The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-01-30
For the Democrat.
THE SALARY GRAB LAW"

Editor Democrat:-In the issue
of the DEMOCRAT of the 10th inst.
you publish the vote on what you
call, and what is popularity known as
the "Salary Grab Law" ito preserve
it for future use." You might have
added to your efficiency for public
good, by publishing also the vote on
the salary grab law of 1866, which
increased the ratio of pay of Sena-
tors and Representatives in Congress
more than did the act of 1873. Some
of your remarks following the pub
LEGATION of the vote are not warrant
ed by the facts, and are calculated
to mislead your readers.
No4awyer of standing in his pro-
fession, or other intelligent citizen
will question the constitutional and
legal right of Congress to pass the
law in question.
The Constitution, Art. list, Sec. G,
provides: THE Senators and Rep
resentatives shall receive a compen-
sation for their services, to be ascer-
tanned by law, and paid out of the
Treasury of the United States"
ART. I'd, SEC. 1st, provides: "The
President shall, at stated times, re-
ceive for his services, a compensa
ton, which shall neither be increas-
ed nor diminished during the period
for which he shall have been elected.
ART. Bird, SEC. 1st, provides: "The
Judges = 4 shall, at stated times,
receive for their services, a compen-
%sation, which shall not be diminish
ed during their continuance in Of
fee"
One Congress can not fix or deter
mine the compensation of members
of a subsequent Congress. The mem
bers of each Congress determine for
themselves what compensation they
will receive. They may change their
compensation every month, or every
day, ifthey wish. Or they may &C
cept the same compensation the
members of the previous Congress
received. They cannot increase or
diminish the Presidents compensa
tion during his term of office. They
can increase but cannot diminish the.
Judges compensation during their
continuance in office. Then the And
Congress had the constitutional and
legal right to enact the law you com
plain ed of.
The crime you discover in the mat
ter, however, is in the retroactive eff
feet of the law. Every Congress,
without exception, from the organi-
cation of our Government, which
changed the compensation of its
members from what the members Of
the previous Congress received, made
the change to relate to the first day
of that term of Congress. The com
~pensation las the Constitution de-
signates it, of the members of the
38th Congress was $4,000 a year.
You will recollect the 39th Congress,
in July, 1856, sixteen months after
the term commenced. fixed the pay
of its members at $4,000 per annum,
retaining mileage, allowances for sta
tionery, newspapers, the ranking
privilege, &C., and made it ~retroact
to the first day of the term. The
43rd Congress fixed the pay of its
members at $4,000 per annum, to
commence on the first day of the
term. The act. then, of the And
Congress, was in accordance with
legal right and every precedent.
Your sweeping charge that the
retroactive act was ''to make legisla-
ton a shield for thievery," is as I'M
generous as it is unjust and incon-
siderate. Your charge overs such
men as Daniel Webster, Henry Clay,
John G. Calhoun, Silas Wright,
James Buchanan; Stephen A. Doug
!, las, and all the members of every
Congress up to the 43d, who chang
: ed their compensation from what the
) members of the previous one had re-
f ceived, for they were all guilty OF
the same crime you charge upon the
AID Congress. But little confidence
, could be given to the masses Of the
5 people composing the constituencies
!, of Garfield, Randall, Butler and 9th.
ers, who have been returning these
I men to Congress at each recurring
Congressional election since they
voted for the act of 1873. Garfield
is supposed to have an honest and
intelligent constituency, who, ifthey
believed him entity of the charge
you make, would not elect him by
majorities larger than the whole vote
of some other members elected. You
are uncomplimentary to the whole
Democracy of Indiana, for if Senator
; Voorhees, was guilty of "theivery''
his people have Endorsed it and him.
f In his unexampled campaigns OF
. 1876 and 1878, he, more than any.
other person, changed the politics Of
that State from Republican to Dem.
: ocratic, and no mar stands higher
| in the affections of the constituents
| than was Daniel W. Voorhees,, who
advocated and voted for the law Of
1873. And the Representatives o.
' the Democracy of the whole country
), did not look upon Mr.. Randall in
, the light you seem to, for they elect.
ed him to the third office in the gov.
eminent.
The members of the And Con.
. gress, presumably, were as honest as
= the members of any previous or sub.
I sequent one. They, no doubt, made
t mistakes. The law referred to may
q hara hnen one of thnm Rnt was If