Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-03-15
Historic Storms Over
Congress Salaries
BY LOHN T. BOLEEUILLET

| crease the annual salary OIL SSudCO1S dhu A0p
resentatives from $500 to $4,000, Will
make along congressional channels. L pre-
sumo he has not forgotten history.
} On several occasions the people of the
| United States have been thrown into con
vulsve spasms of political hyster1a" because
members of congress increased their salaries.
! There were two special times when the sea
| of popular emotion roared and raged Win
| great fury and violence. The storms or pup
! lie denunciation fiercely howled. These were
| in 1916, more than century ago, and in
1873. Somewhat similar howlings were
heard in 1856 and again in 1866.
| AS one result of the general uproar in 1916,
a. senator from this state resigned his seat
| in the senate, and several Georgia representa-
tives failed of reelection. Referring to TINS
happening, Governor Gilmer, in his celebrated
"Georgians," says: "All the members OF con-
gress from Georgia except one were turned
out of Office though the measure was not
voted for by some of them; because, as the
people said, they talked at all times upon
every subject but objected not word against
increased pay per day"
Resigned i'm Great Modification
The senator who resigned was the d1stln-
guished William Wyatt Bibb, in whose honor
Bibb county, Georgia. was named. After a
prominent and popular career OF seven years
in the house, he was elected to the senate IN
1873, and served ably in that forum until NO
vember 1916 when, owing to the indlgna-
ltion aroused through the country by the act
increasing the salaries of congressman, ne re-
signed in great modification of spirit
[ have read that grand juries in Georgia
and in Vermont found presentments against
the members from these states who had voted
for 1.-The nefarious BILL and demanded the
election of a congress pledged to its repeal
Prof Hubert Bruce Fuller, the well-knoWn
and interesting writer says on this subject:
'The people seemed all at once infected with
the germ of madness The popular outburst
was an interesting and valuable historical
contribution to the psychology of political
caprice
Numerous congressman in various parts of
the United States, to save themselves from
the deluge of public hostility, resigned their
seats and refused to offer for reelection. AS
an indication of the intense general feeling,
the entire congressional delegations in Ohio,
Delaware and Vermont were defeated for re
election; Connecticut returned but two out OF
seven; South Carolina, three out of n1ne
Maryland, four out of nine, and so on among
the different states of the nation.
UnsavOry Back Pay Clauses
The salary law which was repealed by the
act of 1916 had been in effect ever since It's
enactment by the first congress in 1889, and
provided six dollars day for each day on
which members were in attendance upon the
sessions of congress, and certain mileage.
Representative Richard M. Johnson, of Ken
lucky was the author of the bill in 1916. 1t
provided an annual salary of fifteen hundred
dollars for each senator and representatives
Under the old per diem law, including mile
age, each member got about nine hundred dol
lars yearly.
The bill was introduced in the house one
day, considered the next and passed on the
third day. Only three days were required
by the house to accomplish the matter. The
senate also accorded it rapid passage. Inc
measure was passed with black pay tea-
ture. This unsavory retroactive clause was
vigorously assailed by Representative John
Randolph, of Roanoke, who vehemently said
he would "as soon be caught with his hand IN
some other gentlaman's pocket as draw any
of the back pay"
Randolph's Characteristic Speech
Tt is interesting to note however, that Ran
dolph delivered one of his famously character
istic speeches in favor of the general Dill.
Exclaimed he 1.-The present manner OF pay
ment is dsgraceful. Is it wonderful that we
are considered by the people at large as no
better than day laborers when we are Wiling
to come here and work for something less
than a dollar an hour, which is somethlng
more than you pay man for saving Wood
There should, too, be another change made.
A member should be paid whether he attends
or not Is it to be presumed that because ne
is out of his seat he is idle? Is the only dill
gent member the one who comes each day,
writes and franks so many letters reads so
many newspapers, stitches together as many
documents as he chances to find on his table
and adjourns when the clock strikes four?"
Henry CIay's Narrow Escape
Yet, the purest patriots, the greatest minds,
and the grandest orators in the republic
served at the miserly compensation OF six dol
lars day
The immortal Henry Clay, of godlike in
tellect, peerless oratory and purest patriotism,
the idol of the masses and admired through
out the nation, narrowly escaped being en-
quilted in the cataclysm of Kentuckys anger
and rancor on account of the salary grab
bill of 1916. "Salary grab has been the
most VIGOROUSLY known term applied to the
action of senators and representatives in vot-
ing money to themselves. They have been
denounced as 'pirates" TRAITORS" "looters
of the treasury" and kindred choice person
ages.
The law of 1916 gave the speaker of the
house an annual salary of three thousand dol
lars. The old law paid this officer twelve
dollars per day Under the present law, his
yearly salary is twelve thousand dollars.
Salary Grab Again in Evidence
Congress allowed four decades to elapse
before it got nerve to make another change
in salary. In 1856 it increased the yearly
pay of members from fifteen hundred dollars
to three thousand dollars, and fixed the sal
airy of the president pro tenn. of the senate and
the speaker of the house at six thousand dol
lars each. The measure contained a back
pay clause and this feature was holly de-
nounced by newspapers and ambitious pol1t1-
cal orators as "steal" Perhaps the popu-
lace would have been worked up to temper
as hot as prevailed in 1916 had it not been
that the clouds of civil war were gathering
over the land, and the public mind was too
much inf1amed with the slavery passion to
give heed to the salary grab.
The mileage system of the 1916 law was
continued in the 1858 act This was travel
ing allowance for each member of eight dol
lars for every twenty miles up to 1850; then
six dollars of the remaining distance from his
home to Washington and return. Senator
Weller, of California, said he received an
nually $5,400 as mileage
Congress performed its next "salary grab
and back pay stunt decade later, 1856,
when the nav was increased from three thou