Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-02-13

sAIdermamsc salary"
Under this caption the Gazette of
yesterday morning, tries to say some
thing little too smart, and ends the
performance ina perfect n.H,l+&ie,"--
The late w.dinance oftLc City Council,
fixing the salaries to he paid The Alder
men for their services the Gazette
seems to think is not quite what it
should be, for the reason that it had
retrospective effect in paying the mem
beers OF the present City Council for
past services. II is all well enough, as
that journal says, to pay future Alder
men 5000 per year each for their ser
vices, but those who have given their
time and labor 10 the city for the las,
year, arc entitled TO nothing. We
confess that We cannot precisely discoy-
or the justice Of that kind of logic
There is no class Of men more ANNOYED
with petty complaints, propositions,
and petitions for this or that improve
ncnt, or grievance, than are the Alder
mcn Of this city. They devote their
time upon Committees to examine into
all petitions presented to Tie Council,
drawing up ordinances, and in a gene
ri superintendcnce Of the interests of
Ill portions Of our citizeus, and receive
curses and abuse, publicly aud pri~~,c-
", from al who feel ike INDUCING in
an angry snsrl, at some act which they
do not fancy TO be just as it should he.
The opening Of streets, establishing Of
grades, aud innumcrablc other duties,
which none but those who have beer
members Of the City Council can up-
derstand, are constantly claiming the
attention Of the City Fathers. and +"
ask that the Aldermen shall perform
all these duties, and be the objects oi
public and private oensure, VIXEN cen
sure is unjust, for nothing, is asking
more Of our business men than we are
willing as individuals to grant. Their
is no sense to have a City Council to
do the work of city OF 10, 900 inhah-
itants without pay, for in that case
they arc Indifferent to many of the re
al interests Of the city and Justly say,
that what they do is fully equal 10
their pay.
The City Council meets as often as
once and sometimes twice each week.
But the labor of the Council is by he
means confined to the time in which
the Council is in session. The Coun-
Gil is divided mp into Committees i'll
Guiding almost cvesy Alderman upon
some one Of the Committees, and these
Committees ore employed almost every
day in the week preparing reports, or
dinances, resolutions, DC, aud invest
eating the allegations of petitions pre-
scented by citizens. Unless they receive
. compensation, they will feel indticr
ent upon these subjects, and IN many
cases neglect their duty altogether
But with salary, they will feel COM
PEELED to be thorough, discreet, aud
prompt and efficient in every branch
Of their duties,
A congregation may as well ask a
clergyman to preach without salary.
or lawyer to defend his clients with
out pay, As to ask the Aldermen to de-
vote their time to the city's interests
free Of charge.
The thing 10 fatty absurd, and VIC
Suspect that the failure Of the mails,
and the dearth Of general news, was
the cauae Of our ncighbor's illnaturcd
remarks. We also suspect that the
Gasstte il trying desperately to do
q say something to influence votes
soG ~ approaching City election, but
jtdoss not know exactly what to say,
OF how 70 say what It wants to. The
Gasslts also has Z fling at the membc,
of the Council who gave his salary fol
The benefit Of the poor, and says that
awhils willing 70 perpetuate wrong
he declined .ayailing himself Of ii
bsns6s." Was it wrong to pay tht
Aldermen for their services Viii
ths Gazette in its most benevolent III
q missrly meanness, tell ~ where the
wrong isi We think that our neigh
bar = growing qusrulous and faul,
Aading without cause. We 4ysyy
nnsA dosbt whether there IS q repub.
Ksaa Alderman Who will refuse to
49, ~ .salasy, ~asd not one o.
thsn VA initiate the example sci
tAsa By Alderman Corbin, BY giving
thst salary TO the poor and by thi.
neanA dssrsass those city taxes about
vAisA ~ 0asetts feels 70 unpleasant
b.