The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-07-08
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carefully keeping clear OF the record of Con-
gress on the Salary amendments, have made
themselves hoarse in crying out against the
Republicans as SALARY grabters, congress
ional thieves" and like names. For years
they have been strangers in the field of fact;
for if there are anythings that that remnant of
aparty cannot stand they are history and
record. Heretofore we have called the per-
sonal attention of one or two of them to the
vote of both houses of Congress on the late
salary bill. OF course they have taken no
notice of il because it was simply fact All I in
this case a mere statement of the record
OF the vote would raise the enquiry even in
the mind of the average Democratic reader,
If his party organ was not calling its own
Congressman salary grabbers, congressional
thieves and treasury plunderers.
If our Democratic friends desire to make
the salary question an issue, we shall be only
too glad to meet them on the record and as
an earnest of our good faith in this respect
in the matter, we will republish from the
Albany Evening Journal, the striking array
of the two parties on the salary question.
On the passage of the back pay bill in the
Senate, % Republicans voted for it and 20
against; while 10 Democrats voted for and
five against. In the House, 81 Republicans
voted for it and 60 against it majority of 9
against while 4S Democrats voted for and
81 against, a majority of II in favor of the
back pay. Taking the aggregate of both
Houses, the vote was as follows:
Republicans against the increase SO
Republicans for the increase IA
Republican majority against 8
Democrats for the increase 61
Democrats against the increase Al
Democratic majority for 20
These figures tell their own story and from
the record there is no escape. They show
that large majority of the Republicans vot-
ed AGAINST the salary bill and majority of
the Democrats FOR il. With srch record,
the Democratic papers that fill their editori-
ais with charges and epithets that are without
foundation, either show the utter ignor-
ance of the editors, or their utter disregard
and defiance of facts that cannot be gainsay-
ed.
The hostility of the Republican party out
side Of Congress to the salary outrage is of
the most decided character. At every State
Convention held since the adjournment of
Congress, the scheme has been denounced in
the most emphatic terms. There is not Repub-
lican paper, except personal organ or two of
Z Gen. Butler that has not repudiated it, and
the whole party is against it.
And there has be IN no action since the ad-
journment of Congress on the part of Demo-
cratic members that can inspire our
Democratic contemporaries with desire
to consult the record. We refer to those
members who have returned their part of the
s.swag;" aud by the last summing up there
were of the House of Representatives 26 Re-
publicans and s Democrats who have gone on
record as "pay backers;" that is one six
teenth of the Democratic and one-fifth of the
Republican members have returned their ex
ira $4,000 that the people think they have no
right to keep. 1t is, however, quite possible
that the Democrats being constitutional
sticklers have felt that by that instru-
ment they are bound to take the pay that Con-
gress voted, as suggested by Senator Carpen-
ter.