The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-03-18
The Resignation of Senator Chace Directs At
tention to the Fact that Senators and
Representatives Are Meagerly Paid.
Probabilities As to Some of the Selec-
tiOnS for Assistant Secretaries, Etc.
The TribuiatiOns of the Man Who Is Seeking
Ofice-Mr. Evarts Said to Be the Presi-
dents Choice for the English Mission.
SALARIES OF CONGRESSMEN.
Senators and Representatives Think %, ,O(
Year Insufficient PAY.

Senators and Representatives Think $4,000
Year insufficient Pay.
WASHINGTON, March 1.-THE resignation
of Senator Chace upon the Threshold of
his second term of six years in the highest
legislative body in the world, has aroused
renewed interest in subject that is bound
to receive early and earnest consideration
in the Congress. Senator Chace, in pri-
vate, gives as the reason why he can no
longer serve his State and country as
legislator that the compensation of Sem
ator was not sufficient to warrant him in
longer negiecting his business. He has ex-
pressed the opinion that he is considerably
poorer for his legislative experience than
he would have been had he remained at the
helm of his business and directed its course
through the breakers of the past dozen
or fifteen years. He is one of the
largest cotton manufacturers in New Eng
land, and several times during tho recent
tariff debate in the Senate evinced his IA
miliarity with that subject in its relations
to the industry in which he was interested,
and gave valuable assistance to his Repub-
hcan colleagues in the discussion or the
Senate substitute for the Mills bill. The
question Of increasing the compensation of
Congressman has been receiving the earnest
attention of Senators, especially, Of late,
and there is an overwhelming sentiment
among them in favor of making the salary
of Congressman $4,000 a year instead of
$1,000, as it is at present. Members of the
House of Representatives, while thorough
ly in sympathy with the Senate on this
point, are not yet ready to go to the full
length desired by them, fearing a repeti-
tion of the outbreak of censure visited upon
the Congress of 1878 for its action on the
salary question. But it is argued by the ad-
vocates of the increased salary that what
the people were indignant about then was
the ''back-pay grab" feature. and tnat,
if the increase were made to date from
the end of the Fifty-frst Congress, no
serious opposition would be made to it.
There was frank expression of views by
the Senators ON this topic in one of the Sc
cret sessions last week, in a discussion that
ensued upon the introduction of a resolu-
tion by Senator Teller authorizing the Sec
retary of the Senate to pay to committee
clerks serving on a per diem basis during
the session of the Senate, and the clerks to
Senators, during the coming recess, the per
diem allowed by law. Mr. Teller, pre-
vious to presenting the resolution, which
was referred to the committee on contln-
gent expenses, said that in his experience
as chairman of a committee. he had been
compelled, at times to employ two men to
attended to the correspondence devOlying
upon him, and it was heavy burden upon
him. He believed Senators should have
annual clerks, because their duties did not
cease with the adjournment of the Senate.
Senators Dave s,Stewart, Harris and Gray
indorsed the sentiments expressed by Mr..
Teller, but Senators Morrill,, Morgan and
Hale said it would be impossible to provide
aclerk for every Senator this year, mas
much as the appropriations have all been
made, and in any event the cooperation of
the House would be essential to carry out
the proposition.
In concluding the debate, Mr.. Platt said:
"Mr. President, when the proper commit
tee shall consider the matters which have
been spoken of here this morning, / think
that committee ought to go further. /
think it ought to consider the question as
to whether Senators are fairly paid for the
work which they do. and whether the
salary of q Senator of the United States
ought not to be raised. i know that it Is
charged that the Senate of the United
States is composed largely of rich men, to
whom salary is no object. To some extent
1t may be true that there are Senator'S to
whom the salary is very little object, but
there are Senators here who have nothing
to live upon except their salaries, and who
are paid less for the services which they
render than they would be paid in any
other walk or occupation of life for similar
services and very much less. In addition
to that, Senators have a great many ex-
penSes which their position necessarily
entails, and the result is that there are
Senators who have no income behind
their salaries, and who are obliged to live
in pinched and very unpleasant way in
the city of Washington"
Mr.. Morrill-May 1 ask the Senator from
Connecticut if he is not aware that no man
can come here with his family and rent a
decent house and live without spending
twice the amount of his salaryi
MI. Platt-Ih have been aware-andI think,
perhaps, / may as we'll say it as anyone, be-
cause think am as poor man as there is
in the Senate-I have been made most pain
fully aware of the inability of Senator Of
the United States to live in the city Of
Washington in anything like the style, and
with any thing like the comforts, which We
have at home, and which other people have
in Washington, who. perhaps. are entitled
to the same social position that we are. and
we are entitled to the same social posi-
tion that they are We are put at
disadvantage which we feel every
day of our lives; and there are Senators
here who will echo what l say. knowing it
to be true. Now. do not complain Of it
for myself. / can remedy it for myself if
choose to do so. If do not choose to
endure the privation-for I use that word
which a Senator of the United States,
who is compelled to live on his salary,
must endure, can remedy that by resign
ing my place and going home to my con-
stituents and allowing them to send some
body here who has an income which he can
devote to living in Washington. think it
is quite time that some plain words were
spoken on this subject, and have taken
this occasion to speak them"