Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1874-02-09
JUDGE PoLAND.S LETTER.


. seo501 Congress. under the act IF Narcl
81. 1873. TO be paid into the TreaSur,
ef the United States take this ooea,
sion 70 state shortly ny reasons for :,
doing, The Consultation provides thai
Senators and Representatives shall re
oeive : compensation for their service:
10 BE aseertainei By law.
C.s.spsasatioss includes reasonable sup
port while performing the service. and
reasonable reward for the service pesfor-
NED The compensation heresofore pre-
videl By law has always prOtessed 70 be
uniform. though the large mileage for
aerly allowei made it in fact very uue-
quail IN considering what Is : proper
compensation. difficulty 81 once arises
from the different conditions and differ
ent habits II the variouS members. and
first and mainly. as To tie support q
living while performing the service In
Congress there are always some men Of
iarge wealth Who are able 70 live. and
do live, IN : style altogether beyond any
salary YET fixed. q even proposed On
the ether hand there j : much larger
rumber Eho have no ether support for
themselves and families bus the eomUen-
s4tion they receive a. salary. But many
q this class cannot te eantent II live
within snail means, but are foolish
enough "a feel that they must copy the
expensive style II their more wealthy
colleagues O. fail II equal soeial posi-
ton
But aside from this, there Is : great
diversity in The actaal and Necessary ex-
Venses q different members Some have
large and expensive families ID support;
others have none. ~ less Numerous AMI
expensive oBsS Sone have been aecus-
toned u the Injurious and expensive
habits Il fashionable life others have
teen rezre3 u habits Of frugal economy.
and have N desire 70 depart from them.
ComEeasation tor service Is perhaps
still nore diEea!s n make equal There
are always men In Congress Of large
ability and attainment Who could can
na1d II business O. in the Professions
EeEy much larger incomes than thew re-
eeive IN Congress. On the other hand.
Congress always contains sone men
Fhosa services II any department Of pri-
vate life would ut te thought verr val
liable Many members devote themselves
assidaously and l2bori9usly u their du-
u@ s0ne do very little except 10 look
after the looal and personal matters fron
their oEn immediate district OF State.
II Il apparent therefore, that in fl
ing : compensation for members there
would naturally be very great diversity
q opinion Is to tie proper amount But
this amount must BE fixed by Congress
Itself, for the power Is vested nowhere
else In deciding What vas proper each
nan Eould naturally Be governed much
b. his oEn individual case. and the az
gregate judgment II the whole boiv must
be tie criterion.
When tie proposition for an increase
q the salary Of members vas first brg-t
into the last Congress the House mega
Tlved II by quite decisive majority
b1t just Al the end q the session il bar-
ING been placed upon an important ap-
preparation bill. enough members Eere
found Who felt Or affected u feel. that
a disagreement 70 the salary clause q
passed By the Senate, would involve the
loss u the appropriation bill and make
Z speeial session u Congress necessary
70 pass the bill by a. bare majority.
:" hen last before the House the subject
had very little consideration the want
q tine and the condition Of the bill pre-
vented any full debate.
l VOTED uniformly against the increase.
l vas aetuzted some By ny own person.
al condition and ideas The old salary
vas sufficient fsr me- Butt have 10
doubt that many u those who voted 70
increase IL felt that 1t vas actually De,-
essary for them l thought also that if
there Eas = real necessity for an increase
II vas an iD0pportune tine u make i
Certain investigations and DEVELOPMENTS
had created great excitement in the
public mind on the subject Of corruption
IN public officials, and for the tine there
vas felt a distrust Of everybody in of
cal Position But the bill became The
law That portion Of it making the in
crease apply 10 the Forty-seooDd Con
gress was AZ once denounced in very -
Fere terms By the public press. Little
Or 10 objection vas made TO the prospee-
tlTe increase could not sec the farca
Of the discrimination. If $1,000 was
proper salary for the Forty-third Con
gress- | could MT see Why 1t was not for
the Forty-seeoBd- The service vas TIA
same the expense Of living certainly =
gFf'aL Congress had the same legal right
70 raise the pay at the end Of a session
As al the beginning, and the proprietv
Of the act depended wholly On tie
amount liked, whether It vas or was M.
an unreasonable sum Such. too had
been tie iHFariable practice Of Congress-
and q I'll State Legislatures. thar IN
Increase Of Esfs~x- sF-~s--- -.