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fUBLISKEB WEE&LY, ON THURSO
DAY MORNING, BY GEORGE W.
WHEELER & JAMES CLARKE, AT
THEIR BRIN TING OFFICE, IN I HE
SOUTH-WEST ROOM OF
THE OLD STA foE-HOUSE—AT
THREE DOLLARS FBR ANNUM—
omS ISf AOV3MVE
jumec*.- m tTr’—iifiiw'i an nirnnwaifinTf
ON THE CG&FENbATiON BfL^.
frO THE EDITORS [OI THE H AVION Al IN
TELLIGEXCEII.J
[Concluded.']
It has been objected that the
compensation bill had a retro
spective operation, and some \vn
ters have not hesitated to declare
that the law was therefore un
constitutional. To those who
advance this opinion, r one might
easily be persuaded of their zeal,
but certainly no man of ordinary
mind could entertain any respect
Ibr their intelligence.
That the bill was to benefit
those who voted for it, was cer
tainly an objection of great deli
cacy, and was felt, I have no
doubt, by every member who vo
ted for it. A proposition was
made to extend the provision ot
the bill, to members elected after
the Expiration of the time of the
present congress Most certain
ly do I wish that this motion j
had succeeded; it would have
carried, had it not been remarked,
that such a provision could not :
remove the same objection from j
the Senate unless it were extend ;
ad six years, and for the House
of Representatives to permit such
an objection to control their deci
sion would be indulging in a false
delicacy. While we would refuse
Mir selves to act upon the subject
Jrom motives of delicacy ,we would
call upon the Senate to do what
we had refused to do . It was al
so observed that it was no more
a matter of delicacy then to fix;
the compensation, than it was,
rvhen the law was passed giving
eix dollars per day ; that from
the necessity of the case every
legislative body had to fix its own
compensation, and if the present
compensation were inadequate ;
if six dollars now were of much
less value than when that sum
was first established as a proper
compensation, it was contended,
that to object against making it
equal to what it was formerly,
was an assumed delicacy, which
did not necessarily arise from the
subject. It was also contended,
that if it were just that future
members were to have the com
pensation proposed, jihe same
justice would extend it to the
present congress, whose labour
was not less arduous, and in a
time when money was as much
depreciated, perhaps more than
it could be at any future period.
Such were the arguments, with
other? now not recollected, which
prevailed on the House of Re
presentatives to sanction the law
in its present form. 1
1 have heard some object, who
Would uct buys objected, they al- !
LOUISVILLE, THURS DA TANARUS, AUGUS T 29, 1826.
• j ledge, had the annua! eomoeusution not ex*
I leaded to the late ses in. My powers of
i discrimination, are not ahte to dfoeo v< i iht<s
! difierence su prineipia, between the law ex*
j tending to the la.t•- session', and tie
. one. The members who void (hr the law
! would .have received the compensation 3
j certainly ift rey lived She next sessioo, is the
last one, because their terms %ould not ex
pire until the close of the next session.
It has been asserted by apteral, who
, have deemed their opinions of elect
importance to embody them in the pafote
papers, Che increase of pay v/ou;.l *e
ijoire the contiouanc*, xud per': >Vs fo
ur ease, of the taxes*. I t-ua as&ree-ly be p v
siifoed that any man who wo’foand
public writer oa thia subject, should fee b.
grossly ignorant, as .to be Mi aa this. -asser
tim. Everyman who form 2an upifow
by the ordinary process of • mul;;-: •?. r-r. ft',
once see the error and the dewgaf b? suet
declarations. If ihe iasraasa of pay fofo
to be paid by a direct tax upon the people,
it would not amount so more than br.fo nod
■an half penis per person. To suppose t? a. \
such, a sum would oocassofi my‘m?w direct i
or isrern il tax, or the couefon nee oi an ;
old one, for ud> e h.ei* purpose, U to eviu * ■ 1
an ignorance of the 1$ uafo-iai operations of 1
our governftfoat nothing hut a w.i
of opportunity to kitew could exerase. The I
truth is, it will os-iasicu no ‘tiajv iatebifo j
tax, nor the eontiouauee es an old .re, to ]
discharge this monstrous increase cl u*iitfo- j
ai expenditure. The aggregate ssim will j
not exceed one hundred and, thirty thou
sand dollars, supposing every member u
receive lire a tin end .compt-nsetioa of fifteen ■
hundred dollars. Bui lam fa'.'?* from 1
lie vim* that the actual expenditure of the
government will he ioere ‘Red by tide increase
of pay to members of congress, to the -
bove sum. Under the per dinm alldwjMjke.
many members of congress ware oediUem
about attending the Udnlfo ; nod nt tfo
eiose of the. session they would receive their
per diem equa’ y with those who attended
regularly to bu siness every day of the ses
! sion. I have no doubt, luider the former
1 allowance, the amount of six dohera per
| itas been drawn during the SefisioU,
, when the inarr.ber has not been ia his scat
more thin one third of the time. This e-
Vii u jder tne preseqt regulation U vorreci
ed. A member must attend to business: ,?f
he be ablent any number ci days, m.‘S?ss is?
