The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-05-01

first Monday in December the las, session
of the d2d session of Congress began. In
accordance with public expectation bill
was introduced to cut off the iranking
privilege from members of Congress. This
looked like reform indeed. and beginning
at home, and the country was hopeful.
The bill passed, and though it did not take
effect Immediately so as to constitute any
sacrifice to outgoing members of Congress,
il would go into operation ON the first of
July, so as to affect the next Congress and
those to follow if some future Congress
should not restore the franking privilege,
and as this would be considerable yearly
saving to the country there was no DISPOSE
ton to cavil on nice points. But just at
the end of the session the country to its
utter amazcment, observed determine
ton on the part of both republicans and
democrats to reward themselves substan-
TALLY for their honesty and economy in
taking away the franking privilege from
voting enough to supply the loss of the
franking privilege to the succeeding Con-
grcss, and million to the Congress pass
| ing the law, after its full enjoyment of the
expensive franking privilege The 42d
Congress had legal right to vote itself
| that million at the end of the session to
| carry home. The members had legal
right to raise their salary fifty per cent.
fnr l,, Tttttpu ilniiul, ,rr.nnI,n,,l-u
within fifteen per cent, of par, while the
| Congresses that carried the country through
the war had never asked more than $4,000
salary per member, even when grccnbacks
were but forty cents ON the dollar. Still
it was honest, it was honorable, it was lc-
gal; and yet, under all the circumstances
it struck the people as something they had
not expected.
Happily the vote of every senator and re-
preventative of Vermont was given against
both the increase and back pay of salary
But the increase and back pay being voted
in spite of them, the next question was
What should he done with it, Legally it
belonged TO the members.
Congressman !. X. lIawlcy of Connect
cut. ;. :. Cox of New York. J. \. Gar
field of Ohio, }, a. Peters of Maine, c.
w. McCrary of Iowa, and others, senators
and representatives, have returned to the
United States treasury over eighty thou
sand dollars of the eleven hundred thou
sand dollars withdrawn after making all
deductions for mileage as provided by the
law
On the other hand, Mr. Morrill,, who has
'ervcd his State faithfully, Is years. who
las its confidence universally, as an up
right, unsclfish legislator, saw fit to use his
back pay, amounting to over forty-threc
hundred dollars, to aid in paying the State
debt of Vermont.
Perhaps he reasoned that the majority of
Congressman would take their money for
private or local use, and Vermont would be
taxed for her part Of about the million dol
lars any way, and might as well get even
through him-and there is much force in
this view. While we are disposed to find
no fault with Senator Morrill, for the cxer-
else of his judgment in Il case where it was
so nearly one of pure exercise of judgment,
yet with due Difference and respect to him
and to lhe honorable name lac has won all
over the Union, we must be permitted to
express preference for that tribute to the
highest public sentiment Of the country,
which has led some members of both houses
of Congress to leave their part of the
amount in the United States treasury.