The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1873-09-05
Ii will he nn,iced that L..


Ii will be noticed that a large pro.
portion OF the affirmative vote came
from the South, and the percentage
OF Democrats was very much larger
than that of Republicans. or the
Ohio delegation three out of six
Democrats in the House were in ia.
vor Of the bill, while three out O,
thirteen Republicans voted for it, and
one Of these vigorously opposed it
till the last moment, and only voted
for It then to save the app, opriation
bilfto which it was attached, and for
which he was responsible. Not a
single Democratic member of Ohio
has covered his back pay in to the
Treasury, while a very considerable
namber OF Republican members have
already dore so.
DEMOCRATIC TEsTIMoNY. ..
Judge Van Trump, as you all know,
an able and conspicuous Democratic
member OF Congress from this State
in 3 letter to his constituents, ex
planning his action on the salary bill
says:
81 had voted steadily and uni
formly against the measure, without
hesitation or shadow of turning, al
though a majority of my party votsd
the Other ,0uy.
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"And yet, as applied to the salary
question alone, / do not speak of i,
as party capital. As a party ques
ton it remains at rest; 0 majority OF
the Democrats, il the Southern mem
bers can be classed as strict Demo.
Gratis, voted for it: without their aid,
coupled with the Northern Demo
Gratis who united with them, it could
not have bsen carried"
In describing the manner of taking
one of the test votes, Judge Van
Trump continues:
This vote was taken amid the wild
est excitement in the House. It yss
manifest, from the way in which the
vote was running, that the contest
would be a close one. After the
voting was closed, and the names
were being slowly read at the desk
by the reading clerk, it was sscez-
tanned that the question was lost by
three or four msjority. Then COM
menced O most ludicrous scene. Five
or six members sprsng to their feet.
aud changed their votes from the neg
ative to the affirmative. thus turning
the msjority to two on the other side,
and 1 am sOrry to sag that a naojority
of these changing yOtes came from he
Democratic side of the HoHss.'
Then following the distinguished
gentleman's views Of the morality OF
the whole business, after which he
proceeded to draw his back pay with
| the rest:
81 felt high and controlling sense
of duty in whatever 1 did from its
inception to its close. l could nss
not bring myself to feel it to be con
sistent either with propriety or duty,
at the very close Of term Of Con
gress of two years, By my csn rste,
to put money in my purse against
the will of my constituents. There
was perhaps no man in Congress who
needed money more tEan l did, but
have not yet come to the CONCLUSION
to abandon the consoling idea that
there yet remains IN this world o
ours, bad as it is, something winch il
| still better than money-an spprov
ing conscience and sense of duty
honestly performed"
1 1 refer to these facts and figures
not for the purpose OF defending o.
shielding in the slightest degre'
those Republicans who, by their IN
| fiuence and votes, promoted the bacl
salary iniquity, but only to show tha
it does not lie in the mouths OF Dem
ocrats to make party capital out o
it. All members OF both parties who
voted for the bill will be held indi
viduGlly responsible for their acts by
the people. Neither political party
is responsible SO long as it disap
proves and condemns the scanda-
lous proceeding. Tue prospective in
erase, Notwithstanding the time wa
inopportune, would probably haV,
been borne by the people, bat con-
nected as il was with the back PSI
provision, The whole transaction j
tainted, and the conventions ver1
properly demands the repeal Of th
whole bill.
= CREDIT MoBILIKR-
OF the Credit Mobiller matter, it j
necessary to say that it was an ur
? mitiga.ed swindle Of the government
without excuse or pailistion. Th
= Al