The Portland daily press., 1873-06-30
Senator Carpenters Speech.


coolest judgement was required He is a
keen lawyer, plausible and eloquent advo-
cate. an honest, fearless, outspoken champion
aud the very man that people will admire, be-
cause of his manly independence and def
ance of popular opinions when he believes
them to be wrong.
So when Matt. Carpenters constituents
come TO ask him to give his reasons for advo'
eating and voting for adding a third to his
own salary, he is not the man TO shit the
burden of the charge, but rather the one to
defend his own action, to assume the respon-
sibity and even cast defiance at the popu
lar sentiment on this question. Mr.. Carpen-
ter's speech would cover one side of this pa
per, but it is so ingenious, so full of sharp
points ami the fine examples of special plea J
ing, that one would not tire OF it were it
twice as long.
Mr.. Carpenter begins his speech with a
review of the Credit Mobilier chapter, on the
ground that the panic of the public mipu on
this question caused the opposition to the
proposition TOR the increase of pay. He tells
the country that it is undergoing kind of
morbid morality panic, in kind like that suf
fered by our demoralized army when running
away from the invisible foe at Bull Rum
He then proceeds to explain the Credit Mo-
bilier affair, whereupon he uncopsciously ap-
pears in the character OF the advocate, and
never did peader more skillfuly transform
a criminal into martyr than has the Wis
consin Senator in the cause he had volunteer
ed to defend. As he puts it, the Governm INT
agreed TO give company so many thousand
dollars mile, and SO much land to build
railroad that vas of vast national Importance.
another corporation organized under the laws
of Pennsylvania to build the road for th' M
This it did TO the acceptance of the Govern
ment, and because the Credit Mobilier got
good contract from the railroad company be-
cause the road proved to be easier to build
than was expected, it is none of the Govern
ment's business or the peoples, and Con-
gressmen had perfect right to hold the stock
in the company building the road and enjoy
its dividends as they would have to hold stock
in a national bank.
Now as far as Mr.. Carpenter goes in this
case he makes it perfectly clear, bat he stops
before he gets to the iniquity Of the Credit
Mobilier. He fails to cover the whole ground.
He fails to tell us how the Government pays
interest on the bonds it gave the company
and how in thirty years il will doubtless have
to pay the principal. He fails to tell us that
the Railroad Company and the Credit Mobil
Ter corporation were composed of the same
men, the one to secure money for the other
and the one to shield members of the other
from responsibility. He fails to tell us how
these two companies working together OBJ
tiined permission OF Congress to make its Sc
curity upon tie road secondary to the bonds
it was afterwards authorized to issue and how
the two companies by an excessive issue have
practically ruined the Government security
by involving the road in bonded debt double
or tret lie its cost and much more than its &C
tual worth, and from which the immense
dividends of the Credit Mobilier were derived.
1t was such transactions as these that made
the Credit Mobilier questionable, and becau e
the int rests of the railroad ant the Govern
ment were opposite, it became improper for
Congressman to hold the stock.
Leaving the Credit Mobiier before he has
fairly touched it, Mr.. Carpenter passes on to
consider the salary question. His fl. st point
is that he advocated the increase of salary in
order that the rich and the poor may be on a
lsvel in making the laws--so that the pay
an2hta 70 IAN
gressman.s To strengthen this point, he calls
attention to the fact that the members OF tbs
British Parliament are paid no salary. In
cons quence of this it has crown to be the
richest body of men in the world, and the re-
suit is that all of its legislation is in the inter
est OF capital to the detrirnent of labor. On
the other hand, the judiciary of no country is
paid such salaries as that of Great Britain,
and in no country are the laws executed so
evenly upon rich and poor. Mr.. Carpenter
calls attention to the fact that every rich man
in the Senate voted against the increase ex-
ceot Mr.. Cameron, and that they care moth
ing for salaries, consequently the increase of
salaries was really in the interest of the poor
and laboring men of the country. If Ben
Butler should make this kind If talk it would
be denounced as the clap-trap of dema-
go rue.
Mr. Carpenter next considers the question
of what is a fair equivalent for Congressman.
Senator Carpenter says he can make $4,000
year at home in his profession. We fail to
see how this makes the slightest difference
Mr.. Matt. Carpenter chose to. give up his
$4,000 to become Senator Carpenter at
$1,000. No one compelled him to accept the
office. Doubtless he was glad to get it. Fol-
lowing this, Mr.. Carpenter goes into CON-
putation to show how largely his expenses
are increased by going to Congress. The
fact that he spends about $4,000 year, if it
is proof of anything beyond his extravaganza,
proves that his pay should be raised to that
amount, and that if the folly and love of dis
play increases at Washington and else ghere
in the country in the same proportion it has
the past twenty-five years, it will be neces-
sary to raise the salaries of congressman to
$4,000 before the expiration of another
quarter of century. The average intelli-
gence of the nation believes that the average
Congressman can live as respectfully seven or
eight months year in Washington on $4,000
year as the most intelligent and respectable
of those he represents live at home. Sena-
tor Chandler, who ought to know, says he has
lived in Washington with his family for
less sum, When the pay of Congressman
was but $4,000 year, which was during the
war, hey manage to live on that sum when
respectable living was more costly than at
present The great evil of the times is the
desire for snowy, expensive aud luxurious
living. Men feel that they are judged by the
lavishuess of their expenditure. They sacri-
fee everything to 1t. To this foolish desire
for display must be attributed the defalca-
tions, the gambling specuations and the fail
ures in business. To make the salaries of
congressman large enough to meet the de-
mands of the folly of the hour would be per.
nicious 10 the last degree.
Afler attempting to show that $500 is moi
too much pay for congressman, Mr.. Car
penter attempts to justify the back pay fea-
ture by showing that in all casses in thn mast