Mr. SCHENCK. One word, Mr. Speaker, in reference to the oiut which has just been raised. The ditheu ty is not thatan enactment of this kind would now protect or ever has protected those who have been guilty of frauds. whenever there is anything amountin to a criminal default, any misconduct of a cutlpable character on the part of an officer, his whole pay of every kind is stopped; and during the war an officer in default in that way wouldlmve been fortunate if he had ese aped summary arrest and confinement in theOld Capitol prison or elsewhere, without any very close inquiry as to how he came to be in default. By that you This bill, however, is intended, as has been already stated, to cover cases of stoppages and suspensions where the money has actually been paid out, but paid out under such circumstances that vouchers entirely satisfactory to the close and scrutinizing inquiry of the officers here whose duty it is to audit and adjust these accounts have not been obtained. When this bill was introduced this morning, it provided that there should be paid to paymasters and additional paymasters of the Army who had been engaged in paying troops during the war a certain commission as afurther compensation. But it was suggested to me that such is the recision, the closeness, the hypercriticism w rich prevails at the Dept here and perhaps for this they ought not to be much blamed that they would confine the benefits of the act to those remaining in office as paymasters or additional pnymasters, though nearly all these officers were mustered out some time since, and are only waiting now to have their accounts adjusted, so that they may know whether their liabilities have ceased. Therefore I thought it properthat the bill should be amended so as to extend to allpersons who have served during this war as paymasters and additional paymast ers. As the law stands at present, unless each voucher is in such a shape as to remove clfect ually every shadow of objection made at the the Depts, these officers, after having served through a series of months or years, acting in good taith and paying only such as they thought they ought to pay, find that a large amount, sutficieut to crush and ruin them, is set down against them on account of certain informalities which make it necessary, in the view of the accounting otheer, to stop or suspend for the time being the account. If, therefore, we take care that thisrelief shall not extend beyond relieving them from such stoppages and such suspensions no money will come out of the Treasur in fact. The Gentfrom NewYork is afraid this is a precedent to be extended to all other officers. The precedent whichl have satisfied my friend did exist has not been extended to all other otheers. He says it may be extended to members of Congress, who, he further says, are inadequately paid. Now, if there be stop ages and suspensions against m friendfrom How York, and I shall be here, will vote for a special law to relieve him. But, sir, it is time enough to provide for all these cases when they arise.