The Richmond palladium., 1874-01-24

have found it out before he got up and
made his statement here. -
Mr.. Hale, of New York. Does the
gentlemen %L W1.i dispute it Iys!at my statement?
not any truth in it.
Mr.. Hale, of New York. Mr.. Speak
Mr.. Wilson, of Indiana. The gen.
tleman has had his say, and decline
to yield to him.
Mr.. Holman. I object to my col
league being interrupted.
Mr.. Wilson, of Indiana. Now,
what have the members Of the Forty
second Congress been doing? Why,
taking the pay pursuant to the Con-
stitution that was fixed by law, and a
law they had a right to makc-the
same kind of law that had been made
in times past by the very best and
| purest men in the Government. 1t is
because of this that he is making this
virulent attack upon the members of
the Forty-second Congress wanted
to bring to the attention Of the House
the fact that the gentleman who is
seeking to stignatize the members of
the Forty second Congress in this
matter had been doing the very ident-,
ical thing himself, in an aggravating
degree, because [ say here, and the
gentleman can get up and deny it if he
sees fit to do SO, that during the last
two years he had been getting salary
of 1O,OO0 per year as a Government
attorney, and during the time he has
been a member of this House, since
the 4th of March last until he took the
oath of Office, he has been drawing
salary from the Government at the rate
Of 10000 a year and expenses, in ad-
dltion to his salary as member Of
Congress at the rate of 81 500 per year,
and yet he complains of members of
Congress because they get 81 800.
While he was taking fees from the
Government of the United States at
the rate of $4,000 a year up to the
time that he took his seat, at the same
time he was drawing the same COM
pensation that you and | have been
drawing under the law? And how
| does he defend that now? By saying
that Congress had passed law au-
thorizing him to receive those fees.
What was that law? He says that the
salary law was not passed by square,
manly and honest legislation. Now
let us see what kind of law it was
which authorized him to draw COM
pensation at the rate of $4,000 year
in addition to what the rest of you
have got. Here is the law. will read
it myself
"An Act to authorize the continued
employment of an agent and coun-
sol of tho TIuifad States
| ''Beit enacted &C., That it shall be
| lawful for the President of the United
States, in his discretion, to continue
the appointment and employment of
the present agent and counsel of the
United States, under articles II to IL
inclusive of the treaty between the
j United States and Great Britain, con-
cluded May 8, 1871; and for said agent
and counsel to act under such continu-
ed appointment and employment, not
withstanding the election of said agent
and counsel as Representative in the
Forty third Congress: Provided,
That such appointment and employ
ment shall not continue after said
agent and counsel shall have taken
the oath of Office as said Representa-
: tive.
That law was especially framed to
: enable the gentleman from New York
to draw this enormous salary; at the
same time he was drawing his salary
as Representative until the day he
z took the oath of Office.
Now, it happened that we had upon
: the statute books a law prohibiting
+, this gentleman from drawing this sal
ary. The law was expressly against it.
!. He had to take an oath of office in
!, serving under the Department of Just
1 ice.
Mr.. Hale, of New York. That is a
g mistake. 5rg na$
Mr.. Wilson, of Indiana. He was not
! authorized by law to draw this money;
!. therefore he must have special act
of Congress passed for his benefit.
e Now let us see whether this legisla-
t ton under which the gentleman has
been drawing that salary has been en-
9 tirely honest" and square" l hold
! in my hand the Globe, showing how
this thing got through; and it simply
: shows that this came here from the
Senate, went upon the Speakers table
$ and from there it was taken on the
o very last day of the session, on the Sd
u day Of March-the same day on which
o [ cast the vote for the conference re.
0 port the gentleman has been talking
y about. The very same day on which
this appropriation bill was passed, thi.
r bill for the benefit of the gentleman
8 was, in the night time, taken from the
e Speakers table and passed without
q emo word of debate or explanation
a Was that 'manly?" Was that ''hon.
n est?" IF the other measure was un
g manly and dishonest, I think thi.
y stands in the same category Hence
y when this gentleman was throwing
2 these things in the faces of members
L ! Of the Forty y-second Congress, and
! seeking to cast stigmas up on them
o [ thought it high time that he shoult
IL cover into the Treasury this none,
u that he had thus taken out of it.
u thank the House very much fo
le having INDUCED me thus long. Th'
e. salary bill having passed away from
" this House, had supposed that wa
4: the end of the whole matter. /, ,shoult
~ never have referred to these stigma
that the gentleman has sought to cas-
"a upon me and my associates in the For
le ty-second Congress but for the man
e. ner in which he has brought this mat
AZ ter up to-day.
~
y Governor Booths Thanks.
le On the evening succeeding his elec
tion to the United States Senate, Gov
ernor Booth, of California, was visite,
n by his friends at his residence in Sac
1 4 u \