The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1898-10-22
MADE A BAD BEGINNING.

IfSenator Simor Is quotetd correctl!
by the Oregonian's Salem correspon
dent, he Is starting in the wrong wa.
to become an economical and careful
representative of the people In the ma
tional congress. The question ofallow
ing full pay to the members who hel,
up the last house was under conaidera
tion. The report given the Oregoniar
Is. S
1.-THE up-shot Of the whole proceeding
was that the appropriation bill. was
agreed to as 1t came from the com.
mia.ee, allowing pay for only Ave days
for the members OF the house that
failed to organize. The house had
amended the bill SO as to allow pay for
the full 40 days, raising the approgria-
tion from s31, 900 to $4,000.
"Senator Simon started the discus
sion by offering an amendment appro-
priating $4,000 and authorizing the
full payment of all the members OF the
house Of 1897. Dufur would not toler-
ate that. and he made his most en-.
phatic speech Of the session in op-
position to it. Fulton followed with a
denunciation of the hold up and con-
demnation of the present attempt as
inviting repetition Of that disgrace
full performance and giving recog-
milton to direct violation of the cot. !.
stitution. Driver followed and pro-
nounced the contemplated act clearly
unconstitutional. Several others ex-
pressed themselves briefly. Simon
then replied to the criticism that had
been directed to his amendment, going
quite frankly into the question and
urging his amendment as the best way
to get rid Of the difficulties following
that legislature. He said he thought
all the members Of that house in.
tended to act for the best, and as there
were differences OF opinion as TO the.
merits of the contest, he deemed IL
best to pay all claims In full and close
the matter up.n
Without entering into discussion
OF the causes that led to the hold-up of
1897, it Is sufficient to say that the
members who participated in the dis
graceful affair rendered no; service
whatever TO the state, but on the con.
trary, by their rebellious action, cost
the taxpayers of Oregon over sl0o, 900.
and at the time of the sa-called
session and ever since were denounced
a. rebels. To pay them now would
have been an endorsement OF their
acts, saying that the Oregon legisla.
ture approved of the rebellion.
The position taken by Mr.. Simon
was the worst of all. Because he be-
lieYed the members OF that house SIN
tended to act for the best" he deemed
it "best to pay all claims in full and |
close the matter up" That Is, he
would vote away, $1,000 OF the peo
ple's money, and endorse wrong,
simply because he thought those OBJ
..intended to act for the
best" Will Mr.. Simon carry this
rule with him to the national senate?
II so he will make 8 most dangerous
Suppose, for instance,
9 bill were being considered to pay |
the Confederate war debt, would Mr..
Simon, in order to ''settle ths matter
up and smooth over old sores" vote
millions OF, dollars out OF the nationa
treasury to pay the debts incurred by
the Confederate congress, simply be-
cause the members of that body '"in.
tended to act for what they though
the best?n To be consistent with mis-
sets in the Oregon legislature he would
have TO do so, Indeed, Mr., Simon has
made bad START.