Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-02-11

that the repeal Of the measure by this Con-
gross decides that tho original pay was enough,
he cheeriully surrondcrs the few thousand dol
lars that the last Congress made his own. The
course of the Judge is wise, and must com
mend itself to his constituents as it docs 10 the
country.
From the Burlington Free Press.
Judge Poland, with commcndable good sense,
has, in obedience 10 that decision which was
the sober second thought Of Congress, restored
TO the Treasury OF the United States his " back
pay lie accompanies the act with the fol-
lowing letter to Treasurer Spinner, reviewing
the whole question Of Congressional pay. We
bespoak for it the careful pcrusal Of our read
ers The Judges example may well be fol-
lowed by number Of his associates in the
House Of Representatives, who have acclaimed
against the increase Of pay, yet who keep the
back pay in their pockets.
From the Windsor Journal.
A dispatch from Washington announces that
Hon H. +. Poland, Of Vermont, has returned
the entire amount Of his back pay, under the
notorious salary bill of 1873, to the United
States Treasury, where il belongs. This is an
honorable deed which is worthy OF note in CON
nection with the recent repeal act The act
left the question Of restoration Of what had
been taken entirely to the discretion Of the
members They could keep it or return it. as
they pleased. Judge Poland has been pleased
70 do the right thing in regard to his share Of
the back pay. Doubtless an earlier return
would have pleased some Of his friends, but in
this case IL is certainly better now than never,
aud il is but Just to award 10 him the right of
his own convictions Of duty and the honor Of
honest intent in his course The present YER
mont delegation now stands thus in this mat
ter Mr. Morrill, has deposited his back pay in
J the Vermont State Treasury, Mr. Edmunds has
never drawn bis portion, Nlcssrs Willard and
! Poland have returned theirs, and Mr. llcndec
| Is a new member, -
From the Rutland Globe
The story was told Of Judge Poland-Reprc-
sentative 10 Congress from The second district
/ Of Nern0ut-last summer, that be was ac-
c0stcd by n friend and constituent with the
query ms to how be had disposed Of his in
creased salary. Instead Of replying verbally,
/ he Is nid 70 have familiarity and loosely
" slapped his pocket, IN which men are sup
! posed to carry their money, thereby intimating
| that be had it safely, The incident undoubt-
cdly took place, IL being entirely Characteristic
Of the Judge but the story was seized hold Of
By certain parties and published broadcast to his
discrcdit Those Of US who bad, for years,
known Luke p Poland in the various positions
Of private citizen and attorney, Judge and
chief justice Of the supreme court, as, also, as
a Senator and Representative In Congress,
] knew iu4l VIGIL tlAt tue lAlr iAtNe oil Vermont
would not suffer at his hands. If We turn to
the records Of the passage of the act in ques-
ton, we find him voting steadily against it,
and he was not, even, one of those who, 10 use
his own language, after it bad been tackled
to an important appropriation bill, " felt
or affected to feel, that a disagreement 10 the
salary clause as passed by the Senate would
involve the loss Of the appropriation bill and
make a special session Of Congress necessary
to pass the bill by bare majority" Such
was the record upon the passage Of the act.
| How be has disposed Of the money, which he
received and placed in bis pocket, sufficiently
appears from his letter published in full in
/ yesterdays Globe. The extra compensation
so received is in the treasury Of the United
States. The present delegation from Vermont,
/ both in the Senate and House Of Representa-
! tiyes, have not received cents benefit from
the increased pay. Every individual Of the
delegation voted steadily against it. Not one
Of their votes was given in its favor. More
over, on the question Of repeal, they presented
an united irOnt-eyery vote being therefor.
/ This is a proud record for Vermont and we
may well rejoice in it, As Vermont stands al
most alone in being represented by her own
sons In Congress, so in this Increase Of salary
matter, hardly another state can DO found
whose record is 80 clean and pure from the
very inception Of the measure until the hour
when it was swept from the statute book. So
far as Vermont is concerned, this question
cannot, hereafter, enter into her politics-be-
cause her public men are not implicated there
Inland We, therefore in taking final leave
Of this prolific subject of newspaper discus
sion, propose to say word or two in reference
to Judge Poland letter.
In our judgment, the argument Of judge
Poland is complete, perfect, logical and unan-
swerablc The law has been denounced and
justly 50. We have, at times, spoken of it as
| a grab, because that was a term in common
use to designate the law, and it could be thus
referred 10 without circumlocution - in the
same manner that we call almost every combin-
alton n " ring but we have, all the time,
| insisted that there was not the first element of
a grab" or " steal " about it,. Congress,
under the constitution, has the power Of fixing
the pay Of its own members. Ii can be fixed
by no one else. The lawyer, the physician, the
| clergyman, the artisan, the mechanic, and all
other classes of laborers or professional men.
Fix the compensation for which they will do GER
tain work. The people can employ them at
these prices or not, as they please. In meas
ure, it is so with our Senators and Representa-
tivos in Congress They, and they only, can
fix their compensation. lndirectly-and, per-
haps, directly-it remains with the people to
say whether or not they will pay the salaries
50 liked. This they accomplish in two ways.
Either as in this instance, by bringing such
a force OF public opinion to bear upon the mem
bers already elected, as to compel a repeal at
once or, as was the case once before, making
It an issue in the election and, thereby, secur-
ing Congress pledged 10 undo the work of
their predecessors. That cannot be a Qrab''
or steal which an individual has the legal
and constitutional right to take. For all that.
the act IN question was wrong in principle,
wrong in theory, wrong in practice, and an out.
rage upon the people. We were, then as now,
suffering and groaning under q burden of
debt, our taxes were large and oppressive,
and the majority of the Congress, which
passed the act, had just been elected under
the pledge of economy. Without sueb n
pledge, they could not have been elected. I'm
der such state Of facts, legal, constitu-
tional enactment became wrong, and perhaps.
even iniQuitous. The future increase stood
upon the same grounds as the retroactive mart.
The cost OF living being the same, as il con-
iessedly is, the services of a member of tho
last Congress. as Mr.. Poland says, were worth
as as, much as that OF member of the present.
W neither he should keep the money. legally
and constitutionally voted him, was a question
ior him alone to decide, although the public
had an interest in the decision The nresent
congress, he himself asserting, having decided
lhat the members thereof ought not to be paid
the additional twenty-five hundred dollars. he
Wisely concludes that he is not entitled 10 il
,qr ,he last congress, and, therefore, returns IT,
under the circumstances that the original law
was passed, taking into consideration the iaot
that the great majority of Senators and Repre-
sentauves received the increase and appro-
prlated 1t to their own use, and rememberinp
that TINS money comes from the people of the
whole country alike, while commencing the
course OF Messrs. Edmunds, Willard and
Poland, we still think that Justin s. Morrill,
ana George +. Hoar were equally wise and
considerate in their action. In ali these cases
the money found its way back to the people
from whom 1t was taken; but In the cases of
ule TWO last named, 1t was returned in almost
the exact proportion in which il was taken
Without again considering this view of the
matter, We congratulate our readers upon the
position In which Vermont Is placed by the act
and letter of Judge Poland