Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-05-21
TIE SALARY NATTER.
Contrasts aud Comparisons of History
Some Facts worth LooI1IngAt

Congress, in l7S9--its first sesson-fixed |
the pay of its members including the Con-
gress then sitting, at SO per day, and mileage
at the rate Of about SO per every twenty
miles travel going to and returning from
the seat of government. In the same act
they provided that after March !, 1875, the
pay should he 81 per day with mileage
at the rate of 81 per every twenty miles
travel. In 1886, by act approved March
10, 1706, Congress repealed the 81 clause
of the act of 1857 and substituted therefor
s. per day and mileage.
In 1916 the pay was again changed from
Sc per day and mileage to u salary of ST.
500 Per annum with mileage rs per first
act.
In 1917, on the 9th day of March, an act
was passed repeating the act of March l6.
IN 1878 Congress passed an act making the
pay of members IS per day, with mileage
at the rate of IS per every twenty miles
travel. This act, approved January %,
1918, gave members pay at this rate re-
lating back to March {, 1917.
On the 18th of August, 1856, the Senate
of the United States adopted bill chang
ing the pay of members of Congress from
IS per day and mileage to $4,000 per an
mum with mileage. On the passage of this
Senate bill the vote was as follows:
YEAs-Messrs. Allen, Bell of New
Hampshire Bell, of Tennessee, Benjamin,
Biggs, Bigler, Bright, Brodhead, Brown,
Butler, Clay, Dodge, Durkee, Fish, Foster,
Hale, Houston, Hunter, Iverson, James,
Jones, of Iowa, Mallory, Mason, Pearce,
Pratt, Reid, Sebastian. .Slidell, Stewart,
Weller, Wilson, Wright and Yulee--35.
NAYs-Messrs. Bayard, Cass, Coleman,
Fessenden, Foot, Geyer, Hamlin, Pugh,
Seward, Thompson, Of Kentucky, and
So the bill passed and went to the House
of Representatives, where it was amended
so as to increase the salary to $4,000 per
annum, and also providing that the salary
should apply to the Congress then sitting,
from the beginning of the same, which
was March 4, 1855. The language of the
third section is as follows:
SEC. 8. And be it further enacted that
this law shall apply to the present Con
gress, and each Senator and Representa-
tive and Delegate shall be entitled to re-
ceive the difference only between their per
diem compensation already received under
the law now in force and the compensation
provided by this act
On the return of the bill to the Senate,
and after discussion on the propriety of the
pay going back to the commencement OF
the term, the final vote taken on agreeing
to the bill as amended by the House Of
Representatives was as follows
HEAS-Messrs. Allen Bell, of Tennes-
see, Biggs, Bright Brodhead, Brown, But
Ter, Douglas Durkee, Fish, Foster, Hale,
Hunter, Iverson, James, Jones, Of Iowa
Jones, of Tennessee, Mason, Reid, Stew
art, Thompson, of New Jersey TOombs,
Trumbull, Weller, Wilson, Wright and
Yuee-27.
NAYs-Messrs, Bayard, Bigler, Cass
Clay, Colamer, Foote, Geyer, Houston
Pugh, Seward, Slidell and Wade-l2.
Thus it will be seen from the record in
1856, on the salary question, that it was il
accordance with the precedent in 1871
down to that time, to compute the pay OF
the members from the beginning of theil
term and was passed by a large majority
Senators Douglas and prumbullo of our own
state voting for the bill.
In 1866 the pay of members Of Congress
was again increased from $4,000 per an
mum, with mileage, to 50, 900 per annum
with mileage and allowance for stationery
etc This act provides that the pay "b
computed from the first day of the presen
Congress" which was from the 4th o
March,, 1865, which act was approved July
2S 1866.
On the passage of the bill in the Hous
of Representatives, including this section
in reference to compensation of member
of Congress, the vote was as follows:
YEAs-Messrs. Anderson, Banks Baker
Benjamin, Bergen, Sidney Clark, Cullom
briggs, Eckley, Eldridge, Farnswort h
Farquhar, Ferry, Glossbrener, Highly, Ho
gan, Holmes, Hotchkiss, Chester ID. Hub
bard, 1ngersoll, Jenckes, Johnson, Kelley
Kerr, Kuykendall, Latham, McClurg
Nc Cullough, Miller Morehead, Myers
Niblack, Nicholson, O'Neil, Patterson
samuel j. Randall, A. II. Rice, John II
Rice, Schenck, Strouse, Nathaniel @. Tay
lor, Thornton, Burt VanHorn, Robert L
VanHorn, and Whaley-5l.
NAYS-Messrs. Allison, Delos r. Ashley
Baker, Baxter, Bidwell, Bingham, Bout
well, Cromwell, Broomall, Cobb. Conkling
Defrees, Eggleston, Elliott, Finch, Gar
field, Abner G. Harding, Hart, Hays
James Fl. Hubbell, Kasson, Ketcham
Koontz, Latin, George V. Lawrence, viii
liam Lawrence, Lynch, Mercur, Morril
Morris, Orth, Paine, Perham, Phelp:
Price, Ritter, Ross, Sawyer, Shanklin
Shellabarger, Stokes, Tabor, j. L. Thomas
Trimble, Van Aernam, Wilker, James I
Wilson, Stephen Y. Wilson, and Wrigh
80.
Nor VoTING-Messrs. Alley, Ames, An
coma, j. NJ. Ashley, Baldwin, Beanar
Blaine, Blow, Bowyer, Brondigan, Buck
land, Bundy, Chandler, Reader w. CLARK
Cooper, Culver, Darling, Davis, Dawes
Dawson. Delano, Cunning, Dixon, Dodge
Donelly, Dumont, Goodyear, Grider Grin
nell, Griswold Hale, Harling, Harris, Hen
derson, Hill, Hooper, Asheal w. Hubbard
Demas Hubbard, John II. Hubbard, Ed
win A. Hubbell, Hulburd, Humphrey
Jones, Julian, Kelso, Loan, Longyeal