The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-03-25
"CET THOU BEHIND Me-"
GREAT WRONG TO TAKE MlLc-
AGE NOT OUR OWN.
Congressman Linney Says Members
Get Twice as Much as Thew
Are Entitled To.

There has already appeared in these
columns an extract from the speech
of Congressman Linney scoring his fell
low Republican Congressman for another
back-salary grab which passed the House
last Saturday The speech in full was as
follows:
Mr.. Speaker, wise maxim of the law
and in my opinion one of the wlseSt, is
that which forbids any man to be judge
in his own case. Memo debet esse JudeN
in propria sua cauSa." | think you will
find in the records of the English courts
that, where a number of judges, proba-
bly, five, passed upon question, years af-
terwartis-a number of years afterwards,
too-it was ascertained that one of the
Judges was interested to very small
amount, that judgment, five years after
wards. was declared fraudulent and alb
solutey void upon the ground that the
judicial mind that passed upon 1t was
tainted to that extent; and notwithstand-
ing that the remaining judges were not
touched by his poison-this inhrmity self
interest-still the judgment of the court
interest in the cause vitiated the whole
judgment.
One of the wisest provisions of the
Constitution of North Carolina fixes the
fees of the members of the General AS
sembly.
In my humble judgment, in Il republic
like this, no legislative body, or any other
body, ought to have the right to pass
hot m
the Judge and exposes him to a dangerous
temptation to do wrong; and there is al
ways philosophy in that portion of the
Lords prayer, Lead me not into temp
tation." We cannot afford to ignore this
philosophy-this principle Of Christianity.
1t is actually dangerous to personal in
tegrity We are about to commit great
wrong here. gentlemen of this House,
when we take and put into our pockets
many hundreds. yea thousands of dol
lars, hat do not belong to us. We are no
more entitled to that money than the
wolf is to the mutton he takes by moon
lighr. Laughter.) We are about to take
it. too. by reason OF the fact that we are
unable to resist that temptation which al
ways forces itself upon a judge when
he is giving an opinion whether or not
it is to BE- his or somebody else's.
In my humble Judgment this House will
confer the very highest mark of distinc-
ton upon itself and establish to the sat
isfacton of the world the personal integ-
rity of every individual member thereof
If it will have the moral courage to rise
to The Importance of the occasion, when
we consider the principle involved, and
say Get behind me-" YOU tempter of
morals here below; we will have none of
this. 1t is wrong, Mr.. Speaker, l re-
specially submit. We already get %
cents mile for the regular sessions
counting both ways). Now, you take a
member from the extreme West, and his
mileage becomes a very great concern to
him. He makes probably II cents by ev
cry mile of travel.
Now, if you take the statute, which is
already too liberal, and make it apply
to this special session, by the very same
reason you will double the compensation
paid to members of this House. \ mem
Der residing 1000 miles distant already
gets 5000 mileage for the two regular
sessions: if we give him a third mile
age 81 500 mileage. | know it is going to
pass. Laughter). Why, it is going to
pass simply because of that reason recog
nized by the English justice, that when
man becomes the judge in his own case
he will always vote for himself. Uaugh-
teri For myself, l will vote against it.
/ say to this House, Lead us not into
temptation" The increase of the mileage
made by this resolution in its application
to the members living farthest from the
capital is more than the average wealth
Of - per cent of the electors by whose
votes he is Congressman. Manyof
them did not go home at all since the
end of the regular session of theFifty-
fourth Congress"
Mr.. Cannon:-"Only a word in reply,
if | ought to reply. | am not familiar
with the English case to which my friend
refers. but under our Constitution l do
do not know of any way to get money
out of the Treasury except by act of
Congress, passed by the House and Sen