Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-11-24
Lancaster fntclligfnrer.
sArunDAY EvENINa. NOV. "a. 1888
Ccnceru,ug Legislative Pay.

We are not ourselves entirely sure that
the members of our highly esteemed
Legislature really earned thirty-thre
hundred dollars by their~strvices to the
state during the year. In truth, we do
mot know very many of them who would
have earned that sum at their daily avo
cations. II may be that the Legislative
duty Is OF so high grade that its reward
should not be judged by an ordinary
standard. 1t may be, too, that the men
tai and physical exhaustion produced 10y
the prolonged wrestling Of our conscien.
tious law makers over the question Of
the proper method of dividing the state
into equal districts, enttle them to ex.
pect to be well paid for 1t. We confess
that we are not able to get up to the
level Of the legislative thought Senator
Mylin says that the newspapers do not
know any thing about legislative busi.
ness and we don't think we do. AS
we looked at IL there was only question
of simple arithmetic in the apportion-
ment business, and as we see it, there is
in the appropriation matter simple
query as to now much was earned. If
our legislators think they earned ten
dollars day on Sundays and Saturdays
and any other days when they were not
in session let them take it, as they have
the power. Ii they think that they did
not earn ten dollars day when they
were not at work nor even when they
were at work, seeing that they did moth
ing, let them make their appropriation
accordingly. Wequite strongly suspect
that since they have already received
fifteen hundred dollars apiece this year,
they would do themselves no injustice If
they should vote that they had not earned
anything more.
The Senate committee, in proposing
an appropriation of ten dollars a day,
for all the 1s2 days suggests that all of
this money will not be needed, since the
legislators generally will be too con-
scientious to take all that is appropriated
for them. The idea is that the mem.
bers will only ask a warrant for the days
which they have been actually in attend |
ance which is putting quite high |
estimate on their moderation. 1t is true
that the law does not allow them com
pensation for the days when they are
absent without leave and it is fact
that the clerks of the Senate and House
can furnish schedule of the days of the
presence of each legislator. The appro
priation committees, however, have so
elevated an idea of the honor Of their
fellow legislators that they do not pro
pose to give the state this safeguard
against their possible rapacity, but they
leave it to the members themselves to
sly how many days they have really
served.
We greatly fear that, with this free
dom given to the instincts OF our senators
and representatives., there will not be
a great deal left of the appropriation of
ten dollars day for lS2 days for each
member when they have quit drawing
lit. But if the appropriation commit
tee has not put too high an estimate on
the tone of their colleagues we
may feel encouragement to believe |
that they will be shaken by the |
suggestion we have made that they can
afford to give the state receipt in full
for their services for the year in cOnsid
Grafton Of the fifteen hundred dollars
already received; for, really, can they
think that their labOrs were worth much
to the state in the extra session