Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-10
EVENING STAR.
DOUBLE SHEET.
COMPASSIONATE.
Yesterdays Proceedings

| TAKE erect on the 18th of March, 1874, and the
| accounting officers Of the Treasury shall com
| pute the same accordingly, and shall MAKE
| Tatable monthly reductions from said salaries
on the rate necessary to efectuate this provision
| within nine months next hereafter, was reject
| ed-yeas 20, nays 50; the following Senators
| voting in the Affirmative :-Aiessrs. Bopy Car
Renter, Chandler, Conkling, Cragin, Edmands,
| fenton, Ferry OF Michigan, Ingalls,, Mitchell,
Morton, Morrill, of Maine, Oglesby, Pratt, Ram
sey, Sargent, Schurz, Sherman. Thurman, wad-
| leigh, Window.
MIR. Boremsn moved an amendment that af-
| ter March I, 1871, the salary OF the President
shall be $4,000 per snnum. Lost.
| Mr.. Clayton moved TO recommit the bill and
| pending amendments ~ the Committee on Civil
| Service and Retrenchment, with instructions
| to report bill looking TO a general reduction
of all salaries Of government officers, civil and
| military, as far can be constitutionally and
legally done, and that the salaries be equaliZed
according TO the nature of the services rem
| dered
| Mr.. Kelly favored the motion. believing that
| there should be general reduction OF salaries.
| Mr.. era GIN thought that the Ser ate had TO-
| the last week been trying hard 20 snow how not
| 10 DO 1t. He hoped the Senate would dispose
Oh thls matter to day, TOR II II went over il w0ud
| take all OF next week.
Mr.. Wright opposed the recommittsl of the
bill. one OF the effects OF which would be TO keep
| up the increase pay tOr several mouths.
The motion to recommit was loSt-yeas 70.
| nsys IL.
| The question then being on coucurring in the
| Senate substitute for the House bill, Mr.. Ham
| lin, pending the vote, moved to amend the
House bill by fixing the salary at $500 per
| annum.
Mr. Edmgnds moved to fix it at $500. Car
| ried-yeas 81, nays p.
| Mr.. Edmunds then moved 10 further amend
| the House bill by providing that hereafter the
| mileage allowed by law prior TO March 3, 1873,
| shall be paid.
Mr.. Morrill,, of Vt, moved that one half the
| mileage formerly paid be allowed.
| entire mileage abuse.
| Mr.. EdmUnds thought the mileage principle
| and believed Mars
| ofthe government in establishing the principle
| contemplated IL a. member should bring his
| family with him and be comfortable.
| Mr.. Cameron did not think the mileage al
| lowed was fair. He instanced his own case.
| He had been charged with taking more than he
| was entitled to. He had upon one Occ asiOn
found that gentleman who came from Balti-
1 more, only forty miles from here, charged 80
| mileage, while he, coming one hundred and
| twenty mies,l charged SR. Yet he imputed
| nothing improper to that gentleman who was
| one OF the finest gentlemen to be found any
| where. His charge was, no doubt, right. He
| had always been satisfied with the compensa-
| ton he obtained, whether IS per day, $1,000 or
| $1,000 per year. He always spent every cent OF
| it in the city. So far as he was concerned, he
could do without compensation at all, but he
did not think that would be far to other gentle
| men.
Mr.. Thurman said the sole idea of the mile
| age principle was to pay Sen ators and members
| Tor the time occupied in coming TO and return
| ing from the capital; il had no reference what
| ever to the amount paid for travelling expenses.
L
| should be paid for every day of their service
| here, and for every day occupied getting
here. At the time of its establishment twenty
| miles day was considered fair days travel,
| and the mileage was in lieu of the per diem
| paid after his arrival. There had abuses grown
| up under the mileage system, but that did not
| make the payment OF actual expenses a fair
| compensation. The Sena-or from Maryland
| could come here in three hours, while it took
| the Senator from Oregon (Alr Kelly a whole
! month. 1t would be maQifestly unjust not 10
| allow the Senator from Oregon anything for his
| time.
| Mr. Morrill, (Vt) said Mr.. Thurman was right
| in his facts, but not in the application he made
| of them. At that time per diem compensation
was paid, but now Congressman were paid a
| salary OF so much per year, aud owed their
| whole time to the government.
Mr.. Chandler objected to abOlishing the mile
age compensation. He held that taking time
| and distance into consideration the mica ge . aid
| 10 Senators from Oregon was no more practi-
| cally than that paid to Senators from Delaware.
| He thought the Senator from Ohio Mr.. Thur
| NAM was in error in his idea that the mileage
| was intended in lieu OF per diem. IL was his
| opinion that the mileage was intended 70 al
low of members bringing their families with
| them.
MIR. Gordon inquired what they could do with
| their families after they got them here at a sal
| AIRY of IS 0C0 per annum.
Mr. Chander.-Oh, they can get along very
| well on that.
Mr.. Gordon.-Does the Senator get along on
| that?
MIR. Chandler said he had often lived on less
| than 5000 per year, ana could do it again it
| necessary. Subsequently, however, he stated
| that he had never lived OF this amount in
The amendment of Mr.. Morrill, was then re-
| iected.
| MIR. Cragn moved as an amendment to Mr..
| Edmunds' amendment that no mileage would
be paid for the first session of the i5d Congress.
| Agreed to, and the amendment, as amended,
| was agreed to.
| Mr. Merrimon moved to add after the word
| 4" mileage" and other alimony." Adopted.
Mr. Gordon then offered his amendment, of
| which he gave notice yesterday, providing for a
| general reduction of salaries of principal Of
| fcers, civil and military.
Pending further discussion, the Senate went
into executive session, and then al jOurned until
| Monday.
HOUSE.-After our report closed
Mr.. Cox formally announced the death Of
Hon. james Brooks, and after pronouncing
| eulogy upon his life and character offered the
usual resolutions of respect and coincidence.
Mr.. Wood n. " next addressed the House.
In the course of his speech he said that he could
not deny that Mr.. Brooks went to his grave
with oblOquy heaped upon his head. But that
this OboQuy was deserved he did most earnestly
deny. As for the charges that were made
against Mr. Brooks last winter, he did not
believe that there was a shadow of foundation
for them, and tn at under proper trial he could
never have been convicted.
Mr.. Dawes Mass. bore testimony to the faith
fulness with which Mr.. Brooks always folio wed
out his convictions after they had been once
formed, and paid a beautiful tribute to his
ability and erucitiOn, declaring that history
| acter.
| Mr.. Kelley pa alluded to the fact that dur
ing their association in Congress Mr.. Brooks
| and himself had been so uniformly on opposite
sides of all questions, political and financial,
| that there seemed, he said, born antagonism;
| but in their social intercourse he had learned
| what James Brooks was. He had learned a
| lesson which would have been valuable to him
mad he learned IL in early life-to accept the
convictions of his adversaries as entitled TO re-
| spect as his own. He concluded with high
| eulogy of the deceased.
| The resolutions were then adopted.
| Mr.. Kelley then renewed his proposition for a
session to- morrow Ito day, for debate only, and
1t was agreed to.
Mr.. Waldron (Mich.) then announced the
death Of his late colleague. Wilder ID. Foster,
and, after eulogy Of the deceased, offered the
| customary resolutions.
Mr.. Williams (Mich.), the successor of Mr..
Foster, seconded the resolutions, and delivered
a eulogy of his predecessor; and the House,
after adopting the resolutions, at AIS p. m, ad-
jOurntd.
Il