The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1898-08-26
PAY OF LAWMAKERS
Their Low Yearly Salaries and the
System OF Paying Them by
the Day.

The almost insurmOuntable preJu-
dice which prevails among voters
against increasing the compensation
of their representative has operated
thus far 10 maintain low standard
for the compensation Of legislators.
As a general rule, the pay Of members
CT legislative bodies is fixed in the con-
stitution Of the states they serve, and
it is usually coupled with the pro-
vision that the compensation shall not
be increased during the period for
which they were elected. As a result
OF this, any change in the rate Of pay
could be attained only by the expedi-
ent OF an alteration in the state con-
stitution, which the legislators them
selves would be compelled either to
propose or to approve, and their re-
luctance to do either keeps at low fg-
ures the pay Of officials whom most
states could well afford to compensate
more literally For instance, New
York pays its legislators only 81, 500
year, though up TO January 1, 1s9S,
members Of the board Of aldermen,
performing less OnerOus and less i'm
pOrtant public duties, received. $4,000.
Executive heads Of departments Of
New York. whose duties are fixed and
whose pay is prescribed by the legisla-
ture, get from $1,000 10 $4,000 each,
but the legislators who fix these duties
and regulate the pay get only $500
Pennsylvania pays $500; Illinois ST.
600; Ohio, 5000; Wyoming, $500; Maine.
$50. and Massachusetts, $3.50 10 law
makers \ private secretary in New
York, nowadays, the secretary TO a
head Of department. gets from S1.SCO
to 8. 500 a year, or considerably more
than is paid TO a legislator. The in
justice of this disparity has led states
to do away with any fixed salary and
substitute a per diem compensation.
Some of the states pay s., some 81,
sCme S.. and some Sc, and California
exceeds them all with S. a day.
PhOde Island pays the least, 81 a day,
but adds 500 for postage and pays
mileage, too; but for obvious geo
graphical reasons the payment Of
mileage in Rhode Island does not
amount to much, the distances being
very small. In Utah, a state in which
an allowance for mileage would be Of
some account, perhaps, none is paid;
neither is there any mileage allowed in
the vast Lone Star state Of Texas,
Utah legislators get 81 a day, Texas
| legislators get S.. The fixing Of a pei
diem compensation for state legisla-
tors has had the effect Of doing away
with one ground Of complaint IN the
matter Of their compensation, but Il
/ has, at the same time, established an
/ other, less serious perhaps, but wor
/ thy Of being taken into account. Il
I is this: So long as legislators were
/ paid by the year or by the session il
I was to their interest to expedite theil
deliberations, finish up their work and
! 60 home. When, however, in some
states the pay was graded by days
service, q new element was brough
into the matter, the advantage Of pro
tracted sessions; but most Of The
states have provided against this b.
a time limit for legislators. tn,
states that have none are Connecticut
/ Delaware, Massachusetts,, Michigan
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
/ York (Which does not need to have on,
paying by the year,, Ohio. Rhode Is
land, South Carolina, Utah and Wis
cOnsin.-N. Y. Sun.