Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-03-12
A Dead Dead.Head Congress.

The XIII Congress, third Session,
terminated its labors on the morning
of the 4th inst. Its last hours were
distinguished by a desperate and sue
cessful attempt to break into tbs
United States Treasury, by the pas.
sage of an act to increase the compen.
sation Of legislative, executive and
judicial Office holders, to take ehecr
March 4, 1873. The report of the
proceedings in the House says:
The amendment in regard to sal
aries, to take effect on the 4th o
March, 1873. is as follows: The Presi
dent of the United States to receive
S50,O00; Vice President SO 900
Chief Justice of the Supreme CourI
SO, 500; Justices of the Supreme Court
$4,000; Cabinet Officers SO. 900; AS.
sistant Secretaries of the Treasury,
State and Interior Departments $600O,
Speaker Of the House, after the pres.
ent Congress, SO. OO0s Senators, Rep
resontatives and Delegates, including
the present Congress, $500. This is
to be in lieu of all pay and allowances
except actual travelling expenses
from their homes TO the seat of gov
eminent and return, by the most d.
rect route of usual travel, for each
session.
The back action movement so
marked a feature of this law has the
appearance of retroactive legislation,
in that it provides for a compensation
to Congressman in increase of the
amount for which they virtually con-
tracted with the people to serve in
that Office.
Mr.. F~arnsworth, of Illinois. who
opposed the bill said:
The country had had Lincoln for
four years at SIS, cooper anHum, when
gold was sometimes ESQ percent. and
vet Lincoln saved $50, 600 during his
term. Every President saved money
in office, because there WIRE attached
to the Office, emoluments in the way
of residence, servants etc, the money
value of which WAS $1,000 a year.
hated to see the Republican party
completely wreck itself and cover its
history with dish0nor, by a thing
which shamed the Credit Mobilier,
and everything else that vas corrupt,
which had taken place in this Con-
gress, or any other Congress, of which
he had been a member. HeappeSled
to the manhood and sense of Justice
OF the members OF the House to vote
down the report. ga
Butler and Banks sustained the re.
port. and the bin passed 1OS yeas to
% nays. The members of the Ohio
Delegation present and voting are re-
ported to have voted as follows yeas
Garfield, Mckinney, Lam
ison, Peck,
Nnes-Ambler, Beatty, Campbell,
Foster, Monroe. Shelaberger, Smith,
Stevenson, Epson, Wilson, Sprague.
Throughout tire length and breadth
ofthe land this law is regarded as in
famous and an act of ~legalized hob
berry. Men who two years since tao
lily agreed TO serve the people as rep
resentatives for 5000 per year, de-
liberately and shamelessly vote 5000
additional compensation for their
services in the late decsyed Congress.
The salary appropriation bill was
made a part of the general .appropria-
ton bill and passed. The responsible
of defeating an appropriation bill
such moment, at'the end Of a ses-
sion, is of course. a serious matter
and it may be claimed that the public
interests were in such a critical con-
dition as to demand gentlemen in
Congress to immediate themselves on
this altar of certain political death.
President Grant would have earned
fresh laurels had he vetoed the bill
and flung 1t back into the face ofCon-
Eress as a measure d~isgraeeful to the
honor Of the nation.
It does not seem possible that
this act can be justified before
the nation. This maI-legislation, su.
Deradded to the Credit Mobilier scan
iaI, constitutes a burden too grew
vous to be bOrne'' by a people not lost
to ~seIf-respect. 1t is not wholly inn
probable but that there are constitu-
eucies who might have passed leni-
entity and forgivingly on some Of
those whose garments had trailed but
in the Mobilier mire, who
now feel that they can not and will not
wink at the w~ickedness wrapped in
the folds Of the salary appropriation
bill. This is the unlocked for extra
burden that has broken the patient
cameTs back.