The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-09-25
Per Diem or Salary.
From the New York SUM-

Per Diem or Salary.
From the New York SUM-
During sixty seven years, with the
single exception oflSlG, the p%racCcc
prevailed Of paying members OF Con
grcss exactly what they earned, that IS
10 say, 50 much Il day for every day OF
service, and an allowance for mileage
fully sufficient 10 compensate the cX'
pcnsc5 Of travel when its facilities were
limited, The principle WAS just ana
the country was satisfied.
In 1916 there was u departure from
this wise rule, which provoked an OUT
burst Unpopular resentment through
out the whole Union which has never
been cquaIcd since then. An annual
salary Of $1,000 was substituted Tor
So Il day and So for every twenty miles
Of travel. but it survived only the short
interval between the two sessions, and
was repealed as soon as the same Con
prcss reqsscmblcd in the following Jan
uary, 1917, ,
From l7S9to lSlG tic Congressional
pay was So per day and So Tor every
twenty Travelled mics. Then came the
/ iutcrrumtion of the salary steal X
pertinent, its repeal in 1917 without
fixing any compensation whatever, and
subsequently the act Of january -,
1878, allowing SS Il day and IS for
every twenty miles Of travel from the
place Of residence Of the member to
the capital.
These various acts always contained
Che following clause which forbade
pay when Il member failed to attend
Inc sessions or was absent from any
other cause than sickness:
.pyociIrl. That in ease a member shall
not arlru1 in his place when Congress
shall convene or ,h"lI 'o'ghV "'',I'li h w.,
.G,Il Lr made in the sum which would
olnrrwi. c be allowed him in proportion to
the time OF abseurc.'
The law Of 1878 endured for thirty
eight years, and was repeated by that
of 1856, under which the OdIous salary
system was revived, with $4,000 per
anuum AS the compensation. The lie.
publican party raised the salary to
$4,000 IN 1866, and again 20 $1,000 III
1873, viii. two years Of back pay. 30
That the per diem system has been III
operation for siXty-scyen years, and
the annual salary for seventeen years
1t IS in every sense unjust as q prm-
CIpIc to allow a compensation ny tH1
year when the service IS not contInu,
Gus throughout that period. And THIS
is especially true OF members or Con
grcs5, because one session arbitrarily
expires in three months and the other
rarely exceeds six. Therefore togcth
err they will only sum up nine months
, in the whole term Of two years, since
+ the third session was abolished by the
late Congress.
Looking at the question practically,
each member will receive under the
new law $4,000 for nine months OF
service, of 81 ,GGG, 66 per month. W hen
Mr.. Carpenter, Gen. Butler, and others
Ike them pretend that the compensa,
ton is not excessive because other
calIings are even better paid, they pur-
poscIy conceal that the whole time,
ability, and skill of experts are given
to the latter, while members OF Con
grcss are employed only u little more
than a third Of each year, and appro.
pirate Il large part Of that time to their
own private uses.
They are better pad than any pro
@tcssion in the country, for their salary
measured 10y service is ut the ate OF
100000 per annum, their expenses go
ing and coming are paid on the most
liberal scale, and they have the most
liberal pcrquisitcs of which the public
has but Al Indifferent idea, TO say
nothing Of the jObbcry winch has be
come part Of the average Congress