The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-29
SALARIES OF LAWMAKERS.
Interesting Facts Regarding the Pay
Of congressman.
How Other Countries Regulate It.
Rulers Whose Incomes Are Prinoely
in Amount-In tho Early Days.

From the Washington Star.
The House of Representatives in its
eagerness to find a way of keeping a
quorum in sight. without adopting the
quorum-counting rule of the Reed con-
gress, has had under consideration several
propositions in different forms to fine
! members who absent themselves or refuse
to vote on roll-call At short intervals
reformers who are new to House ways in
| troduce propositions to withhold the sala-
ries Of members who do not attend the
meetings of the House But the older
members contend that if fine were i'm
posed on recalcitrant members it could
not be collected. To get at the men,
ber's salary it would be necessary to go
back to one of the first laws of congress.
The first members of congress did not
nave annual salaries. They were paid
like the members of certain state legisla-
tures-according to the number of days
they were called to serve. Their per diem
was -, and if they had worked every day
IN the year, except Sundays, on legisla-
tive business they would have drawn
much less than the present members of
the lower house draw for working an
average of six months in a year Mem
bers of congress are now paid at the rate
OF $3.50 day, or (allOwng six months of
actual work in year, which is a good
ayerage) S27 day for the time they
give to legislative business. In addi-
t1on to the number of days spent at Wash
| 1ngton, each early congressman had an
allowance of one days pay for each
twenty miles Travelled going to Washing
lngtcn or returning to his home. In the
beginning of the century it took some
| thing like six weeks for a man to travel
Providence I n q fa1
| Nowadays he can make the trip in less
| Than day. Mileage now is tP ured at 10
I eeass q nile by the shortest route The
| senator who travels in his special car
without expense from the Pacific coast to
Washington receives 5000 for the
| expenses OF his trip, just as does
| the senator who buys a railroad ticket
In either case there is a considerable
profit. Mileage is one of the indirect CON
| trlOutlons of the government to the con-
| CHEESEMAN'S income. There are others
for example, the stationry allowance of
Sl25 year, which may be drawn in cash,
| If the congressman wishes and the allow
ance for binding" under which the
Der frequently has private work done
| for him or his family. But with all of these
| allowances, the senator or member of the
| House is seldom able TO live within his
congressional income.
PAY OF REPRESENTATIVE HIGH.
We pay the members of our lower house
more than similar statesmen are paid in
any other country in the world. But we
| pay our senators less than the senators of
! the Canadian parliament receive; and our
cabinet officers draw beggarly salaries in
comparison with the advisers of foreign
| rulers. AS to our President although he
| usually saves about so per cent. of his sal
airy, he could not support the extraya-
gances Of the rulers of other great nations
on ten times the amount
France, Austria, Holland and Portugal
follow the American plan of paying their
legislators annual salaries. In France
these salaries are equivalent to about
Sl,7S0 year; in Austria, about the same:
in Holland, members of the lower house
receive 1880 year; in Portugal both
peers and deputies receive $3t a year.
In Belgium singular system prevails,
Members OF the chamber of representa-
tiveS, who live in Brussels, receive no
pay; those who live elsewhere receive Se4
a month. Virtually, therefore, there is
no salary attached to the position of
representative. The $S4 month is paid
to out-of-town members in lieu of sub
sistence, as an army officer would say.
Great Britain and Italy pay their legis-
lators nothing; but the Italian legislators
are entitled to free transportation, and
they receive other concessions in the mat
ter of taxation and patronage
In Switzerland and Denmark the per
diem pay Of the early United States con
gress prevails. In Switzerland membe
OF the national council receive 81. 80 day,
and members of the state council 81 so to
81. 80 q day.
Perhaps the most thoroughly overpaid
national legislature Of it can be called sol
is the legislature of Canada. 1t has Sc
more Legislators than England. There
are 2l5 members of the Chamber of DeDu-
| flies oh 70,
sion Of the parliament; and there are 80
henderson, the Senate who receive $40, 600
per year each. The speakers of the two
houses receive $1,000 per year each.
That is just the amount paid to the presi-
dent of the Senate of the United States
and the speaker Of our House of Repre-
sentatives.
CANADIAN LEGISLATIVE SALARIES.
The amazing discrepancies in the sala-
ries Of Canadian legislative officials are TO
be found in other governments The
United States pays it senators and repre-
sentatlves alike, 81, 900 year each; and
to the presiding oeficersu of the two
Houses 1T pays $1,000 a year each. Can
ada pays 81 900 to one class of legislators,
$4,000 to another, and $4,000 each to the
presiding officers. England paws nothing
TO the members Of the House of Lords or
the House of Commons, but the speaker
OF the commons has salary equivalent
to $4,000 and a house; while the lord
chancellor draws salary of $50 600
equal to that of President Cleveland-of
which $4,000 ishis salary as speaker of the
House of Lords, and $50 900 is his salary
as Judge; and the retiring pension of
the lord chancellor is S25, 900 year.
Other English salaries are equally
amazing compared with those which are
paid to similar officials under this gov
eminent. There is the chief justice of the
supreme court, for example. In England
he has $4,000 year. Chief Justice Full
Ter of our supreme court has salary of
SlO,5OO year. The judges of the higher
court of justice in England receive S25, 600
each; the associate Justices of our SUI
preme court receive $4,000 each. The at
toTney general of England has S35, 900
year, and his fees sometimes amount to
$4,000 year more. The first lord of the
treasury receives $4,000 year; the first
lord of the admiralty, 81, 800 a gear.
Attorney General Olney, Secretary Carl
isle and Secretary Herbet have to get
along with $1,000 a year each, and "a
horse and carriage.
PAY OF RULERS.
Our President does not draw the small
est salary paid TO the head of a nation,
but he comes within very few of doing
so. The president of Switzerland receives