The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-02-01

iodfn Wnat large emoiumehts uau ho"ou
into the pockets of their friends, and
thought it quite time that this gross ex-
travagance should be arrested. They
went to work and cut down all these
officers, in their fees, to what was thought
very decent maximum for Wines, and
the like of WHIGs, though such compen
sation was not deemed sufficient for Loco
focos. The Who's did not complain; but
good easy souls--on the ground, we sup
pose, that Wing was not worth as much
as a Locofoco, turned in with good heart,
and helped the new zealots in economy
in the accomplishment of their work.
The treachery Of JOHN TYLER soon
busted the Who's of their power, and for
some seven years the Locofocos went
along very well contented with the sala-
ries as they were, with the epickings and
stealings." But on the Sd of March,
lS49, they had another revelation. They
found out that the salaries paid to the
custom-house officers were altogether too
high, though they had never suspected it
for seven long years. So well persuaded
were they of this fact, that they cut of, at
blind dash, upwards of $500, 900 from
the moneys expended in the collection Of
the revenue; and now we find them, in
1850, impressed with the vital necessity
of saving the nation by taking fifty per
cont frovxx tbn e,lar;ac ,f fha .,,~vox,o,~
and collectors. The slime old logic is APP
piled. A salary of $4,000 was none too
large for Locofoco collector; but 1000
is enough and to spare for WIG collec-
tor. Mr.. BAyLY, the Chairman of the
Committee Of Ways and Means, becomes
struck all of sudden with the singular
discrepancy between the salary of gov.
ernor and collector, and really advances
the doctrine that you can get the better
collector for the less sum.
We do not know that there is any thing
especial in the commodity of collectors
that will justify this paradox. The gem
eral impression is, that the best price will
get the best article but it is peculiarly
confined 1--WE presume) to Wing collectors,
that the less you pay for them the better
you will find them. But the wonderful
thing about this is, that this peculiarly in
prices is confined to Wing officers. Mr..
BAYLY never made this great discovery
in political economy, when his friends
were in possession of the Offices. Then
the ordinary rule applied; but now the
universal rules of demand and supply, of
price and value, are reversed and the
discovery is made that you can get the
best officers for the smallest salaries.
We know not how others may regard
this policy of Mr.. BAYLY aud his friends.
For our own part, we cannot help think
ing that it would have had much better
appearance if these discoveries in political
economy had been made under differe mt
circumstances. If the theory is true now,
it has been equally true at any time for
the last eight years. Had we been Mr..
BAYLY, and had only made our discovery
when the Offices were held by our oppo-
nents, we think, from sentiments of self
respect, we should have kept our discov-
cry to ourselves. We would not have
preached his low-price theory for all the
credit of its invention, at the risk of being
set down as hypocrite or demagogue.
Mr.. BAYLY seems to labor under great
i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS a. ~ tba Jo..~ukln-...
of these public employments. Some of
the larger Of them are considered.worth
having by gentlemen who have taste for
official life; but in the northern cities, at
all events, the subordinate appointments
in the custom-house, with their present
salaries, are not solicited by individuals
who are more than competent to ill them.
They are Offices Of trust, and the incum-
bents are exposed to temptations. 1t is
therefore important for the government to
fill them with respectable men. Such
men must be competently paid; and we
apprehend that the salaries now paid are
not any too large to secure the competi-
ton and the services Of the right descrip-
ton Of appointees.
On this point we are not prepared 10
enter the lists with the honorable chair
man. We may well be permitted to doubt,
however, of the correctness of his views,
when we consider how suddenly they have
been adopted, and how singular it is that
his economical vein should have been de-
veloped under such peculiar, not to say
suspicious, circumstances.
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