Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-08-20
UNPAID Ise1sIAr1o~\
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COn9TtssiOiiai sii"isSS
tive clause which gave them a large
amount Of back pay. was that the pay
mens Of large salaries to members OF
Congress not only secured q better
class of representatives but Withdrew
from them many temptations which
otherwise prove overpowering
to iusuticlently paid representatives.
In other words Mr.. Carpenters claim
was that the payment OF Congressman
a representation In the Ma
Legislature Of the laboring
classes, that poor men can 60 there.
who, II not paid at all. or in%sutiiciently
compensated, would be forced to re-
main Mt home. or to compromise them
selves to obtain means Of support. BY
this means, argued the Senator. the
poorer classes would be deprived OF
representation, and only large proper
ty.owners or persons In the Immediate
employ Of wealthy Interests, could
afford to take seats In Congress, thus de-
~privlngthe poorer classes ofrsprcsent'-
ton and leaving the National Congress
only an exponent OF aristocracy.
This has been the argument for every
increase Of Congressional salaries
which has been made. In view Of this
last grab" however. b. the l2d Con-
gress. 1t begins to look as II the ques-
ton Is soon to be, not whether Con-
er~essional salaries were high enough
before the last increase, but whether
Senators and members should receive
any compensation whatever. The
English system Of unpaid legislation
has always been denounced as insult
ed to the wants Of a Republican coun-
try. and a. aiding the growth ofarlsto-
cratic Institutions, and on the stump
and rostrum the question OF appropri-
ate compensation for all servants OF
the people has been earnestly and
thoroughly discussed. The New York
Nation, one of the most ably editcd
journals Of this country. doubtless In
cited thereto by the boldness Of Car
penter's statements, In u recent edito-
rial takes issue with the theory that
the paying Of congressman lnsures the
possibility Of sending poor men to
Congress, and thus, In fact, makes this
as 1t ought to be. a poorman's govern
ment. in this language:
"Congress, instead Of being a poor
mans Legislature, Is the Legislature
OF large Interests aud OF great cor
poratlons.' While the unpaid mem-
beers of Parliament were forcing the
English railways to run cheap trains
for poor men, which the popular graf
itudo has termed Parliamentary
trains.' Congress has been giving away
the public lands to railway corpora
tions. While the rich nea OF the
House of Commons were keeping
Hampstead Heath open for the poor
OF London againit the eucroachments
Of a rich uo6leman. Congress WAS pre-
| senting Dir. Thomas Scott with $780,
900 worth Of property In u Of tile
| parks Of Washington. During the
past yearthe Supreme Court has affirm
| ed the validity Of what are known n
the Twenty Per Cent cases, In which
something like 2.l00 laborlng men
were Interested. Yet Congress, while
the test cases were pending. took
away from the Treasury the power To
audit and pay them after \ decision
should be reached. and It laS actually
compelled each OF these 2,l00 laboring
men to bring Ills individual suit In the
Court of Claims to recover OIL Nm aver
age about $l25, where the Attorney
General was compelled to admit that
the Government had no defensc-ahd
this st the very time that Mr.. Carpen-
ter and hi, associates were voting
themselves u grstuity Of 5000 a piece
aud raising their prospective compe!i-
sstion 80 per cent. per annuin. win
such facts before the country, IL IL both
uutruthful aud foolish for Mr.. Carpen-
ter to act up a paid Legislature as tile
representative body OF poor men.
The experience OF mankind shows
conclu.ively that when q poor man
has brains or energy enough to
| push himself Into u legislative body.
i,e IA much more apt TO be Intent OIL
getting rich himself than oil looking
After che interests OF his fellows In
| poverty. The welfare Of the poor de-
| pends as Il always has depended. up
| on the cultivated intelligence aud COLI
.cirntious sympathy Of the legislator,
and these qualities. all the world over,
| are least found In men who are engag-
| ed In the struggle Of getting their
heads higher than their neighbors."
After claiming that with unpaid
legislation a body Of men might be
depended OH who would serve gratui-
tously for the sake Of gaining some
distinction. even as men now on school
boards and public charities - labor
earnestly, accomplishing much, and
receiving nothing-it concludes that.
at any rate, the effect Of more pay Is
only evil. and that continually, and
sums up as follows:
1.-The great number Of our leglsla.
tors forbids. from tho economic point
| Of view. the payment Of an excessive
salary, though the causes which we
have indicated require a reasonable
allowance toward a members ex-
penses. But experience proves that
with every increase Of pay there Is a
diminution In the quality Of our repre-.
sentatives, aud that remnnerative leg
| islative salaries are breeding a elias, OF
| professionals whose trade Is politics,
| and whusc only livelihood II what
they q make out Of their seats. The
nearer we have approached to gratut-
tous service, the more pure and hon.
orable that service has been; and
whilo poor men may have been de-
barred from taking to Congress for a
living, an Intelligent and upright leg.
islature has secured the greatest good
Of the greatest number"
While we are not now prepared to
advocate the English practice Of UNI
paid legislation, It must be confessed
that the Nation makes a strong case In
Its favor. and that It, closing remarks