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‘vThethsr thf Art {houM com
nence its operation during the
p j'ent congress, or on the 4th 0,
March next, was a question oi con
troverly in the ‘egifluure, and ex
Cited much difcn ft m among tti -
people. Vhe conititurion provides
tlt.it, “ the ienaton an i reprelent
atives ihall receive a combeas ition
lor their Cervices, to be al'certained
by law, and paid out of tie trea
iury of the United States.” I’h -
authority and the duty of deter,
mining from time to ti ne what is
* v a compensation for their iervi
ces.” are clearly deelgated to con
grels. It was obvious to the wile
frames of the constitution, that
what might be a compensation at
onrtrne, would not be a compert
fav m under different rtrcumftan
ce , and therefore the whole fubjert
was committed to the diferetion of
the fogiffoture. I apprehend it will
be admitted by every candid man,
trii fmee the multiplication of
b.inks, and the large ilfaes of bank
paper, a greater ium has become
heceffa y to def ay the expenses of
a refidtnee in our cities, than for
merly. Suppoftng fix dollars a
day were a proper compensation
when the price of boarding was
from 6 to S dollars a week, it irre
fiftibiy follows, that it cannot be a
proper compensation now, when
boarding has been raised to from
twelve to fixte.n dollars a week,
with an inertafe of other expenses.
If then the inereafe of compensation
be just, I cannot conceive upon
wha; eqaita de principle, a future
congress would be more entitled to
it, to an the present.- It is not un
ufuai for the members of a legis
lature to raile their own wagers. I
believe the legiflamre of this S ate
did so, fume years ago ; and I ima
gine there are none now who think
thev were raised too high. lam
a wart that in leg'll iting on such a
question, a legislator is liable in a
peculiar degree to the imputation
c r inferefted motives lam ap
prized of the objection, that if the
iegiflhure is pennitted to inereafe
its own compensation once, they
may finally take all the people’s
money; but I wouid enquire. For
whrtt purpose was the conttitiftion
al provision inferred, if it is never
to be exerciled ? Os every power
granted to congress, that of regn
lating the pay of the members, ap
pears to me the least dangerous*
tiie least liable to abuse. lathe
ex rcife, of no other power, will
the people so naturally mifeon
cove the motives of their public fer
vents, however good those motives
mav be, and-however well difpoled
the people themselves ; and there
fore, in no other case, is the fame
caution in iegiilating, likely to be
observed. I think this opinion is
fithCtioned by pait experience. Hie
love it Urne. ol popularity may
for i(h a temptation to abstain from
the u ; e of the power even when
the welfare of the country would
be promoted by its exercise, but it
;s very improbable that a majority
of any congref. will ever exercise it
ipipnperly. Nor is the pica ad
missible, that a power fhouid not
be used, because it may be abused.
Sik : i ad ctrine would withhold
tfie de: g non and the use of any
an ■ every power, because any and
every power may be abused. It
would be subversive of every prin
ciple of government, because the
delegation and exercise of powers
are inseparable from the existence
of government. Hie truth is, that
p the trust reposed in corigrefs of
fixing their own compensation, has
not been abused ■, (as 1 huoibiy con.
ceive it Ins not) there is no ground
for complaint; and if it ever
sh rnld be abused, the remedy, as
dor the abrufe other powers, is with
the people. In the difeuffions
which were had upon the fubjert,
it appeared that fomc gentlemen
felt a delicacy in voting for the bill
unless the commencement of its
operation fhouid be postponed until
after another elertion, while others
relying upon the fart, that the a
mount of pay had ceased to be “ a
compensation for their services.”
deemed it as much their right and
duty, to provide tor the present, as
for the future. The latter prevail
ed,artd the Art was sent in its pre
sent ftiape, to the Senate. So far
a* a question of delicacy was in
volved, it could not be applicable
to that branch of the legilliture.
