The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-06-07
DEBATING ABOUT THEIR PAY.

Ine following report VI tue pIoCeeu
ings of the Senate, relative to the pay of
members of the Legislature will interest
our readers, and set forth the views of
those gentlemen who think they ought to
be paid three hundred dollars more than
the members of the House of Represen-
tatives, because they knew their duty and
did it not last winter:
The next matter taken up was the all
important bill to make appropriations for
the payment of the salary and mileage
of the members of the General Assem-
bly,, &c. AS has been frequently intima-
ted, heated debate was the result. At
ter several minor amendments had been
agreed to, the amendment seeking to fix
the pay of the members at six hundred
dollars for the last and two hundred dol
lars for this session was taken up, and
here the battle was pitched.
Mr.. Witherspoon (Dem.) moved to
make the pay $500 for last session and
5000 for this session. Taft (Rep.) moved
to indefinitely postpone this amendment.
Crittenden (Dem.) seconded Taft's mo-
ton, and supported his action by saying
that the pay for the last General Assem-
bly, was fixed by statute at $500, and the
pay for this session was regulated by the
constitution to be at the same rate per
diem as the last regular session. They
could not reduce the pay of the members
of the General Assembly, for these two
sessions, any more than they could reduce
the pay of the judges. The law guaran-
teed them 81 200, and the members had,
as fair compromise, agreed to take So00
for both sessions. He would, he said,
vote for the $500, and would vote, under
protest, that the law should compel them
to take that amount.
Mr.. Witherspoon was unalterably op-
posed to placing the amount at eight
hundred dollars, and, while he would not
be understood as imputing unworthy
motives to any who differed with him,
vet he felt that he would be doing an in
Justice to the people to ask any more
than five hundred dollars. 1t had been
said that the laws and the constitution
had fixed the amounts, &c. The consti-
tuition said that the members could not
increase their salaries, but he could lind
no provision which forbade them from
reducing their salaries if they were so
disposed. The appropriation bill was the
charter by which they received their
money, and, if they didn't appropriate
more than five hundred dollars, all the
laws in the land could not compel them
to take any more. Every man was en-
titled to his own convictions, however.
He did not mean to impugn the motives
of any one.
Mr.. Gary said that he heartily con-
Cured with the Senator from Greenville
(Crittenden) in holding that they were
entitled, under the law, to twelve hum
dred dollars. They proposed, however,
to be moderate and cut down their pay
thirty-three per cent, and reduce their
salaries one-half' in all future Legisla-
lures. They had reduced their own sal
aries lower than all the other State off,
GERS. If their constituents were not sat-
isGed, we'll let them be dissatisfied. He
was thankful that he did not represent
any picayune constituency, and he
thought it came with poor grace from
those who sought to fasten upon the tax
payers of South Carolina S27O, 900 tax
to pay the bloated bondholders of Wall
street. You who want reform must not
do it in such picayune style; We want
reform that means reform, and not the
mere sham of reduction for the purpose
of manufacturing little cheap notoriety.
The other side had talked loudly of sus-
tanning the credit of the State and the
stain Of reputation, &C., and then turned
right round and asked their own officers
to repudiate half their salaries. He was
not to be scared by any newspaper talk.
It must be recollected that several of the
Senators had received their $500, and
had parted with their certificates, and it
was more than could be expected of poor
frail human nature to give back what
they had already got out of the treasury.
I have, he said, always been willing to
draw 81 200, and I am willing to do so
this morning, and if saw fit | would
give $400 of it to the executive commit
tee of my county to carry the next cleo
ton with. Those who only wanted $500
could accommodate themselves by only
taking that amount.
Mr.. Meetze (Dem.) was in favor of the
$500, and thought that it was not dis
cretionary matter with them. 1t was a
matter of law, and they had thought it
better to compromise the matter and
place it at $500 instead of 81, 200. They
had given evidence of their desire to re-
trench and reform by passing bill re-
ducing their pay one-half for the next
session, and he thought no more could
be expected.
Green (Rep.) and Nash (Rep.) were of
course in favor of all they could get, and
so expressed themselves.
Witherspoon in reply to the suggestion
from the other side that those who only
wanted $500 need not take any more,
said that he did not intend to take any
more. He had taken the position that
the State was too poor to meet her debts,
and he was not going to be inconsistent
enough to vote for any more than ne
thought she could afford
Mr.. Bowen (Dem. concurred with the
Senator from York, (Witherspoon,) and
took the ground that the assertion that
they were compelled by law to take so
much was ridiculous, and that it was
matter which remained solely with them.
A vote was then reached, the question
being on the indefinite postponement of
Wit6erspoon's motion to place the pay
TO- the two sessions at $500 each. The
vote stood II to 10 in favor of indefinite
postponement; the seventeen immortal
names being:
(Rep.), Green, (Rep.(, johnson, lRep.),
Meetz, (Dem.), Swails, lRep;), Marley,
(Rep.), Carter, Rep. }, Crittepden, Lem. J.
1nam E2ans, Fem Harys MasyseIs Rsj lRep., Nash,
rep, Taft, (Rep.), Williams, (Rep;;)
MIR. Cannon, (Dem.), then moved to
make the salary S400 for last session and