Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-05-23
Our Washington Letter.
BACK PAY ONCE MORE
WASHINGTON, d. c., May l2th, 1873

you still think the Z" back pay grab, as
Won term it. unjustifable. Believing as 10
that the only points worth considering "ele'
first. the constitutional right OF Congress 10
increase its compensation, not whether the
increase. in view of the mileage ana sta-
tionery being cut off, was exorbitant, uiu
not deem the retroactive ''point" worth ialI-
inc about if the first two points were larry
nroxen As the compensation voted, ii too
much for the first year is certainly TOO inuch
for the second it Is either exorbitant or 1t
is not. 80 the back pay part OF 1t involves
no moral question. as every Congress IN
voting increase has applied it to the exist
ing Congress, the law being passed IN eaeh
case after large part of the term had e1-
pired. Now. while think Republican
newspaper should never excuse or palllate a
public wrong as ''party right, also
believe that we should be careful that we
are right before we join our voices TO the
outcry of the opposition. A pure man ana
able lawyer, Representative Shellabarger oil
Ohio. has said that TO return the money IN
question in Difference to popular clamor
would be seemingly the deed ola demagogue
or an act of cowardice, that he had taken
the money with good conscience and would
therefore retain it until that conscience re
preached him for its acceptance and con-
tinued possession. Perhaps the follow
ing statement of facts, in support OF my as
sertion. that every previous enactment OF
additional compensation commenced with
the Congress that in the clear exercise Of ITS
constitutional powers voted the increase, VIII
remind the people that if the sensitive legis-
lators. who have returned or given away
their pay, were animated by any loitier
spirit than that of " demagOguery or moral
cowardice, " it is not now too late for them
to refund " the back pay" they have once
or twice before. in their careers, received In
exactly the same way. Come up, gentle
men, if this is really an " unjustiiable
grab "A steal, vile trash that you have
wrongfully wrung from the hard hands OF
your peasant constituencies, and IN your
new mood Of panied and softened con-
sciences return all the "plunder OF the
past. for if it was wrong to have received
"back pay . for 1873, it was equally wrong
to have voted for and accepted it in l5jG
and 1866.
The 3ith Congress commenced on the
4th of March. 1855. On the 10th day Of
August an act was approved, increasing the
compensation to S3,0OOper annum, with the
following section:
SIC 3. And be n further enacted That this law
shall apply 20 the present Congress ana eaeh Se14,
tor Representative, and Delegate shall be entitled
to receive the difference only between theI PEI
diem compeusat on already received under the law
now in force and the compensation prov ded by TINS
act.
The Both Congress commenced on the 18th
of March. 1865 On the 2Sth Of July, lS66,
an act was approved, increasing the pay to
s.. 900 per annum, with the following pro-
viso:
SIC T.. And BE- II further enacted That the com
pcnsation Of each senator Representative, ana
DELEGATE in Congress shall be five thousand dollars
per annum. to he computed from the fret day OF the
present Congress
The act lately passed by the i2d Con
gress also provided that the new rate
should be computed from the first
day Of this Congress, and while iaeroas-
ing also equal-ed it. Under the old
system, the back pay Of every Senator
and Representative was increased alike,
while under the new system the extrayagant
mileage, formerly paid to distant members,
was done away with. 50 that the increase Of
1873 was more equitable and les in proper
ton than either the increase of 1856 OF that
of 1866. Fourteen Of the 42d Congress were
in the 3ith. Ofthe more prominent names,
| recall Trumbull. Harlan, Hamlin. Justin
:. Morrill,, Sumner. Wilson. Cragin, Sher-
man, Banks, Campbell and Bingham and
43 of the 42d Congress were in the 39th, the
prominent names being Trumbull. J. ;.
Morrill,, Lot NJ. Morrill,, Sumner. Wilson,
Cragin. Sherman. C0nkling. Chandler,
Ramsay, Anthony, Sprague, Nye, Stewart,
Howe, Patterson, Banks, Bingham. Shela-
barger, Garfield, Farnsworth. Niblaek.
! Kerr, Lynch. Blaine, Randall. Kelly, Mer-
cur, Eldridge, Maynard, Dawes, Hooper,
Sc0feld, ketcham and Washburn, of Mass.
The 34th Congress had also in it. ranks such
| high-toned men a. Fessenden. Collamer,
]
Stevens. Ben Wade. while FeSsenden. Thad.
Stevens. Wade. Geo II. Pendleton, Wash
burn, Of Illinois, Henry j. Raymond, K. ;.
Hale, E. D. Morgan, Ira Harris and Geo.
S Boutwell, were in the 39th Congress.
These are all names Of men Of national repu-
tation for having always manifested a fine
sense of official honor and propriety. Judge
COllamer was one that was 50 scrupulOus as
to all his life refuse - free pass from any
corporation. and Mr. Fessenden always fol-
lowed the path of duty even ifhc saw politi-
cal ruin at the end of it. Now ! respect
fully submit. are the sensitive gentlemen of
the 42d Congress, who think 80 the back
pay p" such "an unjustifable grab that
they can only take 1t TO reluctantly return
or give away ostentatiOusly, really superior
in tenderness of public conscience to these
honored dead? If they are, some Of them
ought to ease their minds still further by
returning what they similarly received in
the 3ith or 39th Congresses. Then let Us
fall to while our Spasm Of virtue lasts, and
abuseand bully. five can, the heirs Of Fessen-
den, Collamer. Foote. Seward, Davis,
Stevens and Raymond into refunding their
share of - the unjustifable grab. - Wade,
Pendleton, Minister Washburn, K. 5. Hale.
+. ID. Morgan and Geo. ;. Boutwell, are still
living; can't they be prevailed by abuse
vigorously administered and long kept up,
to - disgorge, .or are they more callous than
1.-THE truly good men, who invested the pro-
ceeds of"lthe uniustifable grab p. in a dema-
gogue purchase of new stock of political
capita, truly'an astute way Of westinghouse
hands of contaminating spondulicks.
Wade, Washburn. PendlctOn, Hale, Nor
gan and Boutwell, will hardly be deemed by
thinking men to have had less nice per-
ception of what constitutes an I" unjustiia-
bic grab ." than :" Sunset " Cox. ct I'd 0MRs
genus. Yours,