The Senators are elerted tor fix
years, and therefore, if the measure
had nor taken effort until the 4th
of March next. Kill there would
have been the lame grounds for
scruples of delicacy ; because in
either case they muff have voted
their own compensation. I speak
of the Senate as a body, and as
fuel) they never con vote upon the
pay of congress without voting it
to rhemfelves unless indeed the
Art fhouid commence fix years
afterwards, or it fhouid provide that
each member (hall continue to re
ceive the former compensation un
til after he is re-clerted* To pass
a law on such a fubjert,jto begin fix
vears thereafter, or to make the
j
compensation of a Senator from
one State more or less than that of
a Senator from another State, (de
pending on the period of his elec
tion) would be against the spirit of
the constitution, and an art of ah
furditv probably without a parallel
in the history of legiflafice proceed
ings. Had the bill k come to the
Senate with a provision postponing
its operation until after another e
lertion for members of the ether
house, 1 fhouid as readily and more
willingly have voted for it in that
form ; because of the accidental
circurnftance that my term of ser
vice is about to expire. But be-
Ijevi g the compensation jult in a
mount, I psreeived no adequate
motive for entering into a coruro
verfy with the other branch of the
legislature, either on that po nt, or
on tne q leftion whether the in
crease of. pay fhouid be by the day
or in the present mode.
Such, fellow-citizens, are the
vuws which have direrted my
judgment on the Art changing the
compensation of the members of
coogrefs. it remains that I fhouid
expose the mifr presentations on
other fuhjerts, which have been art
fully circulated for the purpose of
impairing your confidence in those
men who had served you faithful
ly—that 1 fhouid present the farts
and circumstances in their true af
pert. The wages of the soldier,
who has fought the-battles of his
country, are said to be reduced by
congress, wnile they raised their
own, and while, owing to their ne
glert, the brave defenders of the
Nation’s rights are Kill unpaid. I
am not surprised that such repre
sentations fhouid awaken in every
patriot bosom the flrongeft feelings
of resentment. Such feelings, un
der such circu mflances, are honor
able to human nature. But are
the allegations true ; and if they
be not true, I leave you to deter
nine what fhouW oe your feelings
towards the authors of such un
founded assertions. With them I
ihall have nothing to do, but I will
prove to your fat is fart ion that their
charges affc filfe. On the j 2th of
December* 1812, an Art was pad
ed, raffing the pay of the soldier ip
the regular army from five dollar,s
to eight dollars n month, “ during
the continuence of the war.'* On
the id of February, tßi 3, an Art
was alfu palled, providing that
“duiing the continuence of tile
present war,” the fame inereafe of
wages fhouid be allowed to the mi
litii. The Arts therefore expired
by their own limitation at the con
clufion of peace ; but a liberal con
ftrurtion ol their intent and mean
ing awarded the inereafe of com
penfition to the soldier, not to the
end of the war only, but until he
was difeharged from the service
called for by the war. *
And yet it was never e fk
ed why were the wages of (ol
diers raised, without at the fame
time railing the compensation of
the members of congress, and of
the other public funrtionaries ?
Oongefs leg'fluted on the fubjedft at
the time, as wife men will always
do, according to the particular cir
cum(lances of the case.
So far then from reducing the
soldier’s pay, we had raised if ; and
Upon the expiration of the Arts of
1812 and it Continued pre
cisely as it was before they were
pa (Ted. And fhouid the fttuation
of our country again call for active
military services, it will then be
time enough to enquire into the ad
equacy ot the soldier’s compensa
tion. As refpert the regular
troops, it cannot be neceftary to
recapitulate the various n edifica
tions of their emoluments, which
were fucceflively made during the
war ; nor is it to be prefmped that
any man <t>f ordinary underltand
ing will imagine, that congress
ought to have continued in time of
peace the unprecedented pecuniary
inducement.;, for enlistments in the
army, which the imminent dangers
of the country during tfte continu
t nee of hostilities, rendered wile
and politic. When therefore, the
treaty of peace was ratified, a law
Was pal Ted reducing the army to a
peace establishment of ten thousand
men, and leaving th’. compensation
as it had been previoufly.fixed for
The Art which
had raised the compensation, hav
ing expressly declared that it would
expire with the war. and the soldier
having enlisted und.r that provi
sion, there is, on. his part, no just
ground of complaint ; nor, consi
dering the nature of the service at
present, or in any othei view of the
fubjert with which lam acquaint
ed, has any fufficient reason been
difdofed, for crycreafing it under
exifUna circumfhances.
