Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-02-13

Congress, restored TO the treasury Of The
UniteI States hi, back pay lie accom-
panie- tine act with the following letter t,
Treasurer SPINNER, reviewing the whole
question ofs5ngre->ional pay We be~peas
for it the careful perusal Of oar readers
The Judges example may We. be followed
by a number of his associates in the Hou~'
Of REPRESENTATIVES. who have acclaimed
asain,, the increase Of pay. Yet who keep
the .'back pay in their pockets:
WASHINGTON. Jan. Il.
Ger. :. z Spinner. Treasurer OF the Uuited States
SlR:-I herewith hand You a draft for the
amount received hy me Tor increased salary
rs member Of the Forty Second Congress
under the Act of March ,. l-73. to be paid
into the Treasury Of the United State-.
take this occasion to state shortly my
reason, for % doing. The Constitution
provides that Senators and Repre~entatiE Is
Shall receive a compensation Tor their
services TO be aScertained by law.
Conversation includes reasonable support
while performing the service, and reason
able reward for the service performed The
ENIDEil-dllDl 4iLA NANAR-1 f'A'f 49, y 10 "
has always pr0fcS~ed to be uniform,
Though tie large mileage formerly allowed
made ii in fact very unequaD. In consider
inr what i a proper compensation. a
difficulty at once arises from the different
conditions and different habits OF the various
members. and first and mainly, a. to the
support OF living while performing the
service. In Congress there are always
s.F VI o a q hIa "a
live. and do live. in a style altogether
beyond any salary yet fixed, or even pro-
posed On the other hand there l. much
larger number who have no other support
for themselves and families but the COM
pensatiOn they receive a. salary. Bat
many OF this class cannot be content to live
within small means, but are foolish
enough to feel that they must copy the ex-
Uensiye style Of their more wealthy col
leagues OF fail Of eg ual social position.
But aside from this, there i a great d.
versity in the actual and necessary ex-
penses of different members. Some have
large and expensive families 10 support
others have none, or less numerous and ex-
pensive ones. Some have been accustomed
to the luxurious and expensive habits Of
fashionable life others have been reared TO
sire to depart from them.
Compensation for service Is perhaps still
more difficult to make equal. There are
always men in Congress Of large ability
and attainment who could command in
business or in the professions very much
larger incomes than they receive in Con-
gress. On the other hand, Congress always
contains some men whose services in any de-
partment of private life would not be
thought very valuable Many members de-
vote themselves assiduously and lab0riously
TO their duties; some do very little except
TO look after the local and personal matters
from their own immediate district or State.
1t Is apparent. therefore, that in fixing a
compensation for members there would
naturally be very great diversity of opinion
a. to the proper amount. But this amount
must be fixed by Congress itself, for the
power l. vested nowhere else. In deciding
what was proper each man would natural
ly be governed much by his own individ-
ual case. and the aggregate judgment Of
the whole body must be the criterion.
When the proposition for an increase of
the salary OF members was first brought
into the last Congress the House neEatived
it by quite decisive majority, bat Just al
the end of the session, il having been
placed upon an important appropriation
bill, enough members were found who felt.
or affected 10 feel, that a disagreement
to the salary clause, as passed by the
Senate. would involve the los of the apprO-
priatlOn bill and make a special session Of
Congress necessary to pass the bill by a
bare majority. When last before the House
the subject had very little consideration :;
The want of time and the condition Of the
bill prevented any fall debate.
] voted uniformly against the increase
| was actuated somewhat By my own per
sonal condition and ideas. The old salary
was sufficient for me. But have no doubt
that many Of those who voted to increase it
felt that 1t was actually necessary for them
| thought also that If there was a real ne
cesslty for an increase. 1t was an inoppOrtunc
time to make 1t. Certain Investigations
and Developments had created great ex-
element in public mind on the subject of
corruption in public officials. and for the
time there was ielt distru,t of everybody
in official position. But the bill became
the law. That portion of it making the in
erase apply To the Forty-Second Congress
vas at once denounced in very severe terms
by the public press. Little or no objection
was made to the prospective Increase.
could not see the force of the discrimina-
ton Ii s. 500 WAS proper salary for the
Eorty-Ihlrd Congress, | could not see why
it wa not .or the Forty Second. The ser
vice was the same, the expense of hyIn .
certainly a great. Congress had the SAP it
legal night To ra;ee the pay at the end o.
the session a. al the beginning. and the 2 ro-
priety OF the act depended wholly upon the
amount liked. whether 1t Was or was n Il an
unreasonable SUN. such too had bee n the
inyarlabie practice Of Congress and of all
state Legislatures, that IN increase Of sal
airy Away applied u the body mai ing it.
Ii was objected u no the ground To At it was
IN the nature Of a contract be tween the
Representative and his eonstit tents. that
he would serve the term tor the salary as il
stood when he was elected. | regarded this
view a wholly unSOund. If there Is apy
resemblance of contract in il. the contract
l. that the member Will serve for such COIN
pensatQn a. Congress shall deter
mine. Il Congress should make it less he
s-ClG, not complain; if they increased il
se Is entitled to the benefit of the in
crease. The apparent opposition at srst
seemed wholly against the increase of the
salary of the Forty Second Congres--the
back pay, a. II was called | could sae NO
force IN the reasons urged against il that
did not equally apply to the prospective in
crease, and therefore drew the Increase a :
l did my other pay. The public discussion
soon began 10 20 further, ana TO condemn
tie entire act. which ga-s t5o same rround
| had stood upon when the act wqs passed
L determined, therefore. iOr myself 10 await
the action OF Congress, ~ hen the whole sinh
iect could he deliberately examined and
decided. The matter came before Congress
at ths commencement Of this session. and
Bas debated and considered with perhans
unnecessary deli5eration. The result was
a return to the old salary by a very deei-
slye majority Of both Houses with Others
did our utmost 10 undo all the conse-
quenees OF the Increase, and make every
one now IN Congress, who had received
money under II, account for il on his pres-
ent salary. But 50 many gentlemen were
troubled with constitutional >cruples about
F<froafire action that they could not sup
port me-
But was not able "a see why a retro
active increase was any more constitutional
than n retroactive decrease. That view
ho"ever, prevailed, and each man l. left 10
ACT on ms own Judgment. Ii Con gress had de-
elded that $500 was the proper salary for
tins and future Congresses. | should have
leit no scruple about retaining the same
sum i9r the last Congress. But they having
aeiloera.e.g decided that the old salary Of
S5,OOO : the proper sum for this and
iature Ccpgresses, see no propriety in re-
tainlng IL greater sum for the last As
SAID before, the service was the same ,ba
expense OF LIKING the same. and tbink the
gay should be the same. The same reasons
therefore, which induced me 10 recs,To 49, ~,
retaining it. fp'i4,
am truly your obedient servant,
Luxe p. POLAND
RAG 'MoSEY.-The n. Y. Eren;no D.,