People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1893-03-17
LOOting the Treasury.

LOoting the Treasury.
National Waterman.
During the last day of the session
one of the most bare-faced acts OF
legislative piracy since the "Salary
Grab" steal was perpetuated.
By vote of 1872 to 81, an act CIV
ing to each Congressman 800 per
month extra compensation for clerk
hire, went through the House and
was concurred in by the Senate.
This will add to the expenses of
Congress $394,8OO. The bill pro-
vides that the money shall be paid
to each Congressman, and he can use
it as he may elect. These same men
receive a salary Of $4,000 and num-
erous perquisites which in the case of
a majority is twice or three times as
much as they ever earned before
coming to Congress. This $1,000
steal virtually increases their salary
to $4,000. 1t is bad enough to vote
money into another's. pocket, but
when men are 50 lost to shame as to
stand up and zoe money into their
own pockets, It Il time to call halt.
The Populist Members voted against
it as they have all measures Of like
character. Livingston voted for it,
of course, his business requires a
private secretary.
While it was being discussed, Mr..
Holman and George Tillman, of
South Carolina, made the following
vigorous remarks:
Mr.. Holman. | trust that we will
not make increase of our salaries at
this hour of midnight and in this
manner. How many of us, gentle
men, during the last campaign advo-
Gated an increase of the salaries Of
Members of Congress? I will ven-
ture to say that not one gentleman
will rise and say he advocated any
such measure before the people.
Mr.. Boatner. If it is an increase
of salary, did.
Mr.. Holman. This is an increase;
not direct, but an indirect increase.
Most of us are compelled to use a
portion of our salaries for the en-
plovment of clerks. / live on my
salary; I have no other compensa-
ton; but 1 employ clerk. The
clerks of my committee do not do
my work. / employ stenographer
who does my work, and | presume
that other Members do likewise.
Gentlemen, can any of us afford to
vote, as an addition to our own COM
pensation, the amount we are requir-
ed to pay for clerk hire
Have we in any shape or form
proposed or advocated an increase of
our own compensation before the
people? Yet every gentleman must
admit that this proposition is prop
osition to increase our compensation,
while no gentleman will pretend that
he ever advocated before his con-
| stituents the policy of increasing the
pay of Members of Congress.
Yes, gentlemen, that pledge that
we SO deliberately made-shall it be
violated?
Yes, you Republican gentlemen
can laugh; but gentlemen on this
side of the House, who are pledged
to economy in the public expendi-
lures, cannot afford to laugh, and
they cannot afford to stand up with
out blushing in the face Of their con-
stituents after voting for such a prop
osition as this. Yet the gentleman
from California Mr.. Bowers ], be-
cause Senators are allowed clerks,
an abuse which he has denounced
and which all of US have denounced,
assumes that we must take the same
compensation which we are com
PEELED to yield to them. Has the
country approved of that act on the
part of the Senats
Gentlemen, [ stood on this floor in
the midst of just such scene as this
in the closing hours of the Forty
second Congress, when [ saw a bill
PASSED through this House to increase