REVISED STATUTES OF 1881.
The Senate returned to the bill [S. 437].
Mr. MENZIES moved to strike out the clause requiring the statutes to be printed in one volume, if practicable.
The motion was rejected.
Mr. SAYRE moved to amend so as to make the pay of the Board of Revision $4,000 a year instead of $3,000. The services of these gentlemen are richly worth $4,000 a year. He referred to sums paid Revision Commissioners in other States, and thought $4,000 little enough. The member of the Revision Board from his part of the State abandoned his professional business at a sacrifice in order to engage in this work.
Mr. SHAFFER moved to reduce the sum to $2,500 annually for the work already done, and $4,000 for the future.
Mr. VAN VORHIS, judging from the work already done, thought $2,500 a year is enough, but for the future thw ork is of a different nature, and is worth more.
Mr. GRAHAM favored the amendment proposing a salary of $2,500, regretting to attack the sum appropriated in the bill, because he had the highest respect for the members of the Board of Revision.
Mr. GRUBBS opposed the amendment to the amendment, believing it too small, and he also opposed the amendment, believing it too large, but he favored the sum named in the bill.
Mr. GARRIGUS had seen members struggling for days to keep from making the pay of Prosecuting Attorneys $200 a year more. He thought there was too much money proposed to be voted these gentlemen, for work that has had to be doctored up by the Legislature after having been gone over line by line by a Revison Committee of our own. The salaries given to Circuit Judges is ample, and all he was willing to vote for.
Mr. BROWN stated there were thirty-eight bills here undisposed of that have been prepared by this Commission. In the last twenty-five years there has not been a Legislature which has kept more closely to honest work than this, and most of this work has been based upon what has been prepared by this Revision Committee. He would stand by the proposition of the Senator from Wabash [Mr. Sayre] to pay $4,000 a year.
The amendment to the amendment was rejected.
Mr. CHAPMAN moved to substitute $3,000 a year. He desired to be liberally just.
This amendment was rejected--yeas, 19; nays, 24.
The $4,000 amendment was rejected, and the report of the Committee making the pay $3,500 per annum was concurred in without a division.
On motion by Mr. SPANN, the bill was amended as as to give the preference to resident bidders, other things being equal.
Mr. GRAHAM offered an amendment, which was rejected, striking out the provisions giving copies of the Revised Statutes to Members of the Legislature, Town Trustees and County Officers, except Clerk, Auditor, Treasurer, Sheriff and Recorder, and reducing the profits on the sales of copies from 100 to 25 per cent.
Mr. HENRY moved to strike out the clause giving a copy of the Revised Statutes to each Member of the General Assembly.
The LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR declined to entertain the motion because its subject matter was embraced in the amendment just voted down.
The Senate amendments were ordered engrossed.
