Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-02-11
Judge Poland on Congressional
Pay.

states in his letter 10 Treasurer Splnne
is strictly true, as shown by his record
Congress. His letter deserves caref'
perusal by the public, aud his exampI
NAV we'll be followed By number OF b
associates 10 the House Of Representative
who have declaimcd against the increas
of pay, yet who keep the grab" in thel
pockets: -, ,o-,
Gen. F. Z. Spinner, Treasurer Of the Unite
States-SIR:
I herewith hand you draft for the amour
received by me for increased salary as membe
of the Forty-second Congress, under the Act
March 3, 1873, to be paid into the Treasury
the United States. take this occasion to stat
shortly my reasons for 80 doing. The Constitu
tion proyides that Senators and Representa-
tiyes shall receive compensation for their service
to be ascertained by law"
Conversation includes reasonable supper
while performing the service, and reasonable re
ward for the service performed. The compensa
ton heretofore provided by law has always pro
fessed to be uniform. (though the large mileag
formerly allowed made it in fact very unequal.
In considering what is proper compensation
difficulty at once arises from the dteren
conditions and different habits of the various
members, and first and mainly, as to the sup
port or living while performing the service. In
Congress there are always some men OF large
wealth who are able to live, and do live, in u
STYLE altogether beyond any salary yet fixed, OF
even proposed On the other hand there is a
much larger number who have no other sup
mort for themselves and families but the compen-
sation they receive as ,lary. But many of this
class cannot be content to live within small
means, but are foolish enough to feel they must
COPY the expensive style of their more wealthy
colleagues, or fail of equal social position.
But aside from this, there is great diversity
in the actual and necessary expenses of different
members. Some have large and expensive tam
lilies to support; others have none, or less num-
erous and expensive obes. Some have been ac-
customed to the luxurious and expensive habits
of fashionable life; others have been reared to
habits of frugal economy, and have no desire 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
Congress. 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 devote them
selves assiduously and labOriously to their du-
ties; some do very little except to look after the
local and personal matters from their own i'm
mediate district or State.
1t is apparent, therefore, that in fixing a
compensation for members there would natural
ly be very great diversity of opinion as to the
proper amount But this amount must be fixed
by Congress itself, for the power is vested no.
where else In deciding what WAS proper each
man would naturally be governed much by his
own individual case, and the aggregate judg-
ment of the whole body must be the criterion.
When the proposition for an increase of the
salary of members was first brought into the
the last Congress the House negatived it by
quite decisive majority, but just at the end of
of the session, it having been placed upon an
important appropriation bill, enough members
were found who felt, or affected to feel, that a
disagreement to the salary clause, MS passed by
the Senate, would involve the loss of the appro-
priation bill and make special session of Con-
gress necessary to pass the bill by bare ma
iority. When last before the House the subject
had very little considerations the want of time
and the condition of the bill prevented any full
debate.
voted uniformly ag inst the increase. | was
actuated somewhat by my own personal condi-
ton and ideas. The old salary was sufficient
forme. But have no doubt that many of those
who voted to increase it, felt that it was actual
ly necessary for them. | thought also that If
Al. f,,o
an inopportune time to make it. Certain in
vestigations and Developments had created great
excitement in the public mind on the subject of
corruption in public officials, and for the time
there was felt distrust of everybody in official
position. But the hi became law. That
portion of it making the increa Sc apply to the
Forty-Second Congress was at once denounced
in very severe terms by the public press. Lit
tie or no objection was made to the prospective
increase. | could not zee the force of the dis
elimination. If 1880 was proper salary for
the Forty-Third Congress, could not see why
it was not for the Forty-Second. The service
was the same, the expense of living certainly as
great. Congress had the same legal right to
raise the pay at the end of the session us at the
beginning, and the propriety of the act depend
ed wholly upon the amount fixed, whether it
was or was not an unreasonable sum. Such
too had been the invariable practice of Congress
and of all State Legislatures that an increase
of salary always applied to the body making it.
1t was objected to on the ground that it was in
the nature ST a contract between the Represent
ative and his constituents, that he would serve
the term for the salary as it stood when he was
elected. regarded this view as wholly I'M
sound. If there is any semblance of contract
in it, the contract is that the member will serve
for such compensation as Congress shall determ-
ine If Congress should make it less he could
not complain; if they increased it, he is entitled
to the benefit of the increase The apparent OPP
position at first seemed wholly against the in
crease of the salary of the Forty-Second Con-
gress-the back pay, as 1t was called. could
see no force in the reasons urged against it that
did not equally apply to the prospective increase,
and therefore drew the increase as did my
other pay. determined, therefore, for myself
to await the action of Congress. when the whole
subject could be deliberately examined and de-
cidcd. The matter came before Congress at the
commencement of this session, and was debated
and considered with perhaps unnecessary de-
liberation. The result was return to the old
salary by very decisive majority Of both
Houses I,with others, did our utmost to undo
ali the consequences Of the increase, and make
everyone now in Congress, who had received
money under it, account for it on his present
salary. But so many gentlemen were troubled
with constitutional scruplcs about retroactive
action that they could not support me.
But I was not able to sec why retroactive
increase was any more constitutional than a re-
troactive decrease. That view. however, pre-
vailed, and each man is left to net his own judg-
ment II Congress had decided that $500 was
the proper salary for this and future Congress-
cs, should have felt no scruple about retaining
the same sum for the last Congress. But they
having deliberately decided that the old salary
Of $4,000 is the proper sum for this and future
Congresses, see no propriety in retaining a
greater sum for the last. AS said before, the
service was the same; the expense Of living the
same, and think the pay should be the same
The same reasons, therefore, which induced me