, 1873-03-12

There comes from Washington what re B,1p-
poso to be an authorized apology Of certnin
members for voting for tho Increase of Con
grossioual salaries, and it reads rs follows:
It IL but Justice to those mon who, like gcnators
Trusnbut1, Bayara, and Representative Banks, voted
for the increased salary b to state their aldo Of tho
question. They say their support WAS given to this
measure simply to oquazo tho compensation account
Thus, for instance, the members Of both Houses from
Oregon got 400 for tho soaaion account Of nea1e
Thoso from Nevada got $500: from Texas, $4,000;
from Louisiana, $4,000 from Artanans, S. 100 from,
Kansas and Nobrasks, s2,1oo, notwithstanding tho
torloH fact that either these members had ra1lroa
pasaes n tho way else passed the etire scsslon In
Washington. Tho 1ncroaso-of- Salary bill abofsllcs
mlleaRo, and under this provision Bcnator Kelley will
be required to pay 400 into tho Treasury instead Of
receiving q, ,4o2 thcrcfrom.
This explanation furnishes no defense for tho
act. Because, under tho 1aw, Mr. Trumbu1l re-
coi1ed moro mileage than Mr.. DanhB, Mr.. Banka
moro than Mr. Dayard, and Mr.. Kolloy, Of Orc
gon, moro than Mr. Tr11mbull, that furnished no
reason for going back two yoars, and allowing ME.
Trunhull and Mr.. Banks to take money from tho
Treasury in addition to thcir legal salary for pro-
vious Borvices If it lad beon proposed in this
bill that each ,ncmher should hand buck to the
disbursiug officer nil his pay md mileage, and
then tint the pilo should bo divided equally
among all tho members, there would hayo bcen
no objection to that, If thore Ind been any means
Of enforcing tho law. But this bill proposed
much morn. It proposed to take moro money
out Of tho Troaaury. II tho paoiAo mom-
bors received more than thoHo residing
| nearer the Carital it WIS easy to compute
how much was tho actual cost Of tho travel from
Oregon to Washington, and allow them TINT sum
aud uo moro. Tho inequality WAS not greater
| in proportion to distance In tho Oregon caHo
than in tho case Of Mr. Banks or N1r. Ira1nbull.
hlr. Banks received aB mileage from Whitman
to Washington about S1G0, when tho actual cost
OF travel il not over S12 hIr. Trumbull received
for milcago from Chicago to Washington nbout
! $500, and tho actual faro ia not over $2i. Tho
Oregon member received q greater sum for
mileage, but not rerlapa in greator dlspropor-
tions to his actual outlay. Had thcso gontlc-
men voted to allow oach member tho actual cost
Of Ills travel, then thero would hayo boon IN
equalization Of compensation that would llayo
saved to tho Treasury many thousands Of dollars
each Congress. For instance, tho Baltimore
City members receive GIG for mileago to Wash
ington, distance Of forty nliloB, when tho
actual cost il but at.50. The notion of Congress-
was not to oqualize compensation by cutting off
tho enormous abuses of tho mileage systom; it
waa not to cut off the mileago bills Of tho Cali
fornia mcmbors, but It was 10 loycl up tho mile
age, and give each man MI equal share. It ia
possible to understand how Mr.. Kelley, Of Phil.
adolphia, should have voted to malo 1fr. Kelley
of Oregon, disgorgo 81 500 and pny It bacIs into
the Treasury, but 1t IL not 10 easily under.
stood why tho money thus refunded by
Kclloy, of Oregon, should bo paid out agail
to Kelley, Of Philadelphia, with cened
orablo moro in addition. Under tllt
questionable policy Of robbing Potter to pa,
Paul, tho lattor only receives what s taken from
tho former; but cur Congressman havo not onl,
taken away few thousand dollars from half
dozen members, but l,ayo takcn from tho Treas
u1y oyor half million Of dollnsa in addition.
Mr. Banks and AIr, Tlumbull hayo boon /,
Congress for eighteen years. During all TIM
tlmo the California and Oregon me1nborY hny,
boon drawing this excessive mflengo. WI,
limit tho poBthumous equalization to two yoars
Why not extend the $1,000 salary back tt
1852 Thero oan DO no excnBo, paiation, o.
justification Of this vote for back pay for tyr,
ycarA tint will not apply with equal force to til,
whole eighteon ycars. Tho fact lg, tho pas
aago Of this act ia unjustiAablo, rh
arrangement tint 1t should recoiyo about a,
equal numbor Of votes from each party, II, orf1o
to "hoad OF my party advantage, was woa]
invention. 1t docs not relieve any member VII,
voted for 1t from responsibility for an act that
wholly unjustiAab1e. It III immutorial ulat th
politics OF tho man who voted for this btll Inn
be; Ills act cannot reflect Oh l1is party, but mus
| reflect on himself, aud forever adhors to him
! a plpnder Of tho Treasury tor hia personal aair