To many people $5000 seemed a large salary, but the great expense of living in Washington renders the salary quite inadequate.  Members have been known to pay more than their salaries for house-rent alone.  Accordingly, in 1907, the salary of senators and representatives was increased to $7500 and that of the speaker and president pro tempore of the Senate to $12,000.

To Hold Other Offices.  Disqualification.—­Section 6, Clause 2. No senator or representative shall, during the time for which he is elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased, during such time; and no person holding any office under the United States shall be a member of either house during his continuance in office.

The purpose of this provision seems to have been to remove the temptation on the part of Congressmen to create offices, or to increase the emoluments of those already existing, in order to profit by such legislation.  The exclusion of United States officials from seats in Congress was due to the desire of appeasing State jealousy, which asserted that the National government would in this way secure an undue influence over the State governments.  It is advocated, with good reason, that members of the Cabinet should be privileged to take part in the discussion of measures in Congress which pertain to their own departments.  Alexander Hamilton asked for this privilege.  It was refused because of the belief that he would exert too great influence over the members.  The precedent thus established has always been retained.

But since executive officers are often invited to present their views before committees of Congress, they may, in this way, exert great influence upon legislation.

CHAPTER IX.

HOW LAWS ARE MADE BY CONGRESS.

Methods of Procedure Developed by Custom.—­Very little can be learned directly from the Constitution concerning the actual methods employed in the enactment of laws by Congress.  In both houses the ways in which business is conducted have been developed by custom; and they have changed from time to time according to circumstances.  These methods of procedure are different from those in use when the government was new.  The principal reason for this is found in the growth of the amount of business that Congress must consider; this, in turn, has been caused by the growth of population and wealth, and by the expansion of business relations throughout this country and with other nations.

I. The Committee System.—­An understanding of this system is necessary in order that we may follow the steps taken in the making of laws.  Two facts made the committee system necessary in the houses of Congress. (1) The number of members, especially in the House of Representatives, is so large that business cannot be transacted quickly by the entire body. (2) The number of bills introduced is so very great that it is impossible for either house to consider all of them; hence it is necessary that committees shall examine the bills and decide which are worthy of consideration.