The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-04-14
MR.. ALBRlGhT'S SPEECH
On the Reduction Of the salaries OF
the Railroad and warehouse Com
nlissiOners.

On Tuesday the 10th inst, the bill 10
reduce the salaries of the board Of rail-
road aud warehouse commissioners came
up in the Illinois house Representatives
Hon. +. II. Albright made a speech
against the reduction. The argument il
too long tor our columns, and we publish
the Chicago Times condensed report;
Mr.. Albright followed with "a some-
what more lengthy speech, i'll which he
claimed that the purpose VI the bill was
to diminish the salaries OF certain officers
irs W.vuvu. "a ~, "a u,,u, UidIv ,;vti-
eral assembly; bur the reduction must 4,
made under tho provisions of the cons J.
tuition; and therefore no member of tbs
house, however anxious he might be 10
diminish the salaries in question, how
ever firm he might be in the opinion that
they were too high, could consciously vote
for this bill il he has any doubt that the
constitution did not inhibit tn: proposed
reduction.
He said the officers were the railroad
and ware house commissioners. The
term OF the present commissioners COM
inenced Jan. |, last and will end Dec. 81,
1875. The salary of each commissioner
proposes TO diminish the salary to 81 800
per annum, and make the reduction
apply to the present commissioners as
well AS TO their successors in office. That
the salaries liked in this bill, il enacted,
would be the salaries of the successors
OF the present commissioners, is doubted
by no one; but il Is not SO evident that
the general assembly may constitution
ally reduce the salaries OF the commits
sloners now in Office during their current
term OF office. Indeed there are strong
reasons for the assertion that this cannot
be done.
Alter citing various provisions OF the
constitution, showing that the salary of
no officer should be changed during his
term OF office, he said: These copstitu-
tional provisions indicate, In my opln-
ion, purpose Oh the part OF the trainers
OF the constitution to provide that the |
salaries Of all officers under the consti- |
tution-the salaries Of the incumbents of |
all the public offices in the state, those |
created by law under the constitution as |
well as those established by the instru.
ment itself-should be neither reduced !
nor increased by the general as |
semDly or by county or municipal au-
thority during the official terms Of such |
officers. But, strange as it may appear. |
tne abundant caution ofthe constitutional |
OF 1870, which Induced it To |
repeat In every article OF the constitution |
mentioning the salaries OF officers, |
the emphatic words; 1.-The fees, the |
salaries, the compensation shall be neither |
increased northumberland during the terms
OF Office" has furnished an argument 10
prove that the salaries of certain officers
created by laws enacted under and bv
authority OF the constitution NAV he
either diminished or increased by the
general assembly during the official term,
OF such officers.
In no part Of the constitution is the office
OF
RAILROAD AND WAREHOUSE coMAus.
sIoSER
Mentioned In explicit phrasa 1,
was not established by the Constitution
Ii was created by law; and the length Of
its term, the manner ofsppointing lis In.
cumbents, and the amount OF their ss,ar.
les, maybe changed AT the pleasure OF The
legislature unless the constitution for.
bids such changes.
Gentlemen aremlstaken when they say
this is useless board. The bare fact
that II exists, no matter how little labor
Its members do, saves To the peOple-to
the patrons OF railroads aud through
them to the farmers OF this state-tholis.
ands Of dollars each year. But It's
need not be idle. and they have
not been. During the five years and
halt OF the commission, il has put into
operation the machinery OF the railroad |
and warehouse laws OF Illinois, and I'M |
all its iabors has walked over new
ground ia the darkness Of inexpericnce
without the lamp OF precedent 10 give
night TO Ia feet. IL has stumbled some
uines, but it has walked safely, and by
expostulation with the monopolies with
which 1t has had TO deal. aud by actions
VI the courts when expostulation hss
Slled, has saved much money 10 The
purses 81 the people Of the state.