Evening star., 1915-12-05

has never been changed 1t is 20 cents
now though the fare railroads is
only a small fraction of that rate. The
delegate from the Philippines is given
the fiat sum of $4,000 per session as
travel money. California. Washington
and Oregon are. approximately. 1000
miles from the National Capital. Con-
gressmen from those states, therefore,
are each paid about $1,000 a year in
addition to their regular salaries.
Then. too. every member of Congress
now receives SIPS a year with which to
buy stationery. In this freely inter-
preted item are included pocket knives
for himself and embroidery scissors for
the ladies of his family. The station
cry that Congress uses itself, amount
ing to $1,000 annually, is a separate
expenditure.
So remotely as in the year 1915 con-
gressmen raised their pay to $500 per
annum from the going rate of Sc day
during sessions. The people rose in
wrath and Indignation and Congress re-
luctantly, though speedily. compro-
missed with the country by fixing the
salaries of it's members at sS a day
while engaged in the task of law
making.
In 1873, on March 3, the last day of
it's life, the Forty-second Congress per-
petrated what is known in history as
the salary grab" The pay of mem
bers was increased from $4,000 a year
to $500. the increase to be retroac-
tive. in that it was to begin on March 4,
1871. This vote of Congress took near
1y million dollars out of the public
Treasury and transferred 1t to the
pockets of senators and representa
tives.
When member of Congress answer.
ed aye to the roll call on the bill he
knew perfectly well that he was voting
performed and which he contracted to
perform for $4,000 a year less than he
would receive were the bill to pass
Ihe PACK pay, as it was called, was
members and kept. So ended their ca
reers as Legislators. The next Con-
gress repealed the measure.
Some day. possibly, the people will
$500 a year. stationery extra and
clerk hire thrown in. is big enough and
honorable enough just as it is without
the additional expenditure of s226,0O0
per annum of their own money in the
matter of travelling expenses. A long
time ago, Horace Greeley, finding him
self In the House of Representatives
temporarily and somewhat unexpected
ly, began one of his Illuminating stud
les of the mileage question.
Excess mileage, he found, amounting
to s73.5o0 had been drawn by certain
members. who. instead of journeying to
Washington by the most direct postal
routes, had been "circuitous." as he
described it, in their leisurely ap-
proa aches toward the National Capital.
One man. he said.t and he named the
man, had drawn $sss that did not be-
long to him.
The exposure, as it was called, was
printed in Mr.. Greeley's newspaper At
tackled on the floor of the House of
Representatives, abused and ridiculed,
Horace Greeley even was threatened
with expulsion from Congress. Mileage
can be regarded. perhaps, as the totem
pole of the national legislature. Any
way, it is too sacred to be abolished
Anciently. the secretaries of the SEN
ate and House each received $1,000
year and 81 a day extra while Congress
was in session. These offices are now
worth $500 apiece to the incumbents
Sergeants-at-arms receive the same
salaries. as against SO a day during the
First Congress.
Policing the Capitol and the two Of
fee buildings of Congress costs $4,000