Mr. LAWRENCE, of Ohio. I agree with the gentleman. I think he is entirely correct. And, Mr. Chairman, I for one would have sat in this House until the expiration of the congress, without any adjournment at all, in order to compel the Senate and this House to vote more liberal bounties to the soldiers, and to have kept that question entirely disconnected from the question of the increase of the pay of members of Congress. In this condition of the question, as I was about to remark when interrupted, many, perhaps most of the votes in favor of the bill were so given solely to secure bounties to. the soldiers. Gentfrom Michigan, [Mr. FERRY, ] when the vote was taken defined his position, equally applicable to others, by saying: “Steadily and invariably I have voted against an increase of pay to membersof Congress, because I opposed am to any increase in the present condition of our finances. 3 times upon this very proposition has myvotebeenrecordedagainst it. Now, it appears coupled with the increase of bounty to our gallant soldiers, which Iheartily favor, but which I vote for without also voting for the increase ocfancnoont gressional pay. The Senate insists upon this increase at the peril of bounty to our soldiers. There is no alternative but to vote for both or voteagainstboth.” For myself, I regarded the limited bounty provided by that bifi as totally inadequate, and much less than justice to our brave soldiers. Ipreferred to vote against an increase of sala ries in the hope that bounties alike liberal and just might thereafter be provided for all the soldiers of the Republic, the “100 days' men” of Ohio included. To accomplish this I will.with my colleague [Mr. Schexck] who has introduced a bill to secure that object. And I may add that because I desire to make the bounties liberal I will vote against all other bills which will add to the burdens or taxes of the people, except in those rare cases where justice or the public interests imperatively require it. I will do more than that; I will go with the comRetrenchment and all others in every measure to reduce all useless expenditures and diminish extravagant salaries. Our whole revenue system, with its cumbrous machinery of assessors, collectors, distillery inspectors, &c., is exhausting the energies of the people with salaries, some of which are too high in comparison with the wages of the laborers and producers of the country. The expenses of collecting the internalrevenue for the last fiscal year, as we learn from the report of the ComrIntRev, were as follows: Assessors’ compensation and expenses. $965,079 09 Asst assessors'compensation. 3,068, 96400 SCuoplleecritnotresn’ deeonmtspensation and expenses. 2, 161, 71014 of exports and back Revenue agents. Special agents assign Revenue inspectors. Special revenue commi fficersand clerks in this bureau. Stamps and cotton tags Other incidental expenses of this office. Commission on sale of stamps. draw. 13, 714 fo. i o7 o 00 46 This is nearly 2 and one half%. of the total receipts, exclusive of drawback and sums refunded as erroneously collected. I submit to the House statistical tables prepared at the internalrevenue dept, showing the amounts paid in Ohio for the principal assessors and collectors of internalrevenue, which show also the necessity for speedy retrenchment: Statements, howingthe amountof salary and expenses receivedby the several assessorsof internalrevenue for thestate of Ohio during the fiscal years of 1864, 1865, and 1866. the annual salary of each assessortherefore wasfor fiscalyear ending June 30, 1864. 3, 95230 For fiscal year ending June 30, 1865. 4, 30703 For fiscal year ending June 30, 1866. 4, 13639 This does not include the amount paid asst assessors in H the several counties. 2T 3 Eoropose. Remarks. The amounts paid deputy collectors out of the salary of the principal collector. wh iTchhisaremnaorkt odnefniloetes the districts the reports for in this office. Balance in Treasury, agreeable to warrants, J.uly, But let us begin the work of retrenchmentin this Capitol. The recent increase of salary is not justified by the condition of the country or the judgment of those we represent. Prices are not now so high as during the war, when gold for a considerable period was at a much larger premium than now. No man then urged an increase of salary, though the necessity for it then was greater than now. If it be said the war was then upon us, requiring sacrifices alike of Congress and the people, I answer, the bur dens of the war are yet upon us in the shape of a national debt of $2, 700,000,000, with State liabilities besides, and obligations yet unper formed to the soldiers whose valor and perse verance saved the