Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-02-02

FRIDAY. FEB. =. 1871.
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Economy.
The besetting propensity Of the
new-dedged legislator, is zeal with
out discretion. He starts out with
the firm conviction that certain
abuses in the State only await his
coming for their final abatement,
and believing that the only way to
do thing, is to do it, he according
ly, falls afoul of some particu-
lar line of previous Legislation
which he chooses to place in the
category of abuses, and cuts and
slashes, right and left, with all the
vindictive energy and lack, Of dis.
elimination characteristic of Pat. at
the Fair. But this excess Of vigil
lance rarely endures. The callow
law-maker soon finds that his zeal
GUS endeavors. are as often in the
wrong direction As otherwise, that
they are not appreciated sby his con-
stituents and the crest of mankipb"
at the same value he himself places
upon themsnd that on the whole, he
is only succeeding in makinga spec
taclc of himself. Then again, his
own personal selfish interests and
ambitions begin to array themselves
in the way of his self-assumed cru
SADIE for political reform as he
thinks he sees it, and the result is
apt to be, that, assaulted by some
temptation in the shape of a job, or
perquisites, or something of the
sort, he who roared in the outset as
a very dragon of legislative virtue,
proves at last to be no better than
those who have gone before him;
a common mortal with all the un-
wisdom and frailty peculiar to the
race.
A large proportion of the men,
bers of the lower House in the Iowa
Legislature, started out at the be-
ginning of the present session with
the firm conviction that their fame
lay in the direction of the severest,
sternest, most uncompromising
economy OF the public expenditures.
Each repaired to the Capital possess
ed with an unappcasable impulse to
cut off something, and revelling in
anticipation of the harvest to be
rcaped BY his particular sickle
among the rank growths Of extrava-
gance left by his predecessor. The
usual allowance for newspapers for
the members was the first monstrous
abuse charged upon by the doughty
knights of economy, and it went
down before them. The next point
of attack is the publication of laws
in the newspapers, and the next
probably will be some other news
paper "abuse;" for the press, as
yet, seems to come in for the brunt
of the economic crusade.
To this excess of economic ardor,
we have no purpose of offering seri-
Gus objection. Economy is not SO
common a virtue that we should
cavil at even it's extravagant mani
festations. But there is another
attribute which very appropriately
finds a place in the character Of the
honest legislator, and that is, con-
sistency. We arc panied to note a
conspicuous absence of this virtue
in the Solons of our lower House.
These valient champions Of the
people against the cormorants OF
the press do not seem to appreciate
that the money put into their own
pockets for no shadow of services
done the State, might very appro'
priately be saved to the Treasury
In cutting off the item of expense
involved in furnishing newspapers
to the members for distribution to
the people, it did not occur to the
sticklers for economy, that their al
lowance of postage stamps should
be cut off also. That would be a
sort of economy not within the per
view of their peculiar theory. The
business of the session had scarcely
got into smoothly working shape
when these intensely economical
public servants are seized with a
desire to visit their homes. Straight.
way a recess of fourteen days is
voted, with scarcely an opposing
voice, and when a member, yet re-
tanning that old-fashioned article,
a conscience, introduces bill to
suspend the pay Of members during
the recess,-which will smount, in
the aggregate, to nearly $s,ooo,-it
is'coolly reported back to the COM
mittee with the Endorsement, that
no action is deemed necessary there
on, and it is heard of no more. In
no single case we have yet noticed,
has the war Of retrench ment been
made .effectual against the selfish
interests Of the members; oil At
.tacks upon their perquisites and priv
ileges meeting summary and inglori-
Gus defeat. It may be that this is
the proper way to convince the peo-
pie that their Representatives in
the Legislature are. sincere in their
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