Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-03-29
NO. u.
The Salary Question.
How the Bill for the Increase came up and
finally passed--The salaries--The vote
i'm both Houses.

How the BIZ for the Increase came up and
finally pRssed--The salaries--The vote
i'm both Houses.
A Washington correspondent details
at some length how the salary question
was started and carried through Con-
gress. He says that for nearly ten
years the salary of Senators and Repre-
sentatives had remained unchanged at
$1,000 year, with mileage at the rate
of 40 cents amile for the distance to and
from his home by the shortest post
routes. There was, besides, an allow
ance of $125 to each member of the
House for stationery for the long ses-
sion, and S75 for the short session, an
allowance of $50 session for newspa-
pers, and liberal appropriations for
packing boxes, roots, bulbs, and cut
tings of ornamental plants and trees,
bouquets, envelopes for speeches, &c.
The Senators had an unlimited allow
ance of stationery, which was construed
to include cologne, bay-rum, tooth
brushes, pocket-knives, photograph
albums, soap, gold pencils, and an
astonishing variety of other articles.
Mr.. Butler, OF Massachusetts,, on the
7th of February, brought the bill in to
make the pay So, 900, per annum, but it
failed by a vote of 60 yeas to 67 nays.
He next tried to get the bill attached to
the appropriation bill. This was
adopted in committee of the whole
by vote of II to 81, but was rejected in
the House on a call for the yeas and
nays, by vote of 60 to 121. Changing
his vote to no, in order to move a re-
consideration, the next day Mr.. But
ler made the motion, and promised if it
carried to admit an amendment, pre-
pared by Sargent, fixing the salary at
$4,000, with no allowance for travelling
expenses. Sargent's amendment mar
rowly escaped defeat, the vote being
100 to 97 Amendments offered by Gar
field were adopted, raising the salaries
of all the clerks of the House, and add
ing Is per cent. to the pay of all other
employees, and adding $4,000 a year
to the salaries of the Assistant Secre-
taries of the General Departments.
The bill went to the Senate, and when
the question arose on concurring in the
Salary amendment some Senators op-
posed it because it did not increase
their pay enough, and others because
they thought it wrong to make any in
crease. Both these elements of opposi-
ton united to defeat motion to con-
cur The vote stood 23 to 36. The
bill then went to conference COM
mittee. The Conference agreed to put
another 81 ZOO on, making the salary
1900, and they restored Buffers pro-
vision for the payment of actual travel
ing expenses, and retained the retro
active clause, dating the increase back
to March 4, 1871. The Presidents
salary and those of the other officials
they left as passed by the House. The
report was made to the House on Mon
day morning, March 8. After heated
discussion the Conference report was
finally adopted by the House by Yeas
103, Nays "a.
1t was late Sunday night before
vote was had in the Senate on adopting
the report. The result was Yeas Sc,
Nays 81. The bill was signed by the
President the same night. Under the
retroactive provision dating the increas-
ed pay to Congressman back two years,
every member received $4,000 as extra
compensation for services in the XLIId
Congress, less the sum already drawn
by him as mileager The amount of
money required to pay the income was
81, 400, 900.
The following table shows the new
salaries provided by the bill. The in
creased salaries of the Speakers of the
House and of all other officials took
effect on the 4th instant