Republic in the hour of its greatest peril. Let us 1st be just before we are generous dispensers of the Treasury, of which we have been made the guardians if not the custodians. If the policy of this Administration, as advanced in the report of the so of the Treasury, should be speedily carried out, it would be impossible for the people to endure the taxation which they now so patiently bear, while they are permitted to share the benefits of a currency of “U.S. notes, ” or as they are generally called, “greenbacks, ” of $385, 441, 849, in addition to nationalbank notes, $292, 671, 753. The report informs us that “The Secretary is of the opinion that the national banks should be sustained, and that the paper cir culation of the country should be reduced, not by compelling them to retire their notes, but by the withdrawal of the U.S. notes” the “greenbacks;” and the Secretary reminds us of "the discredit which attaches to the Government by failing to pay the notes according to their tenor.” If more than half of o the best currency the ever had, or can have, should be sud enly withdrawn, our national funded debt would necessarily be augmented to an equal amount, adding more than $20,000,000 to its interest, and consequently to our taxes, and what is of vastly more consequence, commercial revulsion and bankruptcy must inevitably follow. A general reduction in the prices of produce, the wages of the laborer."the me chanic would speedily follow, diminishing the means of liquidating taxes and the public debt, but at the same time increasing comparatively the load of the debt itself. I cannot indorse that financial policy that would increase our burdens while. the means of discharging them; yet the fact that this policy is urged, as the SecyTreasury distinctly says, to secure lower prices generally, should admonish us that this is no time to enlarge salaries or expenses. It is not correct to charge upon the Government the “discredit” “of failing to pay its notes.” We learn from the report of the SecyTreasury that the receipts and expenditures of the “.for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1866, were as follows: ReceiPTS. 1.3 To which add balance of sundry trust funds not included in the above balance 2, 217.7 Making balance, July 1, 1865, including trustfund. 3,076,041 Receipts from loans. 712, 851,533 Receipts from customs. 179,046, 651 Recipts from lands 5,031 RReecceeiippttss from direct tax. 1, 974, 754 from internal reenue. 309, 226, 813 Receip sources. 67, 119, 369 558,032, 620 1, 273, 960, 214 ExPENDITURES. Redemption of public debt. $620, 321, 725 For the civil ser $41,056, 961 ll. Indians. 18, 852, 416 For the War dept. 284, 449, 701 Carried over, $344, 356,07$8520, 321, 72$51, 2, 3, 560, 214 Brought over. 344, 359,078$620, 321, 725$1, 273, 960, 214 For the Navy dept. 43, 324, 118 Forintereston the public debt. 133,067, 741 520, 750, 9401, 141,072, 666 Leaving a balance in the Treasury on the 1st day of July, 1866. $132, 887, 548 The receipts for the quarter ending September 31, 1866, were $465, 460, 557 and the expenditures were $323,041, 76a8n, d the balance in the Treasury on the 1st day of October last was $142, 418, 789. Here, then, in these receipts the Government redeemed in one year every dollar of the legal tender “greenbacks, ” and again paid them out to a people willing to receive them. This currency is thus paid and again put in circulation, answering all the purposes of gold. Unlike every other currency, it is a legal tender for debts and in payment of taxes, and thus has 2 values never imparted to any other }}. money in o:history. And now have sufficiently shown that this increase of compensation was carried through, not on its own merits, but to secure H. bounties to meritorious soldiers deserving much more. It is high time that this dangerous and vicious practice of coupling together different and distinct measures in one bill should be forever discarded. It secures legislation against the matured judgment of those who are unwillingly driven to give it “aid and comfort.” It furnishes an excuse for evil legislation and a shelter from all responsibility. The evil is so apparent and so great that in several of the State constitutions, as in Ohio, it is expressly provided, that “No bill shall contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title.” And because this measure was thus passed ‘we should now restore the law so as to conform to the judgment of the House. It is not to be presumed that the opinions twice solemnly exressed in [. July, before the elections, have since changed, or that members could entertain one set of opinions before the elections and another after. Here the hammer fell.