The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-08-11
miscellaneous.
Omcial Emoluments in England and in the
United States.


Omcial Emoluments In England and Ina the
United States.
motion in the British House of Commons dur
ing the past month was made TO reduce the salaries
of the officials, which, after debate, in which many
distinguished men participated, was lost. The sum
of the salaries paid in the various departments of the
public service, exclusive of the army and naval SER
vice, 60 ga 1872 In the course of the debate con-
slant comparison was made between this immense
sum and our own more moderate expenses, and
much said both in commentator and in de-
rison of the system of the United States. We
select specimens. A Mr. Drummond said
Tie well remembered when Lord Sidmouth was
Secretary for the Home Department reading IN the
Edinburgh Review comparison between the sala-
RES paid TO the ministers of this country and OF
America, greatly panegyrlzing the system OF the
Americans who, II was SAID got their Sidmouths
Tor 3OOl. year, and their Crokers by the gross
for nothing. (Laushler) He (Mr. Drummond)
wished TO the chancellor of the exchequer boldly
graphing with this question: and proposing mea-
sure which would reduce every income, from the
very highest down TO the lowest, and from which
he would not exclude the income of any rich man
in this country, whether he held public Office or
notn CA augh)
The chancellor of the exchequer said there had
been already great reductions:
s'The salary of the First Lord Of the Treasury
not reduced; but the salaries of the Chancellor
Of the Exchequer and the Lords of the Treasury
The salaries Of the Secretary of the Treas
ury and the Secretaries of State were reduced
l000l year each the salaries Of the Under Sec
retaries of State were reduced 500i. year; the
salary of the Lord President was reduced more
than 50Ol year; that of the President of the
Board of Control ,5O0l year; and that Of the
First Lord of the Admiralty 500l a year. With
respect TO all the other appointments Of frst-rate
importance the salaries generally fixed at
2,O0Oi year The salary of the Paymaster of
The forces had been fixed at 2,400i. The commit
tee of 1881 proceeded examination carried on
in detail into all the public Offices comparing the
salaries with those Of $780, and the result was as
he had stated, considerable reduction The Hon.
gentleman had said that the pressure of taxation
was such that the people were no longer able to
pay the present high salaries. But the honorable
gentleman forgot that large amount of taxation
had been taken off principally upon articles of gen.
era consumption No less than between 200 000i
and 5000, 000i, had been taken off in that way
within the last five years. The pressure of taxa
ton upon the great body of the people had thus
been greatly relieved. (Hear hear.) And how
had the revenue been maintained Why, by the
imposition of direct tax on income, which tax
had. of course, been applied to persons holding
official situations well to others, and including
all who had salaries at and above l50l. year"
Hear, hear
Mr.. Golden was in favor of the system pursued
in the United States. He said:
"a salary of 5,000l year for occupying the trea
sury bench much more than need be paid to
any man. He would go further than reduction
of 10 per cent. on such salaries. Why, consider
ing the general range of profits and prices should
we pay our public officers more than double the
he ntthli nffca rofa 9TH
try; Take the United States. Hear, hear.) 1t
was a great empire, second only 10 ourselves In
maritime importance. Well the four principal sec
retares OF State in the United States received only
] 250l year each. Now, these men correspond
in dignity and importance with the secretaries OF
this and other countries and were in all respects
quite as distinguished as they were. Ii was impos-
sibe that any individual on the treasury bench
could conceive that he Mr.. Cobden) in any way
detracted from their importance their merits by
comparing them with those men, Take next the
diplomatic officers. Our ambassador al Paris had
10 COOL year. Our ambassador at Austria had
990W year, and our ministry to Spain had 6 ,5OOi
a year. while the United States did not pay to their
highest diplomatic functionary more than 2,000i. a
year
Why, then, should we pay 100000 year to
an ambassador at Paris, when the Americans pay
only 30O0L TO their ambassador at Paris But II
was his proposition that the salaries paid this
country should be reduced TO the same figure rs
that Of the United States. Let il not be said ne
was for bringing down their establishment TO those
Of republic. If the House would reduce them
twenty per cent, that would satisfy him, and they
would still be well paid But what he wished the
public functonares of this country 10 exhibit more
prominently was a sense Of royalty, and appre-
cation of the honor which attached to the holding
Of Office and not an exclusive desire OF being paid
for carrying on the public establishments Of the
country Were such feeling displayed by pub
lie it would greatly enhance the dignity Of their
position, and heghten the estimation IN which they
would be held by the community.
He had thus, then, indicated what was the class
Of officers the reduction Of whose salaries he wished
70 see effected There was in his opinion not only
many that might be reduced, but many public SER
wants whose services might be dispensed with alto
ge,her. The honorable gentleman had lost sight Of
the great number Of supernumerares that we had,
and who were not required. The noble lord at the
head of the Government had stated that Prime MIN
isers formerly had sinecure Offices, which they could
give 10 their sons. Now, il did not seem To him
that ministers Of the present day lost sight of their
relations altogether e Hear and laughter)
great part OF the patronage at the disposal Of our
ministers Dug hi 10 be considered as some compen-
saion for the labors OF their Offices. Besides there
we're retiring pensions in this country, but in Amer
yea there were no retiring pensions for civil SER
vices"
Afterwards the pension list came up. and some
strange Developments were made