Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. President, about the close of the last Congress a special committee was raised for the purpose of reorganizing the interior Dept. The chairmen of the various committees in this body who deal particularly with the bureaus in that dept constituted that committee. I was upon that committee, and remember very well that the heads of the bureaus of the interior. Dept were called before the committee and gave their testimony in relation to the operations of their various bureaus. I remem ber very well that the heads of those bureaus stated that since the commencement of Mr. Lincoln's administration the clerks under them especially in the land dept, hado twice, because, after being a time in the dept, and becoming experienced and having the knowledge which was necessary to discharge its duties, they became so capable and were in such demand elsewhere that it was impossible for them to be retained in the Dept. The committee accordingly reported a bill for the reorganization of that Dept, which passed the Senate, but which was not acted upon in the House. It was to prevent just that operation in the Treasury Dept that Congress thought proper to put this fund at the disposal of the dept, to hold it as an inducement and as a consideration for distribution among the meritorious and laborious clerks performing the great duties of the Dept, to be distributed for that purpose, and to retain them in the service. Again and again it was urged upon Congress by the heads of those bureaus that they would lose their best clerks, and the service of the Government would be doi very much by their leaving, and this fund was placed at the control of the Dept for the purIpose of preventing that shall not say anything in reference to the distribution of that fund. The statement of the heads of the bureaus is sufficient for me. But I wish to say a word in answer to the suggestion of the honorable Senfrom Illinois, that they, having made the distribution, would as a matter of course say they had made that distribution without any favoritism. Certainly, they made the distribution without any political favoritism toward the SecyTreasury, for, as we all know very well, almost all those heads of bureaus politically were opposed to the views of the SecyTreasury, and they are the persons who made the distribution; so that political favoritism was impossible in the mode in which the fund was distributed. That the fund should have been distributed with a certain degree of favoritism, but a just favoritism, on the Fort of the heads of bureaus I do not doubt. They were to distribute this fund by favoring those who deserved the favor which the Government held out for the meritorious labor, responsibility, and work which they performed. It was distributed in that way. Now, Mr. President, I ask, when that inducement has been held out to those men as the consideration of their staying, as the consideration of their performing this meritorious work, and has been paid to them for this mer itorious work, is that any reason, if Congress conclude on the whole that all the salaries of these clerks are too low by 20%., and we make a universal increase of salary to the amount of 20%., that the sala ries of these men shall not be increased for the future? I see no reason in it at all. If we increase the salaries of all 20%., and these men are reduced to the 20%. increase also, where is your pay for their meritorious services? Where is the reward of merit? Where is the just favoritism which rightfully belongs to them for the meritorious services they perform” It seems to me I cannot look at it in any other light that if you retain this proviso and reduce these men to precisely the same footing of all the rest your pay for their meritorious services is one. g