The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-08-24


. LIE would not be better to PIT
. a curb upon Congress- in reference to the
own pay, and in several Of the states SUI
geations were sent in: When the tlr'
Congress met James Madison offered seq
enteen amendments to the Constitution
and finally Congress voted TO send twelv
OF the proposed amendments 10 the conr
try; one OF them was this: mo law vary
ing the compensation OF the Senators o
Representatives in Congress shall take @
feet until an election has interviewed" i
other word the First Congress propose
that IN amendment should be made to th
new Constitution that no Congress coul,
raise It's own pay and make It retroactive
That was sent TO the States for their ratif
cation. The State adopted ten oil thos
amendments. Two they rejected; anI
this was one OF the two. They said
should not be in the Constitution. Thl
reason given for It's rejection, by one Q
the wisest men OF that time, was this: II
we adopt It, this may happen; one part
will 70 into power in new Congress, but
Just before the old Congress- expires, th,
defeated party may pass law reducing
the pay OF Congress to ten cents day"
It will never do thus to put one Con
gress into the power OF another; It would
be an engine oil wrong and injustice. Fol
this reason our fathers refused to put into
the Constitution clause that would pre-
vent back pay. Now It will not do to say
that provision that has been delibertely
rejected from the Constitution Is virtually
there, and 1t will not do to say that 1t Is
Just to call Il theft and robbery for Con-
gress to do what IL has plainly the consti-
tutional right to do. use the word right
in its legal sense.
Now take another step. ] hold in my
hand here record OF all the changes OF
pay that have been made since this gov
eminent was founded, and In every case
/ am not arguing now that It Is right at
all, l am only giving you history OF it
in every single instance when Congress
has raised It's pay II has raised 1t to take
effect from the first day OF the session Of
the Congress. Six times Congress has In
creased Its own pay, and every time 1t
made the pay retroactive. say again,
1 am not arguing that this was right and
proper; am only arguing that 1t was law.
tul and constitutional to do II. In 1856
the pay was raised, and was made retroac-
tive, for year and four months, and the
member Of Congress from this district
threw the casting vote that made 1t Q law.
That act raised the pay by larger
per cent than the act OF the last Con-
gress. Joshua r. Giddings was the
one hundredth man that voted
aye. Ninety.nine voted no. Joshua
K. Giddings' vote the other way
would have turned the score against 1t.
That vote gave back pay for q year and
four months. That vote gave Congress
nine months back pay for time when
would not have been entitled to
anything whatever, because under the old
law they we're paid only during the SEES
sion. What did this district DOB Did it
call him thief and robber? A few
weeks alter that vote this district elected
him to Congress for the tenth time. Have
The ethics OF this world changed since |
1852 Would be a thief and robber in |
1873, II I had done what my predecessor
lid In 1857 In 1858 the pay was raised;
hat time it was put in the appropriation
bill, "a very important appropriation BILL
/ bill giving bounties to soldiers. II psssed
through the Senate and came to the
House; there was disagreement upon 1t.
Senator Sherman, Of Ohio, had charge OF
he bill in the Senate, and voted against
he increase Of pay every time when it
:ame up on its own merits, but he was
Finally 1t went to a committee
II conference, and he was made chairman
II the the Committee OF Conference. The
conference report between the two Houses
vas made in favor Of the bill. Mr.. Sher.
In fhn fyfn M
le brought II in that he had been opposed
o the increase OF pay, but the Senate had
,verruled him. He voted for the confer.
,nce report, voted for the final passage Of
he bill. That bill gave back pay for
year and five months. Was John Sherman
as a thief and robber for that2
Was Benjamin +. Wade called a thief and
'obber2
At that time was not chairman OF the
and had no other responsibility
han that Of an individual Representative.
voted against the increase of salary then;
1t all stages ! voted against the conference
report, but 1t passed through the House
On final vote by Just one majority. / don't
that anybody ever praised me,
for voting against that report, |
and never heard any body blaming John |
for voting for 1t.
Now, in 1873, the conditions were ex.
actly the reverse. was chairman OF the |
that mad charge OF the great
appropriation bill. There was put upon
that bill against ny earnest protest q
TO increase salaries. take It
there Is no one here who will deny that |
worked as earnestly as I could to prevent
the putting Of that increase upon the bill.
did not work against It because it was q
theft or robbery to put 1t on there; | work.
ed against It because | thought 1t was in.
decent, unbecoming, and in the highest
degree unvise and injudicious to In.
crease the salaries Of that
time. First, because they had
been increased in 1855, and In proportion
% other salaries, Congressman were paid
enough-paid more in proportion than
most other officials were paid. Second,
the glory OF the Congress had been that
Il was bringing down the expenditures Of
The Government from the highest level oil
war to the lowest level Of peace; and that
II we raised our own salaries, unless the
rise had been made before, 1t would be
keynote on which the whole tune OF ex-
travagance would be sung. believed,
TOO, that 1t would seriously iniure the Re.
publican party, and on that score !
thought we ought to resist 1t. did all in
my power to prevent that provision being
added to the bill. ] voted against 1t eigh-
teen times. spoke against II, but by
yery large vote In the House, and a still
larger vote in the Senate, the salary clause
was put upon the bill. ] was captain Of
the ship, and this objectionable freight
had been put upon my deck. l had tried
10 keep 1t of. What should do? Burn
the ship2 Sink herr Or, having washed
my hands OF the responsibility for that
part Of the cargo had tried to keep of,
navigate her into port, and let those who
had put this freight on be responsible for
I'D? Using that figure, that was the course
| i thought It my duty to adopt. Now on
that matter might have made an error
Of judgment. believed then and now
that il It had been In my power to kill this
bill, and had thus brought on an extra
session, | believe to-day, say, had been