Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-01-16

The New Salary Law.

ID act repeating the increase Of salaries Of members
of Coagress:
Re IL enacted, etc, that much OF the A s, u
March 3, 1873, provides for the lneIease ~
ShetSer Members & Congress or others except the
President OF the United States anu hsrshy
of the Supreme Court, be- and the same .,;an and
repeaied and the salaries and compensation an,
allowances OF all said persons except as a,iar
shall be as fixed by the laws in force al me .ine 20
the pa ssa ge Of the said act provided that ~
shsi1 moi he allowed for the first session o' the
Forty-Third Congress. =, ,..o,.s
Section p Be 1t further enacted, thai al. Mone,
annropriated as compensation to the members "
TIC Forty Second Congress in excess OF the :hiea
and allowances fixed by law at the eonnenaeMeni
Of said Congress- and wnae1 snn relpectyay
or which having been drawn have been retu rheu "
the Treasury of the United States, are hereby e9'
ed into the Treasury of the United Sta,es anu az
declared 10 he the moneys of the United states aD-
| solutely, the same as If they had never been ap-
| propriated as Aforesaid.
This bill. which went to the President ior
his signature on Wednesday, and Is now
doubtless a law, passed both branches OF
Congress by very strong votes. The vote
in the Senate was 80 ayes to nays-the
only New England Senator voting no being
Sprague In the House, the final vote STOOD
log ayes to 25 noes. The bill repeats the
far as it relates to the President and the
Judges of the Supreme Court, whose saia-
ries. once fixed, cannot be constitutionaiiy
diminished during their term OF oihee- Inc
salaries of members are reduced by 1t to
& 600 ana the salaries OF cabinet anu
other bureau officers to the amounts hAeu
before the passage of the act OF March
last. The mileage and other allowances Oh
Congressman, not, however, including the
Thanking privilege. are restored. Inc uc'
is to take effect from its passage, the saia-
rios maid for the months already expired oil
the current wear being not reduced by any
reouirement Of repayment. Partial ad-
iustment of this is made by the provision
that no mileage shall be paid for The pre-
sent session. Those who have not drawn
their back pay cannot now draw IL, As 'nt
hill covers it into the treasury. The bll
ought also to ensure the return 10 'n'
, Treasury of a good deal of the back pay
that has been drawn Judge Poland, II
will be remembered, said during the debate
on the bill last month, that if the raising
of the salaries was pronounced wrong, ant
the nav nut back to the old figures HI
did not think he should - have the hardi
hood to keep that $1,000 in his pocket
and he added that he did not think ther'
was a man there who wonld do IT. We lea
this last opinion was little strohse
than the result will justify but donp'ies
many honorable men will feel As 1"ds'
Poland does about it, and act a. he IA
. said he should.
The. result of this business shows mos
strikingly the power Of public opinion
The congressman who voted the nereaS
y made great mistake. But they have nov
i very fairly rectifed it. And we are gla
to have the subject dropped and forgotten
while Congress devotes itself to the I'm
: portant business before it.