Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-12-03

81, 900. The reasons LOT the change
were, to my mind, very strong.
This action was fully sustained by
country as wise and judicious.
This action differed from that of
the last Congress in this, that no
member voting for it had been re-
elected to the next Congress, but
all had to 70 at once before their
constituents aud give an account OF
themselves before they could be re-
elected. l represented then over
one.half of the territory OF the
State, the counties of Rock and
Dane, and an west being within my
district. l was reelected that fall
by about 10000 majority, or more
than double what l received two
years before. This shows what my
constituents thought Of my action
then, when all the facts and reasons
were fresh before them. In this
last case, the increase of salary was
not proposed until gentlemen had
been reelected for two years, and
all such as voted for the bill, voted
not only two years back pay, but
two years of forward pay, at 81 500.
But why did you vote for the act
of 1856 /! perhaps you ask again. l
will tell you why. wish to say,
however, in advance, that / do not
pretend to be infallible, or that /
have not made some mistakes.
1t is now nineteen years since /
was first elected 10 Congress, and if,
in raking up my record during all
that time, something could not be
found that should be glad to COR
rect, it would be strange. My ex-
cellent friend, Colonel Calkins, who
has horror Of back pay, especially
after obtaining $4,000, to which he
was not entitled-and failing to get
about 100000 more, through the in
terposition of a little veto of mine,
appears to have been looking up
my record with good deal of dill
gence, and thus far the only points
he makes are that | defended the
Credit Mobilier, and voted myself
increased pay in 1856. How much
there is in the Credit Mobilier trans
action, you have already seen.
In the month of August, 1855, a
bill reported by the Hon. }. l. Orr,
leading Democratic member from
South Carolina, who in the next
Congress was elected Speaker of the
House by the Democratic party, to
change the mode of compensation
from per diem of SO day to
salary of $4,000. He made an able
speech in advocacy OF the change,
in which he showed that it was a
measure both of economy and re-
form. BY reason of the inadequacy
of the compensation, great abuses
have grown up, by which mem-
bers sought to increase their salar-
les, one of which was to vote every
new member Congressional Ii
brary, costing $1,000, but which
members generally commuted with
the Clerk for at about $1,000.
Under this book abuse, the office of
Clerk OF the House was regarded rs
worth $4,000. This was totally
reformed under the act for which |
voted. Another abuse that was re-
formed was the allowance Of con-
structive mileage, at every extra
session whether IA member travelled
or not. This was abolished by the
act in question. In September of
the year in which the bill passed,
an extra session was held, and
under the old usage, every member
would have drawn mileage yet no
one did receive it, by reason of this
law, SO that as far as the account
stood with me, | was no gamer by
the change. But there was another
reason urged with greet force by
the advocates of the bill, and that
was the adoption of the salary prin-
ciple would greatly shorten up the
sessions and thus save expense to
the government. Every day that a
session of Congress is heightened
beyond the time for necessary pub
lie business, adds in some form
many times the amount of the pay
of members. The prediction then
made as to shortening the sessions
has been fully verified. Before this
law passed, the long session of Con-
trresS in lSIS Terminated Anp q :.