People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-07-29
THE TAXPAYERS MONEY.

Friday, July - conference De-
tween the Senate and House having
failed to agree to several items in
the general deficiency bill, the mat
fer came before the House and
an amendment was proposed to
paw to the legal representatives OF
seven deceased members OF this
Congress and one member OF the
last, something over $4,000. Mr..
Watson was given the floor In oppo-
sition, and is reported as follows:
Mr.. Watson. / offer the resolu-
ton which l send to the desk.
The Clerk read as follows:
| Resolved. That the conferees on the
nart of the House are hereby authorized
with reference TO the amendment num-
bered 78 to the general deficiency appro-
priation bill, appropriating $4,000 to pay
| to the widows or legal representatives OF
deceased members of the House, to pro-
pose as a substitute therefor provision
| to paw to the widow or legal heirs OF
each deceased member of the present
House the balance of the salary and
mileage which may be due to such de-
ceased member under the law, IRE
spective of what has been the custom In
regard thereto.
Ii is the sense of this House that the
law fOrbids the payment of two salaries
| for one position at the same time; that
if the deceased member shall have re-
| ceived as much as three months salary
for the Congress no further pay can be
allowed to the widow or heirs at law OF
such member and that the salary of his
suCcessOrt shall commence at the time
that of the deceased member stopped.
The speaker. The Chair would
state to the gentleman from Georgia
Mr.. Watson that this resolution is
not in order at the present time. 1t
will be in order if the House should
by a vote disagree to the pending
amendment and ask a conference.
This could then be offered in the ma
ture of instructions to the conferees
But as yet the bill is not in con-
ference. The gentleman will be
recognized to offer this resolution at
later period.
Mr.. Watson. I would like to be
recognized now to oppose the pend
ing amendment.
The Speaker. The Chair recog-
nizes the gentleman for fifteen min
utes in opposition to the pending
proposition.
Mr.. Watson. Mr.. Speaker, the
question now presented is simply
whether we will apply to ourselves
the same rule we have applied to our
subordinate employees. At an earlier
day in this session a proposition was
made by the gentleman from Mary
land Mr.. Rusk from the Commit
tee on Accounts, to allow extra pay,
running beyond the life of a subor-
dinate employe of this House. That
proposition was antagonized by other
members Of the committee, notably
by the gentleman from Georgia
Mr.. Moses ; and the House voted
it down by an overwhelming ma
jority, establishing the precedent of
''no work no pay;'' that when the
service ceases the pay must cease,
because there is no provision of law
authorizing us to give bounty or a
pension to our employees or their le-
gal representatives..
Now, the question which confronts
every member of this House is this:
Will you make one rule for subordi-
nate employees of the House and
another for Representatives and
Senators? Mr.. Speaker, this ought
to be regarded purely as question
of law. If the law allows this
money it ought to be paid; if the
law does not allow it it ought not to
be paid. We are here as admins
traitors of trust fund j; we are act
ing in fduciary capacity for the
people; we have no right to spend a
dollar of their money unless we can
produce a voucher in the form of
some law authorizing the expendi-
ture either by express terms or by
reasonable intendment or construc-
ton.
You can provide for furnishing a
committee room, because it is a rea-
sonable construction that members
are entitled to the use of committee
rooms for the discharge of their du-
ties. You can supply, documents;
you can provide for messengers and
pages, because these are presumed
to be necessary in connection with
our public service. But when the
law specifies that member of Con
gress shall have $4,000 per year for
his services, that necessarily means
he shall be paid at the rate of the
services he renders, and the compen-
sation cannot by any reasonable con-
struction be extended for any length
of time beyond that. You can just
as reasonably and legally pay