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of expense incideT* to a feaT in
congress Nor admitting the pre
frnr compensation to be paid by
a tax on the people, would they
pay us much in nal value, as in
former years, to meet the fix dol
lars a day. Pursuing the rule 1
have laid down, and tupp ‘-fing the
compensation to he pifid by a di
r< ct tax, the following views are
dil Jofed ;
Congress have been in fcfffion on
an average, in each ye r, onefiun
died and fifty-nine days, or up
wards of five months. The annu
cl com pen fat ton to each tnemb t
at fix dollars a dary during the fef
fjons, has therefore anuounred to
pine hundred and fifty-four dol
lars ; and the aggregate for the pte-
Jent number of fenarors and repre
sentatives of the United States
would be two hundred and seven
thousand nine hundred and feven
tytwo tlollans. Ihe proportion
which Georgia would pay is fix
thous aid eight hundred arid fifry
fix dollars and a fraction. The
w hole pay of congress at fifteen
hundred dollars a year for each
member, is three hundred and
twenty.feven thousand dollars, and
the proportion of the state,- would
be ten rhoufand seven hundred and
f i dollars and a fraction. It
will be .perceived* that the differ
ence is three thousand nine hun
dred and twenty-four dollars,
which if divided among the people
according to the ccmftitutional rule
of apportioning direct taxes among
the dates, would amount to the c
rormoi/s and alarming rum of less
than two cants a head !! ! The
whole compensation at fix dollars
a day during the fdffoTrs, if appor
tioned in the fame way would he
three cents ami about the quarter
or a cent, a head. A like appor
’wntiic.ui of uie prelent compensa
tion, would be five cents and about
the eighth part of a cent, a head.
1 ask you in candor to fay, wheth
er it is nut more convenient to pay
five cents and an eighth now, than
it wa 1 ’ to pay three cents and a
quarter in the year i739, and du
ring many subsequent years Were
not three cents ami a quarter worth
more then, than five cents and an
eigth at theprtfent time ; or in oth
er woids, would that sum not have
purdhafed more u lieful property ;
9nd therefore are not five cents 5c
an eighth worth Ids now, than
three cents and a quarter former
ly ? lam perfuuded these ques
tions will be answered in rhe affir
mative by every impartial man,
uho is acquainted with the hiffory
of this country Compare, the
prelent pay, the duties, exprr.fes
ar.J facrafices of a member ol Con
gress, with The pay of your (late of
ficers, (which is certainly low en
ough) and their duties, ex pen fee,
and facrafices. A judge receives
fourteen hundred dollars a year.
Are his expenses any thing like
these which a member of congress
must incur ? Do his facrafices in
regard to dorneftic happiness, bear
any companion with those of a
member of congress? Is he fub*
jeett'd to greater pecuniary facra
fie.es ? Are the duties of his sta
tion more laborious, or do they
require greater mental exertions ?
Unquestionably not. I speak of a
member w ho poffeifes capacity and
disposition luited to the trull; be
caule l have too much confidence
in the intelligence of the people,
to- believe, they will he represented
by any other. Ido not mean such
ignorant, arrogant, poliical braw
lers as the author of the grand ju
ry pi'cicntoientjthe obycctof wbofe
senseless jargon is probably a feat
in Congress. No ;as a citizen ol
Georgia, I fliould think the people
had a very hard bargain, to be re
presented by such a man, for noth
ing.
But it is said, “ the nation just
emerging from the dangers and
iifafters of a bloody war, a great
increase of our national debt con
s quent thereon ; our relations
with foreign nations, eipecialiy
England, France and Spain ; the
general afpefcft an 1 disposition of
the European powers towards us;
the iate alarming embarrassments
of our national treasury, cfivl not,
in our opinion, warrant an increase
of compensation.” 1 fhotild ima
gine that rhe members of-congrefs
are at least as accurately informed
on all thclie matters, as the author
of the prefenttpent, or those who
signed it ; and yet accord : >g to
their information upon the fubjed,
j our relations with foreign nations
in general, are pacific. The com*
troverfy with Spain, about which
; a correspondence took place during
the last winter between her nrfi
j nificr and the Secretary of Stat-e,
will probably be adj lifted ; but if it
; is not, what have we to apprehend
from that power, with her means
of annoyance ? Her provinces on
I our frontier are entirely at our
mercy ; and as to England, it is
1 not to be presumed after her ex
perience in the late war with this
country, she will embark in anoth
er for the fake of Spain. How the
fad of the United States having
been engaged in war, and of the
treasury having been embarrafled
a year before, “did not warrant
an increase of compensation,” fs
. totally beyond my comprehension.
