Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-09-25
Senator Wright sets Himself
Right on Back Pay.

Senator Wright sets Himself
Right on Back Pay.
Senator Wright made his first
speech in the campaign ut O.ceola
on the 18th inst, and then formally
and satisfactorily declared his posi-.
ton upon the back pay question.
There has been much quibbling nf
late upon the part of the pres, of the
State i'm reference. tn Senator Wrights
course in leaving hi. back pay un-
drawn while declaring his intention
not to touch it. The money was
still subject to his order, and though
he was generally credited with hon
est intentions in the matter, his ret
icence aud his refusal Ia order its re-
turn to the tryr;Sary WAS drene'
impoli,ic and damaging To himself
and the parry.
In his O,cpuia speech he related
in detail his opposition To the hnck-
pay and saiarA increase measure,
which wns already fully understood
To have been active and consistent.
Immediately upon the passage "f the
hill he. resolved not to take the ntnii-
ey. Three days atterward 'ir told
Senator Buck inghan that he shoG.d
not touch 1t; that in due time IL
would revert To The treasury undtr
the. Jaw, and there il shoLid go alid
remain without act or i,oIse upon nj,
part. He iurther says:
"A week. or ten days after this l
called upon the iitancial clerk ui the
senate, vino IL our disDursiiig utfitf,
for some money. he inquired II 1
would take my back paA. ,"id
hlni mo, that | should ucv,r ,ntich
that" lie says ''nli righi, buT i,av"
the anIOuilt coming to Aou nGhr' Il
out; il is some ihlrly-l"ur or t'iitA-
five hundred uoilar>, amd II you wi.'
sign this receipt you can have H." /
suii ''nO, in Yer. | want 500 on my
salary Tor March, and lhn, il all. -
THIS got ahd left.
He said thi, $500 WAS rqmi t" ali
the property hr had, Of every kind,
aside from his homestead, huI he dI"
not take it. In May he wrote 10 In"
financial clerk asking If the money
would revert to the treasury at the
end of The fiscal year il not drawn,
anil stated that if il would not III re-
vert iy action o! law he would inn
mediateIy give his order for lis re-
turn. He Was answered that IL
would revert without his order. In
July, having learned that tie Sec
retury of the Treasury had decide!
that the money would not he re-
turned except upon la, order, he
wrote to Gen. Spinner asking # This
WA, true, and was answered IN the
affirmative. The very hour he Re-
ceived this letter, he wrote to the IL
,,auciai clerk To cover his back pay
into he treasury. He say:
Bat for this ruling never should
have changed my course, hiid inhic
The order, not BECAUSE .ft0rcd 4
shouLd ecer toach the money, but be-
,iii-e il MAS eniiiriit'y proper that
mi, u,uu,.y, instead al remaining IN
the hands of the clerk, Year after
pear, MtefnReiy. should be covered
in. that IA. aud all the oill pr- might
ci,,,e aud adjust their accounts. II
only add that | have word from the
clerk that my order ha. been com
piled with--the money II now nnd
forpvrr beyond my control--and ]
hone those. who have been troubled
over my "infamous" course, will rest
easy.
The Senator finally closed his de-
fenst. of his course with this recapt-
ulation:
roied against the ''back pay" ]
woykrd against it. spoke against 1t.
| determined neyey To take IL. iagrerd
with friends. who thought and acted
AS | did, that we ,coutd not touch IL.
| refused to take it when oJered me.
| nerer touched Il dolidr Of IL. ] in
good faith endeavOred To ascertain II
there was any doubt ~ to III being
covered into the treasury and learned
there tcds not. / sought to avoid any
publicity i'm my action, deeming that
il discharged my duty il was scarce
ly needful that it be heralded to the
world. Az the earliest dug yossDie,
after learning there was still doubt, ]
sought information from the Tress-
urer, got his reply, at once dcter,n-
ined on ,ny course, and l!ie result ydu
haze.