Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-04-09
sentatives made the increase applica-


he so framed il as to make the Aggregate
n allowance for its own members gredt
a er than that provided for their sue.
lie cessors. and that the last Congress
e. made the aggregate compensation Of
rs its members Tess than that provided
a for their successors. In this respect
IL and to this extent, the members of the
&c last Congress manifested a modesty
er without parallel in the history Of all
IS preceding Congresses; they estimated
1T the value Of their own services at a
OF lower rate than that which they placed
l. on the services of their successors.
y 1t is objected that this increase was
at voted at the close of the Congress, and
)t not at It's eO1lBlencen9e7st, as if that
,e fact changed the character of the act.
d Let us see. Try it by the principles
l. of common sense. Admit that it is
IS right, or, at least, necessary, under
II the Constitution, for them to fix their
= own compensation, as all must who
3 examine the subject in the light Of
d the fundamental law and of legislative
6 precedents, and what moral distinc-
: tion can be made between deciding it
e on the last day of the Congress and on
y the first day? If they are honest men
: they will not, in either case, put it
= higher than they conscientiously be-
+ lieve to be just. Now, at which peri
Y cd would they be best qualified to
e judge what their services are worth,
including necessary expenses-before
l the services were rendered and ex-
5 penses incurred, or afterward? We
will venture the prediction that not
| one new Senator or Representative IN
ten, on his first arrival in Washing
ton, can guess within a thousand dol
lars what the aggregate of the neces-
: sary expenses of himself aud family
will be per year, or know, in advance,
of a moiety of the wear and tear of
body and brain required in the hon
est, energetic, and efficient perform
ance of his duties. The most of them
regard their positions at first as " soft
things" to adopt vulgar phrase, and
their duties as chiefly ornamental
At the close of Congress they can
make up judgment from actual ex-
perience.
And it may be observed in this con-
nection that each of the preceding |
Congresses that considerably increased |
the compensation of their members |
deferred it until the latter part of their
4 service. 1t may be mentioned, also, |
that this rule holds good in nearly all |
the avocations of life. Permit a la
borer, mechanic, artisan, lawyer, doc
toI, or teacher to fix his own compen-
sation for service, and will he not,
nine cases in ten, defer it until after
the service is performed? A majority
of the bills presented for pay yment to
the writer of this article for sucn serv-
ices are left as to amount to the con-
science of the employee, and in near
ly every case he delays fixing the
price until the work is done, in order
that he may be able to judge intelli-
gently of its value. And who would
think of denouneing all of these in
dustrious people and all these learned
men as robbers and thieves because
they wait "until the last day" before
they fix a price on their work and
make out their bills. And in what
sense would such a charge be more /:
just as applied to Congressman than J
to a carpenter or blacksmith, a lawyer
or a doctor?
When analyZed and brought to the :
test of reason and common sense,
there is no foundation for censure in {
this fact. The real question is, did 2
members of the last Congress charge
too much, knowing it to be so, thus 9
defrauding the people for personal {
gain? If they did, they should be
condemned. II not, they should be
exoDerated. q
It is proper to observe here that the 7
actual increase is not, IS alleged, S. 4
900 Congress for the last Congress, q
but that amount, less ali allowances
for mileage. newspapers, stationery, q
document boxes, &c. These items L
will amount, on an average, we sup q
pose, to about one thousand dollars b
per Congress. For some of the mem y
bers these items cover nearly the total
increase; in a few cases they are great n
er, so that the aggregate of their COM I
pensation was actually reduced. d
A large majority Of the Senators and a
Representatives are married men, and r.
those who are not, and who are 1t for p
their representative positions, as a b
rule ought TO be. We need not urge 81
that such of them as are blessed with a.
wives ought to be accompanied by
Ehem during their service at the ma d.
.ional capital, not for the purpose of 1t
in the vanities that may y
always be found in the great cities, 10
jut to aid and support them in the pl
discharge of their arduous and often
duties, and to furnish them M
With virtuous eompaDionship and so. 81
.iety at their temporary homes, and e1
o protect them from the insidious ef> Sc
ects of. evil influences. Not q few W
weak and wicked acts Of legislation Sc
re thus checked by their superior 10
and penetration, and os
more that are wise and useful prompt OF
d, Senators and Representatives be- ID
oming better legislators and better In
nen by such support. The incum- po
'ents of these honorable seats will M
epresent the people all the better by fel
laving these representative women an
f the nation by their sides. en-
The cost of maintaining himself an
nd wife, and it may be two or three an
minor children, with the most com SIC
aendable economy, at Washington, II
xceeds that which most Senators and Ia
representatives would care to explain mS
q detail to their constituents. Trav- =,
ling with them to and from Wash tn'
lgton occasions considerable item Oi
expense; and arranging his affairs sai
home for protracled absence adds ~
} the aggregate. Putting a proper III III
stimate on all of these drawbacks, IOL
cry few who are fit to make laws for w w
nation like ours would. consent to NJ"
ome to Congress long enough to be-
)me experienced and useful states
len for the compensation heretofore
,ceived.
Doubtless these considerations in 7
uenced the minds of not a few of the fol-
EST men in the Senate and the House lea
ho gave the measure complained of edi
leir support. Enough men of wealth to
,uld easily be found to fill all the vol
ats in both Houses without compen- VIII
tiOn from the Treasury. But the mu
iFpose of paying salaries at al is to anC
liable the people to secure the serv-
es of men of small means and CT fou
eat talents ard pure character to ca
present them in this branch of the Ere
iblie service. The rate of pay pro- frs
ded by the last Congress may be anC
CHER than is necessary. A majority top
the people unquestionably think var
] and may demand arepeal a Of the use
W. q
1t is more than probable that some spe
those who earnestly opposed its ren
ssage were Influenced by an antici- WrC
tion Of this expression of popular er.
sapprobation; who, If put on the 7
Itness stand as experts, would testi- rs
that they do not believe the old swe
te Of pay sufficient to justify poor bet
en- of the highest order of talent to reel