Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-12-12
The Salary Grab.

Inc salary drap.
Following are yesterdays proceed
ings In the House Of Representatives
on q bill to repeal the Act Of March 8,
1873. which legalized the "grab:"
Poland favored his amendment, Of
tered sorne days since, to make the
compensation Of Congressman 5000
. year, and said IL was amply suffi.
Client for him to live upon.
Stephens, OF Georgia, was the next
speaker. He aros to his feet with
some difficulty and not Without the
aid Of one Of the pages, stood support
porting himself with q crutch under
his Left arm. Many members left their
seats and gathered around him and he
was listened to with marked attention.
He spoke with a clear. ringing voice,
was distinctly audible In every
portion Of the chamber. His manner
was nervous, and his remarks very d.
gressivc. many OF his sentences being
Incomplete. After speaking Of tho
comments OF the press, Stephens aald
the gentleman iron New York Gree
mSi) had spoken yestsrday Of dema-
goguism. He (Stephens) maintained
that there could be no craftsmanship
without Il. There level had been'a
statesman who was not a demAgogue.
There were two kinds Of demagognes
sham and the genuine. The gem
ulne demagouge was q man who led
the people, who guided the people;
while the sham demagogne pam
dered to the errors and pre-
judices of the people. He was
very glad to say that the Increase
OF, Salary bill vas a measure for which
neither political party WAS responsible.
His opinion was that the Democracy
In proportion to their votes In Con-
gress were quite rs responsible as the
Republicans. The frst great thing to
be learned in this life. as taught In che
schools Of ancient times, was to dis
eliminate between that which the null
titude thought was right, and that
which was right In ITSELF He claimed
that when Congress- passed the retro-
active law Of the last session 1t hat. a
consistent right To do so. He was not
saying whether 1t was expelient or
not, but no blush should rest on the
cheek of any man whether lie voted
for 1t or not. lie should have felt that
he was as Justly entitled to It as II he
wore only to receive a dollar a day.
1t was 4 constitutional law constitu-
tionally passed, aud members were as
much entitled to tho whole as they
were to any time received under 1t. IL
any thought 1t were too much and re-
oeiyed It, lie (Stephens) would not cast
a slur upon him for doing so. He was
not going to place a value on his own
services as n representive, but II lie
were to state what he thought the SER
vices Of a representative ought TO be
worth, It would 60 far above the flg-
ure of any law that has ever been
passed. He had given 1t al his opinion
In his last speech which be made In
the House fourteen years ago
that II the salaries Of the members
Of Congress were $4,000. Senators
SIS, 900, Chief Justice Of the Supreme
Court $50, 900. associate Judges, $780,
900, the rest SO 1000. It would be bet
ter for the country at large. He held
the same opinion still, and lie certain
ly could not vote for the bill reported
by the committee, but believed that
the unwlsv action OF last Congress was
tile abolition Of the franklng privilege.
Garfield replied to Stephens. taking
particular exception. to his views 40
to tho propriety d high salaries. Ho
thought the people had decided that
the Congressional pay was too great,
aud Congress ought to submit to that
judgment. though none Of the bills pro-
sented exactly met his views
kassou advocated the minority re-
port, and advocated that the majority
bill would strengthen that element OF
personal government which has grown
up to a dangerous degree. He criti-
cised the recommendation Of the Pres
ident In regard TO erecting man'ions
In Washington for public officials and
Ia regard to giving the President tho
right TO veto = portion OF a bill. Hc
wanted no principle to be establishsd
by the House which would surrender
still further the legislative dignity and
authority.
At four o'clock +. N. Hall moved
the previous question OF the third
reading Of the bill, but the friends Of
tho minority bill. and all tavoring
sweeping measures, and all OPP
ponents. combined to defeat the mo-
tlon, the vote standing-ayee 100, noes
145.
Orth then moved to recommit the
bill to q select committee, with In
structlons to report u bill repealing
the whole Salary Act OF the last Con-
gress, as far as could be done under the
Constitution, and to ascertain the az
erage amount Of salary, mileage aud
all other expenses, exclusive Of any
estimate for the ranking privilege,
that was paid to Senators. Representa-.
tives and Delegates to the Forty-frst
Congress, and to report a bill to-mor-
row fixing the compensation at the
amount thus aseertained, as nearly as
practicable, with necessary travelling
expenses, and restoring all other sala-
ries as they were before the passage OF
the Act.
The Speaker. In answer to = number
Of inquiries all over the house, ex-
plained the parliamentary status of the