The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-25
THE BACK PAY swISDLE.
Guilty and Innocent.

Guilty and Innocent.
from the New York Times, 4th.
1t Is of the last importance that
the people should know the names
of the Congressman who voted
themselves pay for services never
performed. We have already Civ
en- the vote at two stages of the
measure. We propose now to
state briefly the history of the
measure, 20 analyze all the votes
taken upon it directly. to point
ont those who are -consistentlyand
Enthusiastically guilty of supporting
it, and those who continually and
unequivocally opposed it, and to
leave the remainder, whose record
is not clearly pronounced on
either side, to explain their course
to their constituents as best they
can. We shall confine ourselves
to the House of Representatives,
emitting the Senate, because, in
the first place, no vote was tax: n
in the Senate which conclusively
revealed the position of Senators
on the merits of the case; and
secondly, because the House of
Representatives is directly respOn-
sible to the people. and can be
sooner and more effectually called
to account. ne also omit the final
vote on the report of the Confer
ence Committee, because that re-
port embraced several other sub
jects, and the vote on it could not
be regarded as necessarily and
conclusively a test vote.
The history of the salary steal
is as follows: On the 10th of Feb
ruary n motion was made to sus-
pend the rules, for the purpose of
having included in the general
appropriation bill provision
increasing numerous salaries,
among them those of members
of Congress-the increase in
their case to apply to the
Forty second Congress. This
provision included the naked ques-
ton of increase and back pay.
The motion to suspend the rules
was lost. It received 81 votes, and
120 were cast against it, This
was the first vote on the question.
On the 2Sth of February, the
legislative appropriation bill be-
ing before the House, motion
was made to amend one of it's
clauses by inserting a provision
for increase of salaries. This
also included members of Con-
gress, and embraced the back pay.
1t was lost, receiving only 60 votes,
to l2O against. This was the sec
ond vote.
General Butler gave notice of 4
motion to reconsider the vote just
taken. He had voted against it,
that course being necessary, we be-
lieve, to give him parliamentary
right to move q reconsideration.
In Analysing the second vote we
shall, therefore, count him in the
affirmative, as he was VIGOROUSLY
in favor of the proposition. On
the first of March the motion to
reconsider came up, and it was
moved to lay it on the table. This
would have killed the measure. 1t
failed-receiving sc yeais and 1O5
nays, and 90 not voting. This was
the third vote.
The question then required on
reconsidering the vote by which
the amendment had been killed.
The vote was reconsidered, there
being 1O4 yeas, 20 nays, and 81 not
voting. This was the fourth vote.
The proposition was then chang
ed by rising vote, the increase
for members OF Congress being
reduced from $500 year to
Sc, 500. The back pay feature was
retained. This was the fifth vote.
Now it is plain that any mem
Der who voted for the increase and
back pay on all these votes must
be held guilty. 1t must also be
plain to any one conversant with
the proceedings of Congress and
capable of determining the signili-
canoe of the several votes, that any
member who supported the meas
ure on the last three votes, and
did not vote against it on the Sec
ond vote, must also be held guilty.
Such a member would be in the
position of helping to revive the
measure after it had been defeat
ed, and of voting for It As revived
without at any time voting square
ly against it. On the other hand,
| it is plain that members who vot-
ed continually against the meas
ure must be held innocent. Those
who voted against it on the last
three votes, without having voted
for it on the second, must also be
held innocent. With these expla-
nations, which are as concise as it
is possible to make them. we ap.
pend a list which we believe to be
made up in a perfectly just man
ner. The Democrats and Liberal
Republicans are in italics:
GUILTY.
Oakes Ames, Mass.G c Mckee, Miss.
lJT AveriIl, MINI. +TIV IcNeely, III.
N p Banks. Mass. i Morey, La,
j A Bingham, o, j L Morphis, Miss
A Boarnaa, La. L Meyers, Penn.
lew Buckley, Ala. J s Negley, Penn.
S s Burdett, Bio. 5 l. Nibiack, Flor.
B + Butler, Mass. f ID Peck, Ohio.
r r Butler, Tenn. J. w Pierce, Miss.
c L Cobb, n C. j II Plat, Va.
IL COghlsn, Cal. W p Price, Ga.
A ComiRso, Mo. f Fl Prindle, y Y.
j C. Conner, Tex. J H Rainey, S c.
j Crichter, Va. y j Randall, Pa.
c B DarraIl, La. c Robinson, Ill.
, % H Dickey, Pa. j Rogers, y Y.
o j Dodds, Ohio. s II Rogers, y c.
D n DH Bose, Ga. ] p C Shanks, Ind
X II " Duke, Va. J. A Sheldon, la.
C. Il EIdridge, Wis. II Sherwood, Pa.
r B Elliott, S c. j II Sloos, Ala.
-4E Garrett, Tenn.H Snapp, Ill.
u L Get<, Pa. OP Snyder, Ark.
d C. Giddings, Tex.B " lSterens, Ill.
Ell GolEddGy, Tenn. j D Storms, Penn.
. J Hancock, Texas. w L Stoughton
TT II Hanks, Ark. Michigan
A C Harmer, Pa. VIII Stowell. Va
J c. Harper, n c. c StJolin, y Y.
G E Harris, Miss. J G .SutherldRd
C Hays, Ala Michigan.
; " s HerRdoR, Text II Sypher, La
. 8 o Houghton, Cal. c r Thomas, y c.
CIV KeadaIi, New. B Turner, Ala.
} A King. Missouri. J II Tuthili, \ I.
I'll C " LaBaisoR, o. DIV Voorhies, Ind
WE Lansing, n "A " WaddeH. \ {
> j n Leach, NC. r II Whitley, Ga,
: Fl Maynard, Tenn. w Williams, Ind.
E McJunkin, Pa. W IVflIiaMs, y \.
5 B Winchester, by. Fernando w God. \ !
&Messrs. Garrett and Dicke.
voted for the measure on all eS
l cept that to lay its reconsideration
4 on the table, and did not vot
a against it any time.
fMessrs. Hanks and Mcneil
> voted for the amendment twic