The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1873-09-25
MoKToN ZOE We sTEAI..

But TO come 10 the specific matter of my speech
which Senator Morton asserts is personally un-
Just TO him-his course on the proposition 70 in
crease the salaries Of the President, the Vice
Presidents Members of the Cabinet Supreme
Judge, Members of Congress, and various subor-
dinRto officials. He claims that he was opposed
to increasing the. salaries Of Congressman, but
showed in my speech, what still maintain, that
he took the very course that would result in their
increase. said then, and still say, that the
first motion OF E5munds against which Morton
voted was test question, and that after the de-
feat of that motion il was 3 foregone conclusion
that the Congressional salaries would be raised.
did not purpose to conceal Morton's subsequent
motion to strike out the clause relating to Con-
gressiOnal pay. On the contrary in my speech
az Portsmouth the next day, and, indeed in all
the speeches have delivered since that at Wa
Verly, in which referred to this matter at all,
laid before the people the whole matter, inelu-
ding Morton's motion, It's withdrawal, its renewal
by Edmunds, and MortOn's vote for il when thus
renewed; and the omission 70 do this At WRVsrly
was merely accidental, without any design what
ever to suppress a single one of the facts. But
now what are the facts will state them as brief
ly as possible, and trust that you will have the
patience to hear them. Early in the session Re-
publican Senators began, IN conversation, TO
meet the question of increasing the salary of the
President Of the United States. One of them
spoke TO me upon the subject and asked me
what the Democracy would do if bill were in
trodueed for that purpose. replied TO him that
each Democratic Senator would answer for him
self; bat for myself. should oppose it 1t soon
became APPARENT that no such Bill would be in
trOduced; but that If any increase OF salaries
should take place IL would be by means OF an
amendment to an appropriation bill There were
of general increase Of salaries. and they knew
that If an Independents bill for that purpose were
Introduced it would be subject tS unlimited de-
bVte, At least in the Senate The attention Of the
country would thus be called to IL and il would
be defeated. To prevent such debate and TO car
ry the measure through almOst before the coun-
try should be aware it pending il was nee
ess2ry to attach it as an amendment to an appro-
priRtion bill toward the close OF the session Two
things were to be gained by that course First
no time would be given for the country to be in
formed of what was intended and, secondly, by
the ive-minute rule in the Senate, by which no
Senator can speak on an amendment 70 appro-
be cut of and the measure be passed. Accord
ingly appropriation bill No. 29sI was selected as
that TO which an amendment rsising salaries
should be attached. That bill passed the House
Of Representatives January 10Th. It. then con
tanned no provision to Increase salaries. Had IL
done so, the provision, being part of the body Of
the bill and NOT an amendments would have been
subject to unlimited debate in the Senate aud the
time to elapse between January 18th and the close
of the session would have been ample in which
to inform the country OF the proposed increase.
Therefore the inc. ease was not put IN The bin as
IL first passed the House. The Dill was amended
IN the Senate and passed that body on the 3Oth Of
January, and was sent back to the House the
next day. 1t remand in the House until Febru-
ary 24th, just one week before the expiration OF
Cdngress, when General Butler moved an amend
Vice-President, Judges OF the suprema Court
Cabinet Ministers, Assistant Secretary Of the
er of the House of Representatives, Senators and
Representatives in Congress and Delegates from
Territories making the pay Of Ccngressmen ST.
500 per Rnnun, TO operate retroactiTely SC as 70
include the members of the Forty-second Con-
grsss- This ansndmsnt. after being changed by
House March LIST, three days bef0re the close OF
the session. The amendment being reported to
the Senate the Senate proceeded TO consider it
the same day, Whereupen Mr.. Edmunds moved
to strike out all Of it after the the provision for
the salary Of the President. The vote on the
melton was as follows;
Yeas-Messrs. Borsman, Buckingham Cald-
well. CasseEly, Chandler, Cole, Corbett, CEagin,
Morrill, Of Maine, Morrill, Of Vermont Pratt,
sherman, Thurman, Wilson aud Wright-2O
NaFes-Messrs- Ames, BayRrd, BLAIR, ,BroWnloW,
Cameron, Carpenter, Clayton, COnkling, Cooper
Davis. Fenton. Ferry Of Michigan, Flannegan,
Gilbert GodthHaite, Hamilton OF Maryland
Hamilton Of Texas, Hill, Kelley, Lewis, Logan
Machen, MORTON, Norwood, Nye, Pool RAMSAY
Ransom, klee, Robertson Sawyer, Schurz, Speh.
Ger, Stevenson, Stewart, Trumbull, Vickers and
Absent-Messrs. Alcorn, Anthony, Ferry of
Connecticut, Hitchcock, johnson, Osborne, Pat
tsrsOn, Pomeroy, SALISBURY, Scott, Sprague
stockton, Sumner, Upton and Windom-i6-
rCongreasional Globe, 2U47.
Thereupon Mr. Morton moved to strike ont so
much OF the amendment as referred 70 Congress
sioDal pay, and he says in his Dayton speech that
think you will be amused when you hear what he
did say. think you will agree with me that il
ever was made Why, the only reasons that he
gave in support OF his motion were, in effect that
the proposed salary Of s. 500 was not enough and
that he preferred TO leave the question to some
future session Of Congress. The whole tendency
OF his remarks was 70 iaTor an increase on Con-
gressionAl pay, and they were so understood at
the time, and can be understood in no other
sense. And that you may judge for yourselves, 1
give you his whole speech on his molten. Il was
as follows:
Mr.. Morton-"I move to strike out so much of
this amendment Is refers 70 Senators and Rep
resentatives in Congress and Delegates from the
Territories. II am to have the name Of having
fHy salary increased, 0dnt Il Enthusiastically increaS-
ed lCant 70 increased IN such I0Gy dHlOunt to
SOnletaing. The increase here, giving $500 fer
salary in lieu OF mileage, stationery and news
papers; would be an Increase to me ofabout $500.
prefer to let it stand it Is rather than have
such a change as that makes. Every body who |
knows any thing about the cost Of living In this
city knows that there are but very few members |
Of Congress who can save $500 year from their |
salary. do net believe that there are twenty /
members Of this body who can save fifty dollars /
A month from their salary during the session Of 4
Congress, while many Of them spend the whole /
OF IL and some two or three times the amount