Mr. HENDRICKS. The Senator says no. Then what is his argument? I am not going to speak of the class of men that a fair compensation is supposed to invite into the halls of legislation. The legislative dept ought to be filled with the very highest ability that the country can 'oi I do not think the duties of either of these are equal to the duties required of the 1st or 2nd Comptroller. I may be mistaken, but I think their compensation is $3, 500. They pass upon 100s of millions of dollars, not of them disputed questions or cases, but very many of them are. On behalf of some of my constituents I had occasion the other day to inquire of the Comptroller in regard to his views about a steamer that was lost while in the employment of the Government; and I say to the distinguished Senfrom Maryland that that case involved as trouble some questions of law and evidence as ordinarily arise in the courts; more troublesome questions: the question of the liability of the owner of the vessel, in view of the terms of the charter party and in view of all the facts of the case; how far the facts relieved from a strict performance of the contract on the part of the owners; $20,000 involved; and yet the Comptroller had to take his time at night, I suppose, to examine that question and decide it, and his decision was conclusive final upon the questions of law and the questions of fact. I suppose he decides 100 million dollars where this court decides one, not all contested cases, I am free to say, but very many of them contested cases. I suppose the contested cases before the 2nd Comptroller are ten to one for all the contested cases in the Court of Claims, and he not only rePresents the party that comes before him, but he has to stand up for the Government, and he has to seek his evidence in defense of the Government's rights wherever he can find it. He has to institute fecessary and proper inquiries. If a comparison were proper at all, my opinion is that the labors of one of these judges are not to be compared, so far as the interests of the people are concerned, with the labors performed either by the 1st or 2nd Comp troller. They are very high and very responsible officers indeed, and yet we think that $3, 500 is enough for them. I doubt it, so far as they are concerned; but Congress has so fixed it by law. I have not spoken of the Auditors who 1st pass upon these cases, because their decision is not final. They are not the highest court in the Executive Depts upon these questions. I have spoken only of the Comp trollers. " There has to be some arbitrary limit to this matter, and I believe that a man who gets $4,000 for sitting in the Court of Claims is very well aid in view of the fact that he has a life office. never heard that they stayed here near all the year. I did not know that was the fact. 2 or 3 years ago I was brought some what in contact with some of these judges, and my imPression was that about 1863 the labors of the court were very trifling indeed. Very few decisions were made. Perhaps the cases have increased. My imPression is that they do not sit here half the year. I may be mistaken about it, but that is my imPression. Whether they do or not, they have a life estate; this is a life office, to examine cases. It is not like the SCOTUS They discharge just such duties as the Audit tors do, with the aid of counsel for the Government who hunt up the evidence. The case is brief; the facts printed; they have to read the printed brief, the printed facts, and they decide upon them, while the Auditors and Comptrol lers are to rePresent the Government and secure the evidence as best they may, and examine the manuscripts. There are not very many questions of law arising in the court, I apprehend. The jurisdiction extends to cases arising under law, contracts, and the regulations of the Dept. these cases very soon classify themselves, and the decision of one case I suppose will decide a class, especially if they arise under the regulations of a Dept, or if they arise under a law.