posed that all back pay received By the
members OF the fOrty-second Congress, and
all the increased pay received by the mem
hers Of the forty-third Congress they
should be allowed to keep. lie asked the
House whether that was conforming 60 the
public judgment on that subject. Was
that what the people were demanding? Was
that going to satisfy the popular demand !?
1t was not what the public judgment had
demanded and still demanded. What was
wanted was this That they should be ut
terly wiped out, 50 that no benefit or adj
vantage that anybody had derived from it
should be kept and retained by him. That
and that alone, would satisfy the public
demand. 1t was with that view and for
that purpose that he had offered his substi-
tute. lie propose TO vote for hill that
should carry out the decision of the people
on that subject, and utterly wipe out all the
| effects and consequences and benefits de-
rived by the Members of Congress under
the act Of the 81 of March, 1873 He had
| voted against that measure He had held
public Office in his own state, where sala-
rics were very small, and the habits of sim
plicity and plain economy which he had nc
quircd in that way he could very well pre-
serve in Washington, 50 that 1000 year
was ample compensation for his services
and furnished him with ample means TO live
in manner which he chose to live. Besides
he had thought that il was very unforlu-
nate time to make the increase. The pub
lie mind had been for some time excited in
regard TO the CorruptlOns of public men,
The whole world had been agog on the sub
jcct, and he thought that he knew that that
increase of salary, and especially the retrOac-
/ tive feature Of the law, would excite pub
lie condemnation, and call down popular
/ ,,, Cd l.,
The question arose. What was to be done
with the back pay? The press had begun TO
say that every one who took i, was a
r0bbcr and a thief. The idea that he was
TO be called Il thief for taking the compen-
satiOn affixed to his Office was not very pal
atablc to him. 1t did not commend itself
| TO his judgment nor to his conscience
| Neither did he propose to be actuatcd nor
influenced by any threat Of thai sort, and
| therefore he had taken the money anl still
retained it. Other gcntlcmcn's consccnccs
| had been more tender than his. They began
| to be affected differently. and one after
another, many returned their back pav to
| the treasury. The result of that was that
people began to say that these men were
| towards and hypocritcs, and that they did
this merely for the purpose OF cmrying
| public favor. That had brought him to
| commune with MS own judgment ana con-
science, in srcgaId to what he ought 10 do,
whether he was on the one side to be
called a thief and robber, or whether he
| should subject himself to be called COW
/ ard and lypocritc The result of his self
| communing was that he should he alto
| gethcr more amenabc to the latter charge
if he returned the pay, and that he would
rather retain it and subject himself to be-
ing charged by the public press as Il robber
and "A thief. Therefore he had chosen to
retain what he had received under the law.
and to make an cndcayor to have the law
regulate the thing SO that he might he al
lowed TO return thcmoncy to the Treasury,
if that was the will Of the people. without
subjccting himself to the charge OF being q
! hypocrtc and coward lie claimed that
although they could not go back to regu-
late the salaries Of the members of the
fortY-second Congress they had full power
the salaries of the members of the present
| Congress - BiFliRQtoa Free Press.