Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-18


ton is said to be too great for the salaries
now paid. and each member has so much
clerical work to do. Senator Chace, of
Rhode Island, was forced to resign because
he couldn't live on his income.
WASHINGTON, March 1.-THE resigna-
tion of Senator Chace upon the Threshold
of his second term of six years in the high
est legislative body in the world has aroused
renewed interest in a subject that is bound
to receive early and earnest consideration
in Congress Senator Chace, in private,
gives as the reason why he can no longer
serve his State and country as legislator
that the compensation of Senator was not
sufficient to warrant him in longer neglect
ing his business. He has expressed the
opinion that heis considerably poorer for his
legislative experience than he would have
been had he remained at the helm of his
business ship and directed its course through
the breakers of the past dozen or fifteen
years
Senator Chace is one of the largest cotton
manufacturers in New England, and several
times during the recent tariff debate in the
Senate evinced his familiarity with that
subject in its relations to the industry in
which ne was interested, and gave valuable
assistance to his Republican colleagues in
the discussion Of the Senate substitute for
the Mills bill.
TALK OF INCREASING SALARIES.
The question of increasing the compensa-
ton of Congressman has been receiving the
II. -
late, and there is an overwhelming senti-
ment among them in favor of making the
salary of Congressman $4,000 a year in
stead of s., 900, as it is at present Mem
bers of the House, while thoroughly in
sympathy with the Senators on this point
are not yet ready to go to the full length
desired by them, fearing a repetition of the
outbreak of censure visited upon the Con-
gress of 1873 for its action in the salary
question. But it is argued by the advo-
Gates of the increased salary that what the
people were indignant about then was the
ffback-pay grab" feature, and that if the in
crease were made to date from the end of
Congress no serious opposition would be
made to it.
There was frank expression Of views by
the Senators on this topic in legislative
sessions last week, in the discussion that
ensued upon the introduction of a resolu-
ton 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.
EXTRA HELP TO HIRE.
Mr.. Teller, previous to presenting the
resolution, which was referred TO the COM
mittee on contingent expenses, said that in
his experience as chairman of a committee
he had been compelled at times to employ
two men to attend to the correspondence de-
volving upon him, and it was a heavy bur-
den upon him. He believed Senators should
have an equal number of clerks because
their duties did not cease with the adjourn
ment of the Senate.
Senator Dawes, Stewart, Harris and Gray
indorsed the sentiments expressed by Mr..
Teller, but Senators Morrill,, Morgan and
Hale said it would be impossible to provide
a clerk 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 carrying
out the proposition. In concluding the de-
bate, Mr.. Plat said: ''Mr. President, when
the proper committee shall consider the
matters which have been spoken of here this
morning, think that committee ought to
60 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 Senator of the
United States ought not to be raised.
NOT ALL RICH MEN.
''I know it is charged that the Senate of
the United States is composed largely of
rich men, to whom the salary is no object. |
To some extent it may be true that there |
are Senators here 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 therefor less |
for services which they render than they |
would be paid in any other walk or occupa- |
tion of life for similar services, and verv |