Mr. SHERMAN. Nothing can be more unpleasant than to oppose a proposition like this, especially when the Senator in charge of the resolution himself yields the action of the committee; but as I think I have been governed by a general principle in my action on this subject I prefer now, once for all, to state it. When the application was 1st made by the employees of the Executive Depts for an increase of their compensation it was upon a sFimple and I think very just and equitable They alleged that their pay had been fixed years ago, at a time when they received it in gold, when money was of much more value than at Present. With the salary they then received fo were able to maintain their families in comfort and independence. They rePresented to us that on account of the change in prices and the change in the character of the money oto them they are unable to meet their ordinary expenses, and many cases of real distress came to our knowledge growing out of the insufficiency of their pay, the pay given by the Government being in a depreciated currency and not sufficient to maintain them in ordinary comfortandindependence. That was a claim which Pressed strongly upon us and which no man with any feeling could resist. If their pay as it was fixed in 1854 was a just compensation for services of a certain character, it certainly was not just now. It was to meet this that, for a temporary purpose, for this year, till a general reorganization could be had in the Executive Depts, we agreed I believe unanimously that there should be some additional compensation to: to the employees of the Depts. e could not pretend, in the Present condition of the Treasury, to give them all that they could reasonably claim. They might claim reasonably, on account of the currency, enough to make their pay equal to what it was before. That, however, we could not give, and finally by common consent it was agreed that 20%, additional should be given to them this year upon the principle I have stated. There were, wo certain exceptions to this general rule. One of them was the one now proposed to be stricken out. Within 3 or 4 years it has been the habit of the Government to employin certain Depts female clerks and employees. Their compensation was 1st fixed at $600 a year. It is true they were called upon to discharge the same services as male clerks to some extent; but the great body of the male population of our country being in the Army, and the ladies being very anxious for employment, the ]”. was I think wisely given to them, and they were then satisfied with the compensation fixed. Things passed on for a year or so, when upon their own application their pay was increased to $720 a year. I had the pleas ure of introducing that proposition and supporting it, and it was carried. That was on the ground that the increased cost of living caused by the continued depreciation of paper money made $720 then no more than equal to the $600 originally fixed. That increase was freely granted. The year following they came to us again, and rePresented that there ought to be a gradation in their pay; that while some of them were mere copyists, others were performing the duties of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class clerks. Upon their rePresentation and application we adopted a scale which they themselves proposed. Their own plan was adopted and an increase of compensation provided for. Then, in certain depts of the government, like the Bureau of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Bureau of internalrevenue and some other bureaus that were organized during the war, a higher rate of pay was given by laws passed since 1864, in order to meet the argument that I have already mentioned. It was deemed wise when this general increase was provided for, on the ground of the inadequacy of the former pay, that those who had already been increased in the way I have stated should be excepted from the operation of this resolution, and that is the reason why this exception was made. . regard to the other exception which is also proposed to be stricken out I have a word to say. By an appropriation which we all admit to be wrong in principle a fund was placed in the hands of an executive officer to distribute at his pleasure; and yet under the peculiar circumstances by which we were then surrounded we were prevailed upon to do it. I voted for it on the ground that we were not then prepared in the existing condition of the country to reorganize the Treasury Dept. A sum of $250,000 in the 1st place, and subsequently of $160,000, was placed in the hands of the SecyTreasury to be used in his Dept to give extra compensation in proper cases.. That this money was wisely and honestly distributed I have no manner of doubt. The statements made by gentlemen in that Dept, who perhaps have no political affinities with the SecyTreasury, show that the money was fairly distributed, and there is no ground to impute anything to the contrary. It must be remembered, however, that this sum of $410,000, or a considerable portion of it, was distributed to certain clerks and employees in the Treasury, some of whom received as much as $600, and some 30%. over their salaries. They received from 100 dollars to 600 dollars a year out of this fund. Now, in addition to this large increase given to them for their faithful services, because an effort is made by other clerks and employees who have never had a benefit of an increase, and because their application has been kindly listened to by Congress and is about to be granted, it is proposed to give to those clerks who have already received from the SecyTreasury all that the heads of their bureaus recommended an additional 20%. It seems to me it is not just, it is not right, and I think the resolution as reported from the ComFinance containing this exception ought to be sustained. As a matter of course, if the members of the committee vary from it 1st in one clause and then in another I have no hope of seeing the resolution as reported sustained. But it seems to me the resolution as it stands, giving a general increase of 20%. to all whose compensation was fixed prior to 1864 and making !. exceptions I have named, excluding those whose compensation has already been increased from the benefits of this addition, and excluding those who have already received a large gratuity from the funds heretofore appropriated by Congress, will be right. It does seem to be ungracious, to use no stronger term, because clerks who have never received any benefit from the bounty of the Government are proposed to be increased in their pay, that others who have received this bounty should come forward and claim an additional sum. The resolution already provides that if the amount allotted out of this fund should be less than the 20%. allowed to other clerks that deficiency shall be made up, and if the amount already received exceeds the 20%. that need not be paid back from what they have received. I shall therefore vote against this amendment, although it is an ungracious task. I do not wish to deny to the ladies employed in the bureaus at Washington the 20%.: and to oppose it is a very ungracious and unpleasant duty. Many of these ladies perform the functions of regular clerks, and perhaps in equity ought to receive the pay of regular clerks; but this resolution is not founded upon that principle. If that was the recognized doctrineupon which we should legislate, we ought to provide at once that ladies employed to discharge the duties of 1st, ico 3rd, and 4th class clerks should receive the pay of their respective grades, but that is not the ground on which we have placed our legislation. I think they have no cause to complain. They have already been twice dealt with according to their own desire, and they have no ground of complaint if now we refuse to extend to them this 20%. The object of Congress is attained by giving to those who have never received any change in their pay a reasonable and fair increase, and that is all that is justified by the exigencies of the public service and the state of the Treasury. I do not wish to engage further in this discussion. I shall vote for the resolution as it stands; but if these exceptions are stricken out, and if it is loaded down with other amendments that are not founded upon any distinct reason, I cannot vote for it.