Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-10-10

The expression Of the convention respect
inc +be Increase of salaries by the last Con-
rre-. /. hardly according to the truth of
history and makes what will seem TO many
ners,ns an unjust discrimination between
The increase of the salary of the President
and that of members of Congress. 1t Is not
truc that Congress or the country supposed
any increase Of the President salary to be
more 60 lust and necessary than the addi-
toual salary of members OF congress.
When the proposition TO increase the Fre>l-
dents salary first came before Congress
standing by itself, it met with small favor
either in Congress or the country and the
scheme of increasing Congressional salaries
was an alterthought and reSorted to to help
the bill through 10 Increase the PRESIDENTIAL
salary. The President favored the bill BE-
fare it passed either House, and personally
EXPRESSED to members a desire 10 have IN
own salary increased; and the selfish inter-
eSts of members in increasing their own pay
was only one of the devices by which the
Presidents salary was raised; IN other
words. il pulled that increase through, and
the whole measure had favor at the hite
House on that account.
How far there i any opinion that the
increase of the President salary Is more
..iust and necessary" than that of member
of Congress is not quite clear; but the con-
yention in Massachusetts Is the first one
vet held that has expressed such an opinion.
IL Is certain that most of the members OF
Congress who opposed the one opposed the
other. The salary of the President was
SO. coo a year, previous to thepassage OF
the bill. About 500, 600 more was an
nuallv approriatcd for the White House
and grounds. The establishment that
Is. the White House, grounds, etc.-has
always been kept at tile public charge
besides the annual salary, carpets, furnl-
turc. Gas. fuel. and many servants are paid
for hy separate appropriations. In short,
the President only has the personal eXpen-
,e- of himself and family and the expense
of his table to pay for. Besides, his public
entertainments cost him nothing the few
dinners he gives to members of Congress
are the chief items Of expense, outside OF
the ordinary expenses Of private
family. There i not a member Of the cabl-
net who keeps house in Washington who
does not havouocd to spend more money than
the President. even without taking into
account house rent, furniture, servants. and
care Of grounds: vet the salary of members
OF the Cabinet is only, now. 81 600 year.
while the Presidents is $50 coo, and SO
600 more-and this sum Is annually IN
crcaSing-ior house, grounds, etc. Those
who think, that. IN view of these facts, tho
Presidents salary was properly doubled
have, of course, a right to their opinion,
but it is not easy 70 see why they should, at
the same time, denOunce members OF Con
gresS for making their salary, IN fact, about
one-tenth that of the President :. The con-
domination OF Members Of Congress who
4. L.. :. in, in
undoubtedly deserved, but even an Ameri-
can love of fairness ought not to make dis
tinctions between those voting for, and the
one urging the passage of and approving
with his signature, necessary TO making the
bill a law. a measure unfairly and unreasOn-
ably increasing salaries. Members Of Con-
grcs~ voted for the bill increasing their own
salaries. for which they have been properly
criticised; the President urged the passage
OF this bill IN advance, approved 1t after It
passed, and thereby made It law and
doubled his own salary. and the Massa-
chusetts Republicans practically approve
his course Then why object to Gen. But
ler's advocacy of the measure?
Since the above was in type, an examln-
alton of the appropriations Tor the last four
years shows that so, 900 Is much too low
an estimate of the appropriations for the
White House and grounds In 1870 there
was deficiency appropriation alone for re-
pairs, 6c, of SO 600, and the appropria-
lions for ls70-7l, amounted in the aggre-
gate to more than $4,000, exclusive Of
clerk hire. and not including gas, which is
put into a general appropriation for the
public grounds. OF thi, amount over sd, =
600 wa, for repairs and refurnishing the eX-
ecutive establishment and over $4,000
was spent in addition to this amount, which
was provided for the next year by deiicien-
cy bin. The amount spent in that year
upon the White House and grounds was
over $50. COO.
The appropriations for ls7l-72 were less,
amounting. exclusive of clerk hire and gas,
to something over So, 600. For ls72-73
appropriations for the same purposes
amounted to over SOB 900.
Below will be found, in detail, the appro-