The Senate had under discussion an Army Bill, when Mr.
Doolittle, of Wisconsin, moved an amendment reducing and
regulating the mileage of Members of Congress. The remarks of
Mr. Sumner were not addressed to the merits of the question,
but to the impropriety of dealing with it in the pending bill.
MR. PRESIDENT,--It seems clear that the discussion in which we
are launched is a departure from the question before the Senate.
The pending bill is “to define the pay and emoluments of certain
officers of the army, and for other purposes,” and an amendment is
moved to reduce and regulate Congressional mileage. By what process
of association the two are brought together it is not easy to see.
Certainly nobody looking for light on Congressional mileage would think
of exploring our army legislation.
* * * * *
My experience teaches me the advantage, not to say the beauty of order,
in the business of legislation, as in all other business. There is a
proper place for everything, and everything should be in its proper
place. Especially should things plainly incongruous be kept apart, and
without commixture. But what more unreasonable than the commixture
proposed? Each measure may be good in itself, but the two do not go
together. They are without natural or logical connection. One is not
the incident of the other, nor in any respect germane to the other.
They should be in separate bills, and be discussed separately.
Here we are in high debate on the Army Bill, and all at once the
subject is changed, although the original bill is still before the
Senate. But Congressional mileage is enough by itself. Already it
has occupied the attention of the country, has been discussed in the
newspapers, and especially in the other House. It is a Serbonian
bog, not indeed “where armies whole have sunk,” but only Members of
Congress. Are you ready, while considering another question, to revive
this debate, making it the accident of another, with which it has
nothing to do? Is it advisable? Is it according to the natural order of
business?
The Mileage Amendment was adopted, but the bill failed between
the two Houses.