! Shkness. there is deducted from hia pay
j the amount that he would have received bad
*he attended during those ds.ya. In the-flrxt
pidee, if a member do not attend, he docs
, not receive & dollar; if he attend only four
months su a five m ai'lis’ session, one fiU><
of fifteen hundred dollars is deducted, and
jso iu all cases of absence, I have no doubt,
, many member* Under the present comped-
I sation biii will receive Jcrs than what th"y
! have been necustofned formerly to receive,
j The contingent expenses of congress for
stationary, &c. probably exceed eighteen
thousand dollars per annum; should the
session be soul-what shortened, as sora
suppose will be the etFeet under the annual
allowance, the above expenditure will be
lessened in the same proportion. But Ido
not myself calculate bn the session being
much, if any shorter than formerly, <*s our
settlements extend, and as population rapid
ly increase**, il is but reasonable u sup
pose, that the business of congress will be
enlarged.
Those writer! who exclaiin against the
t>Klpensatiou law, and assert that it must
oec, siou heavy taxes, are very careful not
to inform the people, that at the last ses
oion of Congress ail the taxes ou nur m&uu*
faetures were repealed—tee tax ob whiskey
reduced more than one half, and tbi&t tlia
| land tax was also redueed one half. This
would defeat their object 5 it would dt least
convince the people that, instead of a sys
tem of heavy taxation being persevered in,
many of the taxes had been entirely abol
ished, and the others reduced one half——
T he land tnx paid by the citizens of Ohio to
the United Sutes, tee present year, from .
the most accurate calculation I am able toj
make, without a reference 10 documents not j
in my possession,will not probably exceed,
seventy-five cents per hundred acres for first
rate laud, sixty for second, and thirty seven
and a hairier third. I have no expecta
tion that the le:ul tax will be continued lon
ger than the present year—ouch was the
genera! understanding in Congress at the
last session, and the law imposing the tar.
was limi'ed to one year.
It has frequently been asked, why are not
members of Congress satisfied with the cun*
pftosntion ‘hat hes been bo long received ?
I I would answer, that they did not con eivo j
j ; .hey were tm king the pay ouch, if any 1
j igher,than the .compensat ion of sis. do!! afo
j per d;*y wae when sores. ti'.u-blishcd. ard for
*n,\ny ycais afterwards. The same pr? s ;
pi?, v- ’j.-ih induced them to nv.ika tha p y :
r.ow c?yial to what six dollars* per *fo.y uv.. 1
formerly, would indttee them, should ns on- .*
beaoiu.* as valuable as formerly, to red.;-.! 1
the compensation aecorilingly.
Dttiiagoiir revolutionary strangle, w:-,e'-;
isembtrsof Congress were paid by the res-,
peetive states, and whan all tfee reaeure-. *.
of the 20 in try were put in requisition, fo*
• the proseetitioa of the war, many of th> a.
were paid a higher cosipcnsaiio i haa t;.c ;
*-ooe :!ov* f ? ren. I risk tsoihiug ia eyir, 1
.hat of Cong reef, even under (he!
P ;ar-nt eompsagatian, receive less for t.-.eir ‘
i rrhro ... jc my other otlicers of the pen*
:*i J *!;ov*:rnmei!t. The door keeper of 1?
• )-i •• ■* of li p. ”sent-lives and of *,fe ?seu •
Al\ er.eii receive sixteen !:nmhed doll <rs
rnsvUßi. Many of the.petty cl- ks u\
. c. {'Hires at V/ae liagtoU; rcceivo an anoa
.-.] ct>m*ieus£tion much liig.-er then the p%
givfiir to Buembcrs -if Cong'-efs. Tl.- r shua
.iorteof iiUtiy post to • stars and .-riul
. f.Ue’ tors, are for, very for, preforabfo v\
• p: ; -run* try point of view, :•? tuat of ain m
| her. But. 1, by no cieicsl cdniplaiu of >hi
| -.-ur Hf-m outfit to .■& io to inake
| —-the honor pi’ tho sU-hih ojght. to
I bv *• p-'iikiptil indue in lit.
