Wilmington journal., 1876-07-28
HOW TO SAVE MONEY

anu 10 aACCOOo ny Ouiy I~O "a ohO
amendments, as the others that concern
it serve only to strike out dead matter
about elections already past and gone
that is to say those that occurred in
1870.
The first change requires the Legis-
lature to meet on the first Wednesday
after the first Monday in January, next
after the election. instead of the third
Monday in November as heretofore.
The reasons for this are obvions to
any one familiar with the course oi
Legislative bodies whose sessions cover
the Christmas holidays and New Year
following. Both business and pleasure
make almost every man desire to be al
home from Christmas to New Year.
So generally is this true that with the
increased facilities for travel, offered
by the many railroads in operation,
the public service has suffered. III
the amendments be ratified the MEM
bers of the Legislature will be able to
remain at home during the busy time
before and after New Year and then
| with minds free from care about pri-
vate matters can go to Raleigh and at
tend to public affairs. The amend
ment plainly tends to the prompt and
intelligent and economical dispatch OF
public business.
The other change in the second arti-
ticle relates to the per diem and mile
age of members of the Legislature.
It fixes the pay of members at four
dollars dsy and ten cents per milo OF
travel by the nearest route, but mem
bers cannot draw pay for longer than
sixty days for a regular session and
twenty days for special session. The
ordinance proposing the amendment
was adopted by a vote of 83 yeas to "a
nays. No Democrat voted against it,
while 27 Itad1cals opposed it-precise-
ly as many as favored it.
It will be we'll to consider for a mo-
ment how much money this single
amendment will save the State.
The Legislature of 1868, '69 cost in
per diem Sl76, 100.
Special session of 1868-'69 cost in
per diem S65, ZOO.
The Legislature of 1869'7C cost in
per diem $159, ,46O.
The Legislature of 187O-'7l cost in
per diem $97. $50.
The Legislature of 1871-'72 cost III
per diem S63, $50.
The Legislature of 1872-'73 cost in
per diem $3.50
The Legislature of 187374 cost in
per diem $61, 200.
The Legislature of 1S74-'75 cost in
per diem $85, 1000.
If the amendments be ratified nc
regular session of the Legislature can
hereafter cost more than 81 900, and
no special session can cost more than
$14, 900, for ar diem for it's members.
This is certainly a good start. The
saving in this one amendment alone in
onessingle year, compared with the
average cost of Legislatures since the
adoption of the Constitution, will very
nearly, if not quite, pay the cost of the
convention twice over. The average
cost of regular sessions of the Legisla-
sure since the imposition of the Candy
Constitution has been over $1O1 600 for
per diem alone for each session; but if
the amendments be ratified that cost
cannot possibly be more than $41, 900.
In other words, the money saved by this
change, that is to say over $50, 900,
in the first session alone, will pay
for the entire second session and half
ts e third session after the ratification
of the amendments. Is this money
worth saving to our impoverished peo
pie? We think so and we believe they
think so too. The only special session
of the Legislature that has been held
since 1868 lasted IS days and cost $65,
600 in per diem to its members. If the
amendments be ratified no special sea-
sion can ever cost mora than $l4 900
in per diem.
Is all this money worth saving, we
again ask, to our people, who. let them
work as hard as they may, still find it
almost, and many of them altogether
impossible, to make enough to feed
and clothe their wives and little ones
any to pay taxes?
By all means then let the amend>
ments be ratified.