The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-10-09
The Congressional Salary Bill.

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The iniquitous salary bill Of March
3, 1873, reminds us Of Il remark made
by Thomas jefferson in 4 .cttcr to a
friend during Washington's admins
t"ration
a." said jefferson, edo not believe wltII
the R~OChctoucaIItS and MOnlalGhe'' tlat
fourteen out of fifteen men are ro2ucs: ]
believe Il great abatement from That pro-
norton may be made IN favor OF "cIrrhl
Honesty. But ! have always found that
gopues would be uppcrmo't, and | DO not
know that HE proportion Is too strong Tor
the higher orders, ana Tor those Wlo' rs
aug above the multitude. always contriYc
10 nestle themselves into the places OF
power and profit"
But Hon. John NJ, Bright seems to
te Of the opinion that the salary bill Is
constitutional. In proof OF MS post
ton he refers to that section OF the
Constitution which says that members
OF Congress shall receive a compcn
sation for their services TO be aSceH-
tanned by law aud tells us that this
is the only provision in the Cons'Itu
ton on the subject. This, however, is
II mistake. There is another provl.
sion, which the honorable gentleman
appears to have overlooked. That
provision is as follows:
This Constitution, and the laws OF the
United States which shall be made in plr-
suancc thereof, and AL treaties made, or
which shall be made under the authority
of the United States, shall be lhr supreme
law of the land'-Art. q.
Laws made in pursuance OF the Con
stitution are declared by the Constitu.
tioa itself to be a part Of the supreme
law Of the land.
The act Of 1866, which established
the compensation for members Of Con
grcss at $1,000 per annuni, was n part
Of the supreme law Of the land up to
the 3rd OF March, 1873 and therefore
the retrospective provision in the act
Of March the Bird, which allowed the
members Of the AID Congress 1880
per anuum for their past services, was
n fragrant violation Of the supreme law.
Take an illustration
Suppose that TIE people of the Uni.
ted States, through their agent, the
Federal Government, had made II con-
tract with a company of men on the
4th Of March, 1871, to do n certain
piece Of work within the next two
years, for which the people were to pay,
at the end of that time, the sum Of fifty
million dollars. And when the work
was done, and the time had come for
payment, the Federal Government,
through the forms Of law, should have
paid this Company n hundred million
Would not every intelligent and honest
man in the country have said that i
was wrong1 And If it would be wrong
70 transfer the public treasure to thu
pockets Of Government contractors il
this manner, is il not wrong for Con
gressnen to transfer the public treas
ure to their own pockets in the same
way?
1t must be evident to all rejecting
minds that i Congress possessed thu
Constitutional authority, on the Bird u
March, 1873, to give to each member
OF the AID Congress $4,000 or $1,000
more than they had n right to demand
then the next Congress will possess thu
Constitutional authority, on the 3ld OF
March, 1875, to give to each member OF
the 13l Congress u million dollars, Or
10 divide all the money in the Treasury
between them.
In Vattcl's celebrated work on the
Law Of Nations we find the follow.
ing pertinent remarks, with which we
will conclude this article:
The Constitution and lava of a State
are the basis OF the public tranquility, the
firmcst support OF political authority. and
a security Tor the liberty Of the citizens.
But this Constitution IL "A vain phantom.
aud the best laws are useless, il they be
not religiously observed the nation ought
then to watch very attentivcly, In order to
render them equally respected by those
who govern, and by the people destined To
obey. To attack the COnsti ution OF the
state, and 10 v.o ate its laws, Is q capital
crime against society and ID those guilty
OF it ars invested with authority. they add
to this crime Q pcridious abuse Of the
power with which they are intrusteG. The
ought constantly TO repress them
With its utmost vIgOr and vigilance, as the
OF the case requires.
1T Is very uncommon Ia see the laws
md Constitution Of u State openly snd
oddly opposed IL is against silent and
radual attacks that a nation ought to be
on It's guard. Sudden rcvolu-
ons strike the imaginations of men they a
re detailed In history their secret springs Z
Q de veloped. But We overlook t. u
IaDges hat insensibly happen BY n long o
IL Of steps that are but slightly marked. d
~orli lie rendering nations an import
mt %s-rvice to show from history how
any States have thus entirely changed ti