j C--nvi a pear to belie .*? that of
i Couqre.ss, when at Wathiugbon, iso
j Vi tug to do, but to indulge is
) eve y xiund of euse and pleasure—and they
i.v-i au'dtc ‘L it the exttavagarst sbeo of fif
| ;* hundred dollars is to enforce that i:>
! Those who ante Ham iheae oh
[ p|n r ois, ktm# nothing of the dtttiea, the la
| boritvus duties of a representative. During
j *fe Let waiter I -never wag more
ousiy engaged, than in aftendiog to the pri
vte b>irt!uc.,B of ui’. ers, wlu-u the bouse w.is
not ia aessioo. T here were three Wes.cn-.
mails a week, by vvhiah my {irihripal let
ters were received—these .ufteii aio?sßi.ed
‘o between tod 40,generally oa ?-g.
I*, hi- It required my aittmsou the <htt* res’
ofi'r es. i have often, ia -attending to th*
aboVo bcilocs", bscn urdoously employed
utsMi sue o'clock fit filgLt-;ettorg acre to
an*ver—-iueorroct aceouct ‘. !.o trtvn.imit for
- err'd?•.!ton—obtaia r Qg,ami rerujithig money .
&•*. &c. r< qnired the time auhoM conataotiy.
that I was out of the house. Those set
vie t were performed by hie with ergo*
pleasure, end they ate now ouiy inemiencd.
to ‘Crreet the opinion that so-’i'e euforiai?*;
ol* the duu*A oi a r ui
invton.
‘it is sl!important, tfieg the atinont degree
of vigilaore should be exercised m the part
: of Cm'grcßß, ia asfo the expendi
ture of public money-—improper expendi
tures blight to be exposed, and public- dt
foulters detected. Many millions ere ?.*-
nualiy expended under . ©f superintend--ioce
df the difiwent be a ds'of dcp&r tinenta— tke se
gectfoiat’U form the cabinet of U.e Prcsi*
dent—they arc often the channel through
whi ; fi appointments are ihade—*>ud if the
p- y of members of Uongrcss is eo inadequate
|ts to occaaibn a yearly s*i.or;H, e
hy those frholly unable to bear it, end they
continue in Congress, s before bfoted, they
,re inda ed to retain their ecots under the
expectation of obtaining an appoint at eat.
Should this influence nr-y 01 the members,
as 1 have ho doubt under the above dr
cumstauee it would, i would enquire whe
ther it is probable, that such members
would exorcise *uy extraordinary degree of
vigilaoea _ at* detecting improper expendi
tures, end exposing default’ ra, when, by
such a course, they might incur the displea
sure of the above ministers of state, wi Ose
opposition would ctlectoaHy destroy all fu
ture prospect of promotion. Yon will dis
cover, my deur sir, that I am arguing what
would be*a probable result, Without any ret
erence to particular men or facts. I have
110 hesitation in publicly declaring, that, by
a rigid scrutiny into public accounts, nud
tha various public expenditures, that more
than ted times as mui h money wouid be
a jved to the government, as wouid dis
charge the increased compensation to mem
: bors.
I I fear your patience h s become w earied
,by this tedious letter—w en I sat down to
write, I iv dno intention of saving much,
bat I have found difficulty in retrenching
my feelings and my pen, in vindicating u
measure, which I usd beiieve would be
productive of much good. Knowing, as I
do, the motives of many who voted for it,
and believing them to have been us honora
ble as ever actuated human conduct, i can
not but feel the keenest regret, that base or
improper motives should be attributed to
them. Take from the American Congress
| the person foremost in supporting the eom
ypjeosation bill, and yon take from the most
, I important branch of our government ii&
TbriVht:-T pl3s£&.at*~-y‘-a tak foom the
I p-opfo the ablest \i> dice tors of their rights
■ —inert, who, to u ivsnee tha iuitiesr c.j*
! their eo;iany, have out hesitated !a a b
every sacrifice the crisis dem&r.d-: d — you
! tke from the republican ranks those vL.