t >
As refperts the militia, no Arts
were palled uring the last session,
except for the purpose of granting
them additional benefits. They
have been publifhetl ; and in no
repertare they more distinguished,
than for the liberality of their pro
vifijns towards the militia. They
provide that the family of every ol
ficer and soldier, who during the
late war, shall have loft his life in
the service of his country, shall be
allowed one half the monthly pay
to which the deceased would have
been entitled, for, and during the
term of five years; and luch offi
cers and soldiers as were disabled
* V* the Grand Jury have rccomn/-: cfol ct:
curnKpc-etion in Voting tur owlulaU h to tin,
state Legislature, it may not l>e amiss fortt.f
petiple to enquire, whether any Who aix- soiieh
votes, have pivt-n currency to tie
f.dsebwxl,lhat the preaentconf'-rcss hiul dimir.
isli-d iie soldiers pat ten 8 •> ‘i do'l.cs a I
rooutli, and then tak n ot it ’o !
f>nr ..is’- the “h.ms of ti.e nuiiia, for tc si
t an their rcai value.
by wounds or otherwise in the dlf
•harge of their duty, are placed on
‘he lift of penfionersin thefameman
ner as the officers and soldiers of
the regular army. At the fame
time, the rate of pen fir ns was in
creased from five to eight dollars a
month. VViih compensation for
horses loft in the service—an in
crease of pay—a pennon, and that
railed from five to eight dollars a
month, and provision for the fami
lies of the deceased, I submit to
your determination, whether there
1 he any foundation for a charge of
iiliberality towards the iniliria. No,
fellow Citizens, had half the ze-.l
been employed in the purlu r of
truth, which has been manifolded
in the employment of unworthy
means for the attainment of un
worthy purposes, you would never
have been told that the present con
gress Wereunmm Jfubft the loldier’s
rights, or unwilling to reward the
soldier’s services. That the reward
haa been so long wi;hheld, I sin
cerely lament, bur it as not attribu
table to n-glert on the part <ft con
gress. It was their duty, on the
estimates furnifhed by the depirt
ment having charge of the subj. ct,
to provide the neceftary sums tor
fatisfying the claims againlt the
government. I’hetreaty of peace
Was ratified on the 17th ot Februa
ry, 1815, and the 1 }th congress,
according to the provisions ot the
conllitution, was dillblved on the
3J of March following Great ex
ertions were therefore indifpenfibie
to eftbrt the important changes in
our (yft, in of measures which bad
been adopted for a flare ot war,
within the period allowed us. I’o
What extent the army fhouid be re
duced, was a quest on of much
controverly between the Senate
and House of Representatives, and
it was not finally fettled until the
last night ot the fftfi >n. UntiJ tn at
quettion was determined, the bill
of appropriation could not be pal -
ed, because xhe pr per a count
which would be wanted,could not
be afeer ained* In Inch a litu.uion.
it was hardly to be expected that
the estimate fhouid be fudden
jy made, or the am >unt of mi
litia claims al’certained, with per
fect accuracy, ihe dtlav, murc
over, in reducing ihe army to fie
peace establishment, which 11 ap
pears, the executive could not a*
void, neceharily increased the ex
penditure.
The last session commenced on
the firft Monday in December;
and on the 17th or ißtn day of
the fame mdn’h, the estimate the
pay-master was laid before ?he
House ot Representatives by the
chair.nan of the committee ot ways
and means. So promptly did we
iegillue on the fuojert, that on the
2 1 ft, an Art appropriating five mil
lions, fix hundred and leventeen
thousand dollars, for the pay of the
army and militia, had palled both
houses, and was approved, by the
PrefiJent. Ihe duty of congress
was therefore performed, and tne
application of the money to the on
jerts for which it was appropriat
ed, belonged to another depart
ment of the government. The
unfortunate delay which Ins oc
curred, is explained in a corres
pondence between the Pay-rnafler
of the army and mylelf, the sub
stance of which, I will briefly state.
Having underltood before my de
parture from Wafnington, that the
militia of Georgia were then un
paid, I wrote a note to the Pay
master, enquiring why it was so. lut
reply. 1 Was inu-rmeo ‘ tome
1 difficulty and delay haa teen pro-