The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-10-07
CLEMENTS sALARY-GRAB.


CLEMENTS SALARY-GRAB.
Romombcr that Isaac Clements voted
against tho salary grab by voting for the
repeal of the salary grab law Massac
journal.
The friends of Mr.. Clements are on
deavoring to convince tho people that ho
willingly voted to repeal tho salary.grab
law, and that be never made any attempt
to grab. The record docs not justify the
friends of Mr.. Clements in assuming this
virtue in his behalf.
The Forty-Frst Congress increased the
pay of members to 81 500 per aunum. A
storm of Indignation followed this act.
The people denounced 1t rs an outrage,
and demanded its repeal. They asserted,
with great unanimity, tina. tho member
who received the money thus voted to
himself, was unworthy of confidence and
ought to be retired to the shades of private
life.
Mr.. Clements who WAS elected ia No
vember, 1872, drew the increased pay with
great regularity until he took his seat 10
tho house in December, 1873. He did not
periodically, as some of tho members did,
refuse to receive the increase. This fact
Is urged as an objection 20 him by the
very virtuous members OF the Opposition,
but we have no charge TO make against
him on this account. He had legal right
to tho money-as much so as the men who
took tho "back-pay,' and there was not
moral obligation on his part to refuse the
money. lie had not been u party to the
increase.
But this canno. be contradictod that
however innocent Dir. Clements may have
been in accepting the increased pay, be
was guilty of u breach of faith with the
people when no attempted to defeat their
| demand that the Increased pay act"
should be repealed. This he did do, as the
record clearly shows.
December s, 1873, Mr.. L. Halo, from the
Special. COMMITTEE on Salaries, reported TO
the house bill to repeal the sasry.graO
law. 1t revived all acts or parts OF acts
providing for or relating to tho pay and
allowances of members of congress, aud in
a proviso abolished milayo and proposed
TO give to members actual individual ex-
penses. After debate this bill, with pro-
posed amendments, was rc-committed
with instructions. December lG, the com.
mittee reported, under the instructions re-
ceiyod, and fixed the salary Of members At
$780, this salary to DO ia lieu Of all al
lowsnces, except actual travelling ex-
penses. Many amendments wore offered
and, upon these, Mr.. Clements generally
voted correc.ly--ss his constituents de-
sired. But, st last, Mr.. Hurlbut, at the in
stigation of Mr.. b. +. Butler, offered
substitute, providing that the compensa-
ton of mem bers should be Sc, 900 per an
mum, and ia addition thereto the individ.
ual expenses of members in gong to and
from congress, Up to this time Mr.. Glenn
ents had voted, generally, with the anti
grab men and against tho grabbers, led
ny 4his pANANAs DAs oisSA AOuN
substitute was oGered-known MS the mod
flied grab-Mr. Clements voted with tho
grabbers. Dog Tray got into bad COM
pany. The Hurlbut substitute passed tho
house, Mr. Clements voting for it, and
went to the senate,
January o, 1874, the house bill was IT,
ken up in the senate. It was debated and
amendments proposed. January II the
question was taken up again in the senate
Finally Senator ConKling moved an
amendment repeating the sslAry-grab law
absolutely Except SO much of 1t as refer
red to tho president and justices Of tho
Supreme Court, and fixing tho salary of
members At the old amount. This passed
the senate, and the bill WAS sent back to
the house. The house concurred in the
Conkling amendment, Mr.. Clements vot-
ing for IT,
This record shows, that vt frat, Mr..
Clements voted with the opponents of tho
grab that, under the lead of Mr. Hurlbut
he went over into the camp of the grab
bers, and voted to Il his own compensa-
ton at ~, 600 per annum, and individual
expenses going to and from congress, such
expenses to DO stated by himself. This
would have made his salary about $1,000.
In explanation of this vote Mr.. Glenn
| ents says If he had not voted in this way
the grab law could not have been either re-
pealed or modified that he voted "for tho
best thing for tho people he could get" If
all had voted as ho did tho Conkling
amendment, which is u better thing for
the people than the Hurlbut modification
OF the grab, would never have been
adopted, Mr. Clements attempted to grab
and his friends cannot wipe out tho re.
cord.