. have eves been m*. gt n tii e—-nad v.hu ft eta
! t.eircomm ndin;* tel eats, as long ns they
l continue tu the* legislature, will :r,vc iot,.
j *siencc every pr* ,v ! ii.g demagog • , w
{ L ints at Tcspotitb.ti y— ud ho, v hei*
j I'.etiog behind the sn cn will sane do n a
-1 ?sn-eA, which be will openly denounce f
| regret that any -.li ehunciers have found
• their way iaio thu national ipcdalaiure— -L
j still more regret, that any eueli are ta L>*
I found among the party, with which I have
I always • from pri foe, and i
j nar.ds 1 verily believa the liberties ci* this
5 wait.try are s:>fely eutru&ted.
| Os those who vote<! against the .eompen
| ■JA*dor foil, I shall s y rfoMng fas tficr, tl .;?t
’ i ; > ,i when a vote wau v k;-it ia e< muiitteu
!■ f tbe whale, v.fii h fei- ded :ba principle
: of the bill os rout h as v-heu the ayes and
[ f s wer© recorded, the: were found auC
j TIVEWTY cke or two, S think, c.guins.t i!lO
; b*li——v>. t, when their hemes were record f y
{ the number amounted so near seventy.—--*-
J bio its must therefor* have voted agains*. *at
I bill, Eioi because they believed ifs meiisar^
) in'orreef, but because ihey hs'ikrtd 1%
I would p .3-2, and t y vosing age fust it, they
’ iphted equally in the benefit, vvitbmS
j iarpTring any of the responsibility. TL&
people t-u judge ofsuth conduct and a^
! preciale its merits accordingly,
j As to ar-seif, I can say in tho close *h&t
] I was b-ver more conscientious in giving $>
veto, and ta-At, from the holiest dictates of
n>y soul, I believed it to be ueccssary from
whit I l*sl seen ar.d heard.
. ?4cre inouey hes been uselessly expended
itt a single camp! iga during the infe v? f
l then would p.-y the inerense j.;.y to inem*
I tiers of Congress more than twenty yearg-^-,
\ vet feat little compieint hes been heard— ■*>
| ten no’uhon'a in this way, or impra*
J perly expended in aidin ‘ aay other,
| net perhaps excite so much remark, as the
Titcirttse of pay to members oi Col.gr* s*.
Perhaps mere than t a times the unman* of
; ;he w-fifoe increase of pay, could bt m*.(&
J to the public by a proper exercise es vitfo
| tuiH'c on the part of those who have ihe <!is
| burßemetit of pdHi’e ttioiiies. This in<rees©
. i,i* pey w sfon r.o increase of the -:n
i c.—nor indji-i ii: - rcntiDuaeee of an inter-*
! nal tfcX— nor delay the pay incut of the pub*
! lie ddthi'ife thaa one month, f the whole
{ increase of p; y were to ha appropri fed ia
t payment of iLe pn ( >Mc debt uutil the v. iaAe
I ssla.uid be dis barged.
| £i and I uuother opportunity of voting upon
[ this.- subject? and fowl sufficient e vide nee t h at
! the pe.oy.lv* disayy oved she mcasuie, s.ftei
-1 they had fully es im ned it, it wcuid afinrtS
j me much more pie; sore, than it vmiug fo*
I it, i<> repeal the law—and reduce the tno
| peasatiaa to what the people were Willing
|to give. 1 believe it is a question on which
the people ought to express tli;for
which opii.ion, whea fauiy asicrtaiEed, 5*
j should t;fod obligatory, were Ia r picscu'.j.-
| tivt*. Tha people rave a right to s>ty, what
1 those in employ shall receives they are
juni iliing <0 give what silt enable ib: voca
las itd! ;;s the rick’ to represent them , uoim
| hate a right to evinplain. But I will r.eve
j for a moment else*foil so ancliarilalie au
j opinion of the people—-they are never ii*
i liberal they are sever wrong frem iaten
i Mob—ls, * a ex.iiaina.ttot'i, they should be*
! lit ve that the former coaipensution was tcc
j iow, and that the present i* not too high,
1 they will not object agfoust the measure:
J whatever oxviteroect may prevail for the.
| moment, the public mind, en igbttced as r;
;s, in this couutry, will settle down upon
proper groom!. This I hope, in this gov
ci nment, will always be the test of iaea
surcs, and the sanction of good poh r y—
It is the only safe criterion for the * one;* ,
tiou of political error ; let thts be the test
of the compensation bill, and its continuance
jor repeel secured accordingly. Should pub
lic opiui m require its repeal, nsy woid f.itf
it, you will not find those v/ho were the firs:;
to renomirend its passage, hesitate about its
repeal.
I have (bus hastily submitted to you the*
reasons which influenced me to sanctum the
above bill; if many of my calculations or
arguments, I ara mistaken, yon will do me
injustice not to believe ine siueerc. With
regard, yours,
and “ JOHN M’LEAN.
Richland, 29th May, 1815
Os ABOUT Fin’EKN YE. O’ 3,
Will be talteu us an Apprentice to the Frin
ling Eusicress, by the Priuters fierce;* i?
application is made s<*o?).
Ate*i: t'We, August S. IKQ.
! ‘.for J
tt ate* u. r