The people were aifo embarrafled.;
j and yet if 1 were tr> tell a planter
I that “ just emerging from the dan
s’ gers and dilatters of a bloody war/’
’ and the late alarming cmbariaff
| merits of” of his private “ trealu
! ry,” which had compelled him to
bear privations and evils, “ did
not warrant” their -removal now,
when Ins funds are -fufficient to
meet hi- engagements, and his in
come unexampled, I should expect
to pals tor an ideot. His reply
would be obvious—the war4s over
and gone —my embarrassments are
removed—4 have money enough to
pay my debts wh'ch are ane, and
an income fufficient to meet luch
as fall due hereafter ; what there
fore has my former cm bar raffiiK ms
to do with the present prosperous
iiate of my affairs? A reply of the
fame nature may be made with rei
ned to the “ national treasury.”
Its funds arc adequate in amount
to fulfil the engagements of the na
tion, and is means competent to
meet the demands against the go
vernment as they become payable.
So tar from embari affment —from
taxing the people ou account of
the increalt of compensation, or to
defray any other expenditure, the
Hate ol tne national treasury” is
to prosperous, that the fame men
who are now so much vilified,
were enabled at the laif ft flion to
reduce lorne of the taxes, and to
repeal others. The dired U.X which
was permanent in its provisions, is
reduced to one halt ns former a
nount, and continued for this year
only* The duty on do.neftic spi
rits is repealed, and the fubititutiou
of an increale on licenses to diltill
ers, amounts to less than one half
the former tax. Ihe duly on re
tailers is reduced, and the duties on
manufactures, on watches, and
household furniture, and the addi
tional duty on pottage, repealed.
Does tiffs look like embarralfnent
.a the “ national treasury”? lhefe
things are # m itter; of record ; aim
ro talk of *“ a bloody war,” “Eng
land, France and Spain,” and ‘ffate
alarming embarraffnenu,” is molt
idle, and mod abfurcl.
On rhe (abject of the mode of
compensation, I have already fiat
ed, there was, as is generally toe
case on mere questions of policy, a
diversity of opinion in congress.
Some gentlemen for whom I en
tertain the highest reipect, cordi
dered the mode objectionable ;
while my own reflections led me
to a different conclulion. I had
seen congress charged over and over
again in the public papers (the
fame papers which now condemn
the change) with fpenoing their
time in idle debate, and protracting
the feflions for the degrading pur
pole of pocketing the fix dollars a
day Without admitting the truth
ot the allegation, it appeared to
me deferable, while irscreahng the
compenfati in, to avoid every thing
like temptation of that fort, ami
remove even the ground of luch
unworthy imputations. This isef
tedually done by granting an an
nual sum. which unites interest and
duty in expediting ‘(republic busi
ness. The inadequacy of com
pensation, and the length of the fef.
lions requiring the continued ab
fenre of a member so long from his
domestic concerns, were the evils
against which, it was important to
provide. A planter or profdfional
man may by judicious arrange
ments leave home for a limited
time without great facrifice, while
an abfenfe of fix months in each
yeor, would he ruinous to his bu
iinefs. Whether or not the change
in the mode of compensation will
lessen the duration of the feflions,
time alone can determine ; but
luch would seem to be its tenden
cy, and 1 think it well worthy of
experiment. Should it succeed,
the advantages would be two-fold,
i ft. The greatest obstacle to the
continuance in ferviceof luch men
as the people may feled, would
be removed ; and 2d, there
would be a considerable saving to
the nation in the contingent ex
penses of congress. It by acquir
ing great fkiM, and by extraordin
ary exertions in the traniadion of
public business, that fiiould be
done, and as w ? ell done, in three or
four months which has heretofore
occupied more thn five, the labor
er is certainly not the ids emit ed
to the compensation on that ac
count. Suppqfe a Farmer employs
a number of reapers at one dollar a
day, it being tliftindly understood
that three acres of whea: should be
conli Jered a day’s work ; and
iuppofe further, rhat owing to the
ikili in reaping they had acquired,
and uncommon indutfry, they
should perform in one day the
work afSgned for two ; would
th y not be as much entitled to
compensation for fix acres, as oth
ers who were occupied two days in
reaping that quantity ? The reaper
and the Farmer would both be be
nefitted ; the Farmer would save
one day’s board of the laborer, and
h;s grain would be feeured one day
earlier. In this cale, as in the case
ot congress, the employers possess
the tame means of ensuring faith
ful work, and of punishing delin
quents, that they have in w hatever
manner the laborers are paid. A
gainlt rhe measure I perceive no
übftantiai ebjedion.- The charge
of novelty may be urged wuh e
qual force against our admirable
toria of government; and yet 1
apprehend, no American patriot is
ifpofed to rtjed it, because it hap
pens to be unlike the other govern
ments of the world. And as to
the idea that, for the ptirpofe of
laving the greatest poffbje portion
of the annual compensation, con
gress may leglflate without due de
liberation —that the affaiis of the
nation may not be properly cor.fi
dered, or properly tranfaefed, I atn
purfuaded. experience will (hew its
fallacy. Fhe forms of proceeding
will forbid it ; the love of fame,
which is generally the ruling pas
sion of men definng public favor,
and which with other worthy mo
tives,has heretofore prompted them
to deliver speeches, and to dilplay
their talents in the investigation of
legislative questions cannot be ex
tinguished by any paltry saving, the
prelent compensation could poifibly
afford. fudging from my ac
quaintance with the motives of
human action, 1 should think that
the meai'ure may jail to effect what
is desirable— the curtailment of un
necessary debate >• but that, it will
never produce less difeuflion, than
is requisite in the examination of
every ‘fubj ‘Ct. But in uid my
opinion in this refpe&be erroneous,
should the fears which have been
expressed, be realized, the correc
tive vv 11 alweys be, where it ought
to be—in the hands of the people.
And moreover are there not at least
as strong grounds for the fulpicion
that a compenlation by the day
may furnifh temptation for the de
lay and pr tradion of the public
business ? On either hand, as up
on other pr petitions in general,
it is not difficult to urge plausible
arguments, or plausible objections;
but surely it is uncharitable to at
tribute unworthy motives to the
one opinion, or to the ether.
flow the compensation law is
uncongenial with our Republican
inliitutions, or how it is to “quu k
ly engender, natch, and propagate
a fpccies of proud, arrogant, and
luxuriant Aristocrats ; no spurious
brood bur their own legitimate <Tf-
Ipring,” is probably beyond rhe
discovery of all except the sagacious
individual who is so eminently quali
fied fox an instructor, and to whom
the public are so much indebted for
the very modest and unassuming
grand jury instruction. Os this
botch potch of cab il'iftic words
thrown togather without sense or
meaning, it may be truly said—
■ Words ..re like leaves, and where they most
alnmn:!,
Mac ‘ • u tor <>i:U s-r.se is seldom found.”
In what refpefl ts a comptnfa
tion by the year more uncongenial
with Republicanism than by the
day ? or why is it more so in rcler
rencc to membeis of congress, than
to judges, heads of departments,
and other public (ervents in gene
ral ? It does not make the tenure
of their appointments more per
manent, nor diminish their refpon
iibiiity to the people. You have
precifeiy the fame cuntrolover them
whether they be paid by the day
or by the year, and may continue
or dismiss them according to your
plcafure. Nor are they entitled to
the compensation unless they at
tend to their duties ; because the
A& provides, that for abfenfe there
shall be a proportionate deduction.
If therefore a member does not
attend at all, he receives no
compensation, and for the time on
ly he does attend, is he compen*
iatea In this rerjpect the provi
sions of the AS are similar so those
of the former law, and in no ref.
ped, is there a difference in pria*
‘ciplc,