Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-04-14
congressional saok-Pay.

This subject has excited great deal Of COM
naent for month past Demagogues, both in
Congress, and out Of II, have been endeavoTing to
make capital By attacking those who voted for
the bill authorizing II. How many know the cir
cumstances under which it was passed very few
Think, taking the whole country over. Let me
detail them. f,rst however remarking that the
writer is not member Of Congress and gathers
his facts from the GLOBE Which are,--that up
ON the "Legislative Judicial and Executive bili,"
which is the oct by which the expenses Of Con-
gresa and oil its attaches, the Supreme, Circuit
and District Courts and their respective subOrdi-
Mates clerks, maFshals, juFies &c,--and the Pres
ident and his clerks including cabinet oHicen, the
public printing, public grounds, pubhcation Of the
laws, pension, patent and agricultural department
&C., &C., are paid, and by which in the last Con-
gress soma twenty millions Of dollars wore appro-
pEiatsd- upon this act the House OF Repre-
sentatives put "Rider" increasing the Presidents,
Vice-Preaident's, SO, and the Congressional pay
running the latter back 40 to include that Con-
grsss, OF what Is called b0ck1pay.
When this bill came to the Senate, that body
struck out the back-Pay, agreeing TO the increase
for the future. This disagreement necessitated q
a conference committee, upon this committee Mr..
BaYard Of our State, with two other Senators Ire
puhlioans) was placed MI. Bayard, in his place
in the Senate, and in the committee Of Conference
opposed, spoke and voted against giving the in
creased pay to the then Congress; and whilst, as
have said, he and others succeeded in getting the
Senate to strike 1t out, in the Committee Of Con-
ference he Yves outvotsd /; the majority Of the
committee fixing the salary ct $500 per year
but cutting Of n.iieage,-Paying members only
their actual travelling expenses. In this form
upon the report Of the Committee of Conferencs
the bill passed. New let as see whether any Sen
ator or Representative, particularly either whS
had openly, manfully and honestly opposed Sx
tending the increase OF pay to that Congress should
not have voted for the committees rsport2 1
4 was the adoption Of the conference report, recol
Ieet that passed this, (if We believe the n0Wpa
lpers,) obnoxious measure.
lst To vote against tho report was q vot
against the whole Legislative, Executive and Ju
dicial Bill
ID. To defeat the Adoption Of the report, wa
TO necessitate the calling Of an extra session Q
Congress inasmuch as by the defeat of the "LeQ
ialative sc" bill tho wheels Of government woul
stop, as there would be no money to carry 1t on.
Sd. The expense Of an extra session OF Congro'
would far excssd this back-pay.
!. 4th. The adoption of the report, produeod mud
needed reform in the pay Of members Of COngre
l. viz by striking out the mileAgs-undar Il
!. mileage system whilst the law said each Senate
y and Representative should receive 100000 pI
year, those from distance, the Pacific Coast 4
s instance, received three time that sum. A SEN
tor from Delaware living in Wilmington receive
his pay 100000 and 5000 mileage--a Senat
! from California received his pay $30oO.O0O "a
y S6l50.O0 mileage. A Delaware Senator thus Z
y ceiVed e300000 10 the California Senatora S0l5t
i 90. Now their respective pay will be $1,000, q
I, 1000 travelling expenses for the Delaware, al
~ $4,000 travelling expenses for the California Sc
- ator. This is not only just and fair, but the "a
! y ing in mileage is about equal in amount to 9
y, Increase Of pay. So by the amendment the Go
v ernment is no loser in q money view.
~ But lastly, members Of Congress should be pa
~ liberally-they should be enabled to 60 10 Was
. ington and LVe otherwise none but the rich q
:. "thiepes," (congrassional0 would or could ta
\, the place.
y y Economy in Congress, as elsewhere, Is q 80
" thing but whilst there are 20 many busig holes
81 Washington, where our money is pouring Q
= mill-tal fashion, why grumble 30 over this spE
- got 2 In single land-graD, millions ara lol
~ now four hundred thousand is given for the exl
- - pay Of hard worked legislators. Pay them WI
- and we will have fewer Pomeroy's, Caldwell
y CIaytons, and that genus.
- Then as to paying it baek-this is such che
- an attempt at popularity and is OF such an hi
"a style In dsmagOguism, and 10 90 eowardiy q
- it is unworthy OF any high-toned honorable me
"a Der. LIBERTY