Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-04-19
letter r.o.. u IN. .. A. esra.rd.


deny The correctness Of the statement IA |
the ClevelaD1 Lender that opposed the |
increase ofsalaries up TO the time OF its
adoption by the Senate, and only ceased |
then for fear Of losing the Appropri1. !
iion Bill, aud yon concluded the article |
by declaring: "We stand ready TO prove |
from the record that the salary steal |
would have tailed in the House, save for I
his (Mr. Gar6eld'r) actual assistance"
will not assume that you desire to |
do me injustice, but your statement is
wholly incorrect, and cannot be "prOved
from the recOr'l." On the contrary, the
record shows voted against the. But
Ter amendment at every stage of its
progress Trough the House, aud that
also opposed it in the Conference Com
mittce.
The fight against the amendment was
waged aud lost before the bill went TO
| the conference. The test vote was not on
| the conference report, but Oh the several
mo- ions previously made on the amend
ment itself, in the House and Senate.-
| In the House, thirteen votes were taken
with direct reference To the amendment,
and on six of these the ayes and noes
were recorded. These votes show that,
in one form or another, l3l different mem
bers voted in the in crest of the amend
mpIIt, and that only fifty (5o) voted
against il every time. was one Of the
fifty (50)
On the 10th of February, eighty-one
(sl) members voted TO incorporate into
the Miscellaneous Appropriation Bill the
Butler bill, whIcli then fixed the salary
! a L ia.
crease 10 apply to the Foriy-second Con-
gress. Before the measure went TO the
Senate, fifty (oo) other members had III
some other form or another recorded
their votes in favor of the increase.
On the 24Ih OF February, the salary
clause was adopted in committee of the
whole by twenty-five (22) majority, on
rising vote, and by fifteen majority on
the vote by ltllers.
On the 28 of February, il was defeat
ed III the House on an yea and no vote,
and motion was entered 10 reconsider.
On the following day, March lst, a
motion was made TO lay on the table the
motion 10 reconsider. The adoption OF
this motion would have rendered the
passage OF the salary clause impossible,
: and every member knew j.. But, OH the
vote by ayes aud noes, there were thirty.
nine (39) una jority against the notion
The motion TO reconsider was then adopt.
) ed by twenty-tiyet25) majority. This
motion was made for the ayOwed purpose
. of securing the adoption of the salary
. amendment; and it was thpreupnr
. adopted OF an aye and no vote. | twic'
spoke against the amendment, and yoteI
= against 1t at every stage until IT went u
. the Srna'e.
= In the Senate, the amendment was sus
p" tanned by still more decided majorities
:, A motion TO strike out all the salar,
- amendment except that relating 10 III
!, President was rejected 30 ayes,3s noes
y A motion To strike out the increased sal
y ary of members of Congress was reject
y ed-24 ayes, SO noes. An amendment
providing that an increase of Congres
- sional salaries should not take effect unit
u the end of the next Congress was rejec
'e ed without a division. Several Senator
insisted that $1,000 without milage Va
y no real increase, and demanded that ii
- amount should be increased by the Co
~ ference Committee. To prevent this,
:" motion was made to concur with Il
-, who'd amendment as it came from Il
House. The motion was defeated-ay'
2, nays IS. Thus sustained, the bill va
sent TO conference committee.
d. do not shiik any just measure OF r.
"a sponsibility for the vote | gave in fave
id OF the conference report. l had doae a
lis / could both in the House aud the CO
re ference to Keep the salary amcndmeI
rs, from beiug made part of the blil.-
hg Failing in that, helped 10 put the b
he in the best shape could, and then vC
nd ed for it as a whole.
on When the conference report was q
ce liyered To The House, / explained
I'D provisions, and, upon the subject Of ca
Ire yressional salaries, made the followir
od of the House, March 81
mt ''rhe Senate cnnterees were unai
'lli nous in favor of fixing the salary
in $1,000, and cutting of all allowances {
ng crpt actual individual travelling expeI
he es of member from his home TO Wa;
me lngton, and back again, once sessl6
he aud cutting off of all other allowances
res every kind. That proposition W
I'll, agreed to by majority of the confer
ere on the part of the House. | WAS opp
ree ed TO the increase in conference, as
'nd have been opposed to il in the discussi
vii aud in my votes here: but my associa
OF conierers were in favor of the Sena
ent amendment, and was compelled
Ate. choose between signing the report a
ich running the risk OF bringing on an ext
ieir session OF Congress. have signed
;or- report, and present it as it is, aud
IN the House TO act on il in accordar
the with their best judgmer."
Irt. Twill only add that the final vote
OF the conference repor. came far short
iig- exhibiting the real strength OF the sal'
has movement in the House, and it was P
lrd- tectly apparent that the friends OF me
VS. ure had reserve force, which had b'
.em used on former votes, but did not app
lne- on this fual vote.
tor Very truly yours.
dy, j. A. GARFIELD
but