Congressional Retrenchment

Sotne weeko since we read in tho Michigan Arfüi as folknve: "A much wider field ia open for reform in our national Cougress. Therc are abusea which culi for a speedy and radical reformation. The truth is that oui five members ol Congres cost the people ofthis State more tban the whole Legislahire." We immediatcly asked ourselves the qucstion, - Can this statement be true? Do our Jive Congressmen coat more than our sexenty Lcgiflltitors? We concluded we would moke an estímate on the propoáition at some leistire irme. So here it is. rAY Or JLEai8LATURR. 70 nicrnbers for 80 days, (the average lenthf of aession,) at $5,00 $16,80Q 6 officers, 80 doyr, at S3.00 1,440 Kxtra pay to Speaker aml President of Senate 480 Librarían, gtfdaysat $9,0Qf 240 Thiï falte estimule' of the Committee nf (hft Senate lost wiwter. Postage, Statiotiary, Newpaper, kc. would easily swell the niount to $-20,000 a year. PAT OK CONGRKSSrfK.t. Kot having on band the ex-act inVentory erf all theamoums paid them from the treasury( we will introduce the followin? extract freftrr Dr. Üenton's Lectures, as we find it in Alpliadelphia Tocsin."Members of Congress receive $8, perduy, and $&, for every 20 mile'a travelhesides Iheir podtage bill, &c. Mernbefe too rcceivc pay for sundrios; for absence on1 account of sickress, and besides this, lenve of absence is granted at requcnt, and for nlmost ny numbcr of days or weeka, at a time during which their pay goes on at the j-ame rate. Dut if one of these üntR-ybcYs were to einploy ene of the laborers of the country, a pnrl of whoie earnings are constontly withheld to anpport our government ofBcers, he wouló deduct frotn lus pittance for every Sabbath aml forevery hour's absence, wheiher voluntary or on account of sickness. ♦Few we darosny have made any estimaie of the apgfepate amouiH puid to n member of cnngreis. For the purpose of doiny so we will inbtancethccüseof Mr. PorterfromMichHe vras olectfid to tlie tJinted Statesr Sciyate,- tin ÉfRll of Jin'myf IB i'O. H Was not obiigcd to go to Washington by the thortest Fniitc; henee we will omtnaie it by way of Albany; a route frejuentl;y traveled on visiling Washington, "'lire dwtaiïcc that way jnt abwnt enc thousand müe. United Stnie To Mr. Porter orDfctrort 9t. To-traveHiiíjj tnaml from Washington art $8 pr 2S) milt Í? 800 SStuyfrom fsi J-'ebruury to ?Oth trly, Ï60 rfavs t 8 pftr'day 13JO ft.iv. 1810. to trvellin to and Trom Washington1 ÖOO Stay froin 4tli December, to 4h of Mrcl 1341 - ÖU days at é=& per dar ?50 Semtecallod 5'h of M-jrc'r to-coiyfirnrappoi itinMits. In snel diíf a conrsrri!c:ivo i mruev id aliowedfoj and fMiir. 3( ffcay S'or tfdiys. say 40 RtTi tei-rn cal led 8lst cf May. (II n thiá c-ise few ineinbers ut a (üstance retiintnü, bul u construo tivejouinGy wan a'lowed) 800 Síay froni 4'ih Dec. lili lüth Aug. 134-2, 119 clays 1,192 Kov, hSli, travelliiijr 'o nud Trom. 8 tí1' iStny t'rom i:li Déc, lo 'liie 4ili Marcii 90 dayn 720 BooKs votfi! lo mfinbcrs 4b' PüBloge, Síationary, nH oihcr perfiiiies estimtiteii I ífrí' per dav, 7b-i days 2,i-' Toal 1:),77L for the 7!í'd.Ty8 wliich the Señalo hivo becn j }n scssinn, since Portcr's oleciion; deductini; nothing! for the ndjotirnmcnt of that body fot íeveral days at a lime, or fvr absence f lie mcttibcra. Mr. Portcr'u tcrní 'm li3 Üiiiiod lífatcd Sonuto, is iMit iihotit h ll' ou(, to thai n Senntor for Uva ful} teim, cosis us ujffm' 83B;000'. This will am uint to just 17 dollnr? per lay, for Sund.iy absence ?o. are ull orfp perpc:uil hoHday. Eiiong-li nnd ntire in omday flsn1 ía pay a laborer for a wliole iiionitrbhnrd toiJ ihrough etorma and scorching sun. "Somt rrright ohj.?ct tlmt our estímate fui postage ííc.t is too high; but nne moment' connidera-iiofi wül-convince us of the confrary. A cöngïessman Trom Michig'art once said thai he received and omwered on an average twen ty per day. Now f these Ie! tors weriprincipa!} ííotn Díichigafl, arid' franked bolh wys, thü item alone, would amoiint to io per dy. Frankiug document, ond large amount of costly stationary used by sach a membery would probnbly amount to 1, or $L-. per day more. We hnve put all th3 n: $3per dhy, in our esiimute, and liave set down nothiny for dtirirtg file intervals of ihe sesston. The allowanco for mileage is 8v enormou, that had Mr. Porter lived 200 miles farther west, he would by tKiö time Invf received $930 more. "Fn the cuur.se of a Bpeedh pon IVfr. Ar nold's bill, Mr. Bbtta eaid he went for a reductiunof milenfro. As it now stood, he said, some gentlemen received' for miíéasrc a allowance of $-2000, while their actual expense wasnot O7er$f0! He received hlmself $100, whileit costs him but $20 to go nnd return. ThVaverage of pay and müeage gnve somo gentlemen not les? thnu $24 a day, tv hile Mr. B; received S8." Had Mr. Porler Kved ns fkr off as tliose Mr. spoke of. liis py for mileafe alone by this time, would1 have amounted to 9 12,000' Pour realjournies and from? and two constructivo jo".rnies, the actual cost of all this travelling, would not araount to more than L or #300; MBut thiria not the boundr of tfifrir etrávfance.for they pay the Speaker of the House, and President pro' tem. of the Sena te Si per day, and $16 for twenty travel, and mploy ibout boh Honses of Congress an army of ueeless officers and attcndantH, a t ex tnvagnnt wages." We (hink this estímate too löW in Gom rcepectH. A journey to and from Detroit t Washington is usually estimatcd in the pa Jrt at $800 insltad of $800; and the perquio He in the hape of Booka are grealer bhere Btated. The allowauce for Aísyear alone was about 8800. But assurïilng the corrcctnees of Dr. Denton's estimatê.eacti Congressman costs the State, for six years $26,000, or $4,333 each yêar. Then the annua] pay of our five members will amount to Twenry One Thousand, six luindred and seventy-five dollars a year, or &l,6G5 more than our Sevenly State Legislators! So thnt the Argus is righl, and we fully agreo with it, that "here are abuses which cnl! for a epeedy and radicnl refomation."- When our fellow citizens of nll part es gel throngh with dicussing whelher our State Legislatore ought to huve Threc Dollars a doy, or Two Dollars, we invite their attention to the question whcther our Congressmen ehaü continue to receive Skvkntkkn Dollars a dat, or whelher they ought to bo cut down to Five Dollars witfiont any allowance for Postoge, Stntionary, Newapapers, Books, or any other purpose.