Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-12-26
Circular I.cster from Hon. a. N.
WaAdell.


DEAR SIR [ have tie honor to ac-
knowledge the receipt Of a copy Of
certain resolutions adopted by the
Legislature OF North Carolina. duly
certified by you, expressive OF the
sense OF thet body in regard to the
action of Congress IN passing the act
OF March Sd, 1873, relative TO the sala-
ries of Senators and Representative
AS there is no resolution requesting
the Representativ from Nor.h Caro-
lima to present the resolutions TO Con-
gress, apprehend that you forward
them to nae only as an act OF courtesy
and as information. II / thought you
had been instrueted tp forward them,
this communication would have been
addressed to those who instructed you.
It is gratifying ia know that oven
tho consideration OF those vital ques-
tioDs which affect the credit snd char
actt L Of the people of North Carolina,
and upon the settlement ci which her
future prosperity almost entirely de-
pe nds. was made to yield TO the higher
question of national morals involved
in the Congressional salary bill. Re
publican iustitutionS are said TO rest
solely on tha virtue and intelligence of
the people, and therefore those WHO
exercise the lnost nssidIous guardian
ship over these two fundamental OLE
useats Of free government arc the tru-
est friends of tue people. Ii their
motives are questioned, as seems to be
inevitable, they can at least console
themselves with tho reflection that
virtue is its own reward. l regret,
however, that III this instance
1 am compelled to tho conclusion tha'
the resolutions os the Legislature can
only be justified upon the very doubt
full theory that the moral has kept
pace with the material progress OF our
country, and that the political ethics
of modern State Legislators are purar
and higher than those of the fathers OF
the Republic and all their Successors
down to the year of grace 1873. The
members Of the Legislature had the
same right to pass these resolutions
which any other asseElblagc OF citizens
elsewhere had, but no more. They
could give no greater force OF dignity
to their sentiments, by reason OF their
position, than the same number of
their fellow-cltizens not intrusted with
the responsibilities of Office could;
and, therefore, only as the utterance
of respectable number Of gentlemen
their resolutions are entitled to CON
eideration. / have considered them,
and in the exercise OF my right I.
freeman and OF my duty as e Repre-
sentative, responsible not to the Leg
islature, but to the people OF the Third
Congressional District, L shall MAKE
such response &c them SIS seems t. n,
l., be proper.
The first resolution alleges tina; the
action OF Congress was lndefensi bic
in principle and tended to bring our
Government into disrepute. That is
a very plain statement Is it true !?
Let us see. What ia the principle in
volved7 II there is one 1t must be
either legal or moral principle.
There can be no other kind of ''prin-
ciple" in the case. The legal principle
is established by tie Constitution, or it
pressly and exclusively vests in Con
gress the power to fix the compensa-
ton Of members during their term of
service They can fix it at any time
during their term-the first, the mid
die, or the last day OF the term, and at
any rate Trey choose. The Forty-sec-
ond Congress, therefore. had a legal
right to do what they did-a Constitu-
tional right exercised in q Constitu-
tionsl way. Any person who would
deny this is not fl to be 4 legislator
anywhere Very well, their legal right
is established. Let Ms now examine
| the moral right. What principle of
morals did they violate? And how did
their action "tend 10 bring our Gov
| ernment into disrepute :" Admitting
the moral superiority of men elected
| by the people TO the Legislature OF
| North Carolina over Inen elected by
the people to the Congress ofthe United
| Strtes, it will be difficult, l think, &C
| show that even their superior moral
sense ought to be shocked by the sal
ary bill. The violation o. good flith,
first alleged agains: tha Torty-s ncond
/ COnETeae, was that they had made al
implied contract vitn tho peopie tt
serve at certain rate Of coupensa
ton. and had violated that CONTRACT by
| increasing the rate. This atatcment-
ever il true, and Il Is = n,.---iuroivo:s II
absuriity. IL the frat place, tilc.o W.;
and could Do 40 ec!ch agreement, but :
there had been. aud Congress had r.
9ttcc3 my pay, instead OF increasing
it. would 1 have had legally or moral,
any right to complain? If there ws'
an agreement / certainly would have
had as much right to complain tor the
reductions as the people could have .
the G.,crcoeo. But tl,ero could not b,
sny such sgreeEo3pt otherwise tn
uay never could La =.itl er increased O
Diminished.
Again, il there va, a contract. suol
az alleged, have not tie members .
the Forty-third Congtess, who EFsr'
elected long before the increase wa
made, and who havo been receiving
pay ever since last March, been a
guilty OF violating the agreement a
any others? There is nothing "a tn
resolution about them.
There Is great misapprehcnsion i
the minds of the people on this snt
ject, which, when return to my con
stituents, l expect to show; but | d
not propose arguing the subject IN .lai
communication. I shall content IN,
self by saying that 50 far as ''pr.nc
pie" is concerned, whether legal G
> moral, tho Forty-second Congress dl
|. what they had right TO do, and &
actly what every previous Congress
which ever voted on the question did
, except thet they increased the pay Ter
in proportion thea any OF their pred,
, cessors had done. AS 10 their bring
| ing our CCNStuA- 1AtO
they must content themselves as be,
3 thsy can ty remembering that g
, though not SO fortunate rs the meu
J, bers of the Legislature, they find then
selves in this respect the companion
in iniquity of George W .shlngto
q and James Madison, James Monroe al
Q Nathaniel Macon,. and other repr'
, bates. who have at other periods {
our history brought our Governmel
into disrepute by similar conduct
/. that with which we are charged; tn
t is, by approving similar bills, az
n voting for, and taking, back pay.
:. Iwould have been glad if the nien
bsrs Of the Legislature could ha'
: been here last Monday to hear gre
and good man discuss this subject
statesman OF the old SCHOOL, M
y without fear and without reproacn-
0 A. II. Stephen Of Georgia. Like &
n the other great men whom l ha'
4 named, he has the misfortune to diff
- Al in fbafy. oct m O