Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-06-26
from which some passages may bt

from which some passages may be
profitably culled:
Mr., Hibbard--I desire to ask the gen
tleman how much plunder will be taken
from the Treasury if this raising of
salaries is adopted
Mr.. Garfield am glad the gentle
man has asked me that question. The
report presented here, taking into ac-
count the changes made with reference
to the salaries of the members and Off
GERS of both Houses and other increase
of salaries in this bill, will. according
to the best estimate l have been able to
make, involve an annual increase of
expenditure of about three-quarters of
a million dollars.
Mr.. Hibbard--HOw much for the
present Congress?
Mr.. Garfield--For the present Con-
gress it involves an additional enpendi-
ture of about one and quar- ter millions.
1 think the House ought to know all the
facts.
Mr.. Dawes Did the gentleman hear
the form in which the gentleman from
question: "How much this 'plunder'
would amount to?"
Mr.. Garfield do not accept the gem
tleman's statement as to that. 1t may
be an unwise expenditure in some re-
spects. But in most cases the increase
is proper and ought to be made. 1t is
not "plunder" unless gentlemen here
consider themselves not deserving of
the proposed pay. page 2,1O1 Con-
gressiOndt Globe.l
At length Mr.. Garfield showed his
hand. He contended that sin most
IL. l.
proper and ought to be made," and de-
clared it was s'not plunder unless gen.
tlemen consider themselves not deserv
ing the proposed pay" Not content
with this expression, he continued:
Mr.. Garfield have nothing further
to say except that l wish the House to
weigh we'll the danger of refusing to
concur in this report. The conferees
have spent ten full hours of hard work
in preparing it for the consideration of
the House; and ask the gentlemen to
consider the responsibility thrown upon
them in acting upon this question. call
for vote.
The Speaker--The hour allotted to the
gentleman from Ohio to close debate has
expired.
Mr.. Holman--I rise to parliament
7,
the salary alone, in reference to which
there is a division of opinion. If the
House refuse to sustain this point, will
it not be in order to recommit to the
same committee?
The Speaker-It would be, or to Or
der new conference.
Mr.. Holman--We have twenty hours
left in which that can be done.
Mr.. Holman demanded the yeas and
W. ID
ed.
The Speaker--The chair has decided
he would not entertain motion to lay
| upon the table conference report. He
is aware this ruling is somewhat differ
ent from that made by previous occu-
pants of the chair. He has, however,
uniformly decided a conference report
could not be laid on the table, because
it would carry the bill with it. If the
House rejects the report that leaves the
appropriation bill for another confer
enee committee. To lay the report of
the Committee of Conference on the ta-
BILE would carry the bill with it and
therefore the Chair has never entertain
ed any such motion. This is the reason
of his decision.
Mr.. Donnan--I ask that the rule be
read which prohibits its members from
voting Oh question in which they are
interested.
The Speaker-That has no application
here whatever.
The question was taken and it was de-
cided in the aff1rmative--yeas 1O2, nays
SO, not voting AZ.
The actual result of this legislation
was general steal. Five reporters of
the House were made permanent Off
GERS, with salary OF 81, $50 each, ex-
elusive of extras. Even this wanton
extravaganza did not suffice for the cor
ruptionists. Their hand was in and
they made the peoples money fly by
proviso giving Is per cent. in addition
to all the employees of Congress whose
salaries had been thus raised, and to
others who had not:the effrontery to de-
mand an increase and then to date this
percentage back two years, as they did
for themselves.
Pressed by popular resentment and
| the dread of the coming elections, Con-
gress reluctantly repealed this legisla-
ton at the next session. But later
they undid portion of what they had
done before and raised many salaries
still higher than they stood in the bill
of denominations. The reporters for in
stance, are allowed $1,000 year, when
they only average nine months of work
on Congress of two years, and have
all the rest of the time at their own dis
position. So, too, with other officers of
the Senate and House.
The official record shows that James
A. Garfield not only made and signed
| the report of the Conference Commit
tee, recommending the passage of the
bill, but that, on the reading of the bill
in the House, he Immediately demand
ed the previous question on agreeing to
the report, which demand, as he well
knew, had the effect to cut off all de-
bate, except one hour assigned to him
under the rules, as the advocate of the
measure. This demand was supported
by vote of 1O3 10 "a. Nor was this all /.
Had he declined to use the hour assign
ed to him, or, had he occupied that time
in opposing the passage of the bill,
there might have been some grounds for
the claim that he had opposed its pas
sage and used his influence against it..
But he did neither. He occupied forty
five minutes of that hour aud occupied
it in defending the bill and advocating
its passage. Thus Mr.. Garfield not only
reported the bill, voted in its favor, and
spoke in its report, but finally adopted
the only course possible by which its
adoption was rendered irrevocable.