Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-07-26
Speech of Hon. Matt. H. CARPENTER.

proposed by the Committee on Jrd;ciarv he
ing under consideration, aud the debate being
limited to five minutes, Mr.. CARPENTER address,
I'd the Senate as follows
/ desire to add a few words TO
what has been said by the Senator
from Oregon. | regret the limit
fixed upon this discussion, because I
can only refer to subjects which
should like to consider at some length.
The time is coming, and now is,
when the salaries for civil service in
this country must be increased, or
this Government must pass practi-
cally into the hands of and be admin
lstered by the aristocracy of wealth.
1t is therefore in the interest of the
poor that | plead for an increase of
salaries; it is that the poor may not
be driven from practical participation
In the administration of the Govern
eminent "of the people, by the peo-
pie, for the people" that L desire to
see salaries increased. Who is inter
ested in this question of increasing
the salaries2 We hear the cry, "You
must not increase the burdens of the
people" Who is interested in the
matter2 Nobody but the poor men
OF the country. Look at the Soma
tors who could be named in that
body worth their millions. What do
they care whether the salary Of a
Senator is five or ten thousand dol
lars The difference would not
make ripple on their bank account.
But to the poor man it makes the
difference of whether he can hold the
place or not hold it. An act of Con-
gress which should provide that no
Judge should sit on the supreme
bench unless he had a certain in
come would raise an instruction in
this country; and yet what is the
practical difference between such an
act and one which fixes the salaries
50 low that a man cannot take the
place unless he has certain income
from other sources.
We have had practical illustra-
ton OF this matter in the history Of
the court; and call attention to the
incident from which all our party
troubles In that court commenced.
Judge Curtis, one of the ablest Jurors
this country ever produced, but not
man of wealth, was on the bench
at Sc, 600 year. He could make at
the bar in Boston $4,000 year.
Mr.. NYE. More than that.
Mr. CARPENTER. Fifteen thousand
dollars, even to that time, to start
with and has made all the time since
up to forty or fifty thousand dollars.
we lost the services of Judge Curtis,
and he was succeeded on the bench
by man of opposite political faith,
because this Government was too
mean to compete with the merchants
of Boston for the services of the best
man in that city.
Look at England They are con-
sistent with themselves. The theory
of civil government is that it should
be in the hands of an aristocracy of
wealth and nobility of blood. How
do they manage to secure that end
They would not pay a member Of
Parliament a shilling. What is the
result? The House of Commons to-
day is composed of the richest men
of England. We have heard a good
deal of discussion in that country
that has come to us about reform,
extending the ballot. What does it
amount to? Has the poor man in
England any rights whatever with
the ballot? What odds does it make
whether the nabob sitting in Parlia-
ment is voted for by twenty-five
hundred or twenty-five thousand
poor men ? The poor men have DO
interest in Parliament they cannot
take seats there, because they cannot
support themselves after they get
there.
Mark the effect of this upon the
purity of elections in England.
have here, and regret that [ have
not time to read from it, one of the
Blue Books laid before Parliament
last year by committee appointed
by the House of Commons to inves-
tigate the alleged corruptions in
municipal and preliminary elections.
The disclosures of bribery, the whole
sale, systematic purchase of votes at
the polls in these elections are ap-
palling even to an American who has
just read about the recent election in
New York.
Let me refer to the testimony of
the mayor of Nottingham, who was
examined before the committee. He
says, speaking of his own city, that
in st. Anne's ward there were 600
voters who would require money, or
would not vote, out of 1877 in By
ron Ward, 500 out of 1880; in st.
Mary's ward, $50 out of 639; in Ex-
change ward, 300 out of zoos; in
Castle ward, 40 out of 67S; in Park
ward, 100 out of $50. He says when
the payments of money are small
it is the lowest class of people who
take it but "when it gets higher up,
then the better class of people take
it,"
"QueSti0n. What sort of sums are
usually given at the municipal cleo
tions?
Ansrer. will give an illustration
of two elections in Byron ward, and
| have these facts from party hav-
ing the entire management of it and
knowing about it In 1867, that is,
last November but one, an election
was tried on purity principles the
poll commenced at nine, and twelve
o'clock one side had polled less than
one hundred votes and the other
under forty, thore being thirteen
hundred and thirty voters in the
ward at twelve o'clock the forty
party offered IS. CD. j; this caused a
run, and the other side then offered
5S., and at four o'clock nine hundred
had polled. The effect of this is that
q great many of the respectable vot-
ers will not poll at all 4; they consider
that the result of those contests is