, 1873-06-30

St. Paul, with special forvor on tho part Of tho
country newspapers dlro,t1y roaocting tho aontf-
monts OF tho people in tho rural districts. Tho
indignation is 80 intonso against tho grub, md
tho demand for ita ropoal 80 gonoral and im-
poratfyo, that The next Congress will scarcely
dare to rcalst It. It is MI interesting qnoation,
tllcn, what courao is lifoly to he tnkon III regard
TO tho Into incroaso Of tlo Presidents sn1ary.
Thoro ie IN impression TINT Congress cannot
oonsttutionally ropoal the incrcaBo Of tho Proa-
dont's Halnry, or otherwise altor 1t, during tho
torn for which lo waa olcctod. The toxt Of tho
Constitution docs not BuHtain'this vow. In do
flung the atatua Of tho prcsidont, tho Constitu-
tton says that " uo shall hold his Office during
tho term Of four yeara = but, further on, in that
portion of Soc. l, ART. H., which concerns tho
Presidents salary, 1t roads: "Tho President
shall, at stated timoB rccoivo for hla services
compensation which shall neither bo Increased
nor diminished during the period for
which he shall have boon elected, mud ho
Bhall not roceivo within that period any other
omolumont from tho United Htatos, or any Of
thon,." Whether or not the incroaBo Of tho
Presidents salary by tho last Congress- was Inv
ful, depends upon whether or not tho words term
and period arc synonymous as used In tho Con-
Btltution. It is not reasonable to nasume that
they are. II tho trainers Of tho Constitution
lad moant that tho Prosident's salary should
term Of four yoars in Office, thoy would undoubt-
olly havo said term in tho ealary section as woll
as in that which defined tho tenuro OF the
onlco. The Constitution LAS mover boon
criticized on account Of confusion Of
words. But when they substituted the
word period In the salary section, thoy evidently
iutendod 1t to covor tho whole time In which a
President might soryo, which could oasily in
olude soveral terms. Tho change OF words was
undoubtedly made in contemplation Of theprob-
able election of tho Presidents for more than ono
torn. Tlo oarlor Presidents we're all o1ectedto
second terms, and Washington would have boen
elected for a third torn If ho Lad not positively
declined to accopt tho Office for longer period.
The word period therefore, covers tho entire CO.
cupanoy of tho Office, no matter how ,nany terms
it may include. II this Ia truo, then
tho increaso Of tho Presidents salary was
unlawful, and, whcther Congress repeals
tho salary-grab or not, tho President is not on
titlod to tho 100000 additional pay therein
voted to him, for 1t is perfectly certain thnt tho
period for which Gen. Grant Ind boon cloctol
WIS oight years.
Tho purpose Of prohibiting tho incrcaao OF
diminution Of tho Presidents pay "during the
period for which ho ahall hayo beon olcctod,"
was twofold. It was lntondod to prevent tho
President from uaing tic power md patronage
OF his Office to secure an increase of pay for
himself and twas also intended to provcnta
Congress TINT might ba inimicalto tho Incumbent
Of tho Executive chair from starving him out.
Neither Of these manifest purposes can bo at
tainod II tho word period is construed to mean
d single term for which tho President shall
have boen elected. Under this construction,
tho late ConGrosa might hare reduced the pay Of
tlo President to 5000 yoar, il an obnoxious
candidate had boon elected, and titus have at
| tcmptod to starvo him out, which they could not
| Lavo done IL tho Constitution period
whom It Hