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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,