The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-12

ing from s2So to $500 month. with fairly good houses renting from $1. 800 to Ss,O0o T and $1O,00O and with other expenses in II proportion, a man who is required to keep a family in Washington on $5.OO0 q | year If he had no outside calls on his | purse whatever would not make much | noise socially.
 To continue with MT. wayback. when | he begins his second session the first 1 think he will do to increase his income 1 will probably be to select his son. or l daughter, or wife, as his private secre- l tary, which will add q 200 year to the 1 family income. He will next learn to use I committee stationary and thereby draw
 SIPS stationary allowance in cash. He | then stretches the franking privilege to | cover not only all his private correspond ence, but to frank to and from his homo through the mails chests of books. clothes, etc. He speedily learns to travel on railroad passes and save his mileage. He locates in a cheap hotel or boarding
 house, patronized largely by department clerks and members of Congress whose financial condition is no better than lis own. Instead of eating lunch at the res taurants at the Capitol, he either walks home to his noon day meal. or better still. he does not attend the sessions of the House any oftener than necessary. He and his family spend as much time as they can at home, avoiding all places of amusement where any outlay on their part is involved. and their social life is confined to receptions, teas. and such other forms of social amusement There is no criticism attached to this form of living for in this manner alone can the Congressman live within his salary and the reflection is not on the member of Congress but on a state of affairs which renders such a course necessary.
 Raf zfr,er fn hor Rz
 his income by practicing law or medicine,
 cultiyating farm or engaging in his
 other regular occupation, but professional
 men in Congress speedily learn that they
 must either neglect their Congressional
 duties to protect their practice, or by
 neglecting the latter for the former, see
 1t slip gradually away from thm. An
 other way in which a member of Congress
 can help himself at home is by soliciting
 campaign contributions from his friends
 and political associates and from other
 sources. but in doing so he acquires obli.
 gations which he is almost always called
 upon to pay and the larger the contribu-
 tions, the heavier the obligation. The
 poor member of Congress is also given
 the opportunity to make investments
 In stocks or business projects and the
 temptation is very great even though 1t Is
 assured that sooner or later legislation
 will be asked which will be beneficial to
 the companies in which the investments
 are made.
 The effect on their constituents of
 economies on the part of members of the
 House Is another phase of the question.
 If he does not entertain them when they
 come to Washington, he is "tight-hsted."
 while if he does not contribute literally
 to the campaign funds at home he is not
 doing his duties by the boys"
 The rich members are not so hampered
 Ma ant aft hAr Ia
 some of them all of their salaries for clerk
 hire, alone. They either own houses val
 ued from $50,000 to quarter of a million
 dollars or rent them at from five to ten
 thousand doSars year. They entertain
 well. often-times lavishly, and by being frequently brought into social contact
 with distinguished men of affairs, both of this and other countries, they natur-
 ally gravitate to the top, acquiring a prestige and influence which is denied to their poorer associates.
 Comparing the conditions at present
 with those prevailing when the salaries
 were fixed at 5000 per annum. the menl- bers of Congress should get at least
 $7,5O0 a year. The number of constitu- | ents to each member has increased very | rapidly and with the increase his duties have become more onerous. At present each constituent contributes about two cents and a half per annum to the salary | of his representative, so that when a member of Congress pays his car fare to the Pension Office or any other depart l ment to make an inquiry for his constlt- uent's benefit, he spends all that that constituent, contributes to his support for | his entire term.
 | How to secure the desired end without dire political consequences has long been I a subject of speculation. It is generally
 admitted that it would never do for a | Congress to increase the salaries of the
 members of that Congress and owing to | the uncertainties of political life, it is
 difficult to interest members in the sala- | ries to be paid their successors. In tile
 first session they fear to act in this direc- | tion because of the supposed unfavorabla l effect it would have on their constituency In the second session many have fallen outside the breastworks and are no longer
 interested in the matter. while those who | have been reelected would be liable to a
 charge of voting themselves an increase to | begin with the next session.
 To prevent charge of selfish motives ! being brought against a Senator voting | for the bill 1t would have to be drawn to ] become effective at the expiration of the 1 terms of those who were members of the Senate at the time of its passage. The only | thoroughly feasible scheme yet presented l Is to make the increase effective begin | ming with the third Congress after the passage of the bill. This would prevent
 any Senator voting for 1t from benefitting | by the act unless he was reelected. and would avoid a complication by which d part of the Senate would draw S, 900 and
 the remainder $7,50O year for some years. | Besides, if a period of six years inter- vened, what sensible man could accuse a
 member of the lower House from attempt | ing to line his own pockets in view of l the exigencies of political life?
 By the time the average Congressman | has saved his reputation from being mean | and stingy. and has paid his debts at the end of the year, he has hardly enough
 money left to buy piece of liver for his pup. R. H. Watkins