Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-11-06

Dr. Mackenzie, in an interesting article IL |
the last issue Of the sunday Chronicle, gives |
some figures AMI statistics on the subject q |
official salaries In other countries, more par |
tlcularly in England and France. Queer |
Victoria, for instance, receives about tive
million dollars annually, while an additions
million Is expended In pensions and salaric,
TO members of her family. The late En-
peror Of France had civil list Of 1--WE millions
annually, and managed to owe the tradesmcu
Of Paris some fifteen millions when he fed
from the capital. The President Of the
French republic to-day is paid one hundred
and twenty-five thousand dollars per aunum,
which Is more in proportion than nearly
three times that amount In the United States
We do not print these figures for the pur-
pose Of suggesting that we In this country
ought to do likewise, but we do say that tho
salaries paid nearly all our Government OH.
Gers, from President down TO the twClvo.hun.
dred.dollar clerk, arc entirely TO low, and
out Of all proportion to those paid by any
Government In the world. Take, for example,
the salary Of the Prcsident--of twenty-five
thousand dollars per annum. Ia English
money this Is equal to about Eve thousand
pounds, less sum than IA paid to the editor
OF the London Times. Col. Scott Is paid
more than Ave times the salary Of the Prcsi-
dent by the railroad companies that employ
him. There Is scarcely large clearinghouse
In New York city, or an insurance company,
that docs not pay It's president twenty thou
sand dollars per year. But independently Of
all these precedents in civil life there are a
hundred good and sufficient reasons why tAe
man who Is at the head Of the republic should
be paid more than we pay at present. As
the President he Is expected to entertain and
to receive with a certain degree Of style not
only his own cOuntrymeu but tue representa-
tlvos Of foreign countries who visit the capt.
tai In an Official or evenR non-ofiiclal capac-
ity. Five hundred dollars per week-a goo6
deal less than one hundred dollars a days
o very small sum with which to do IL. 1t Is
utterly out Of the power Of any man In that
position TO fulnll popular expectations In this
respect on the sum that Is paid now. The
salary Of the President should OF least be one
hundred thousand dollars year.
The salaries paid the heads Of departments
are also too low; so low as to make II utterly
impossible for Cabinet officer TO live upon
It rs he Is expected to live, without infringing
upon his private income, II he should be so
fortunate as to have one. The same is true
Of the judges Of the Supreme Court, who arc
paid only elgh: thousand year. Tho Chief
Justice Of the United States, who Is at the
head Of one Of the three coordinate branches
of the Government should be paid salary
commensurate with the dignity and import.
ancs Of his office. There arc O thousand
lawyers In New York city who make, by the
mere practice Of their profession, three times
the amount that Mr.. Chase Il paid by the
Government. All these facts are thoroughly
understood by the people, and we are certain
that an intelligent public opinion demands
that 1t should bo changed. In the Govern
ment offices of this city, and indeed Of thu
entire country, so far rs the General Govern.
ment Is concerned, the salaries Of larg,
number Of officials are ridlculously too small
There are men In every one Of the Depart
ments here who, day after day, decide ques
tlons aud cases involving the disbursement o.
hundreds of thousands Of dollars who ART
hardly paid sufficient to enable them to live
decently. There Is neither wisdom nor econ
omy in 1t, and the sooner the representatives
Of the people regulate the matter on the basil
Of justice and common sense the better Il
will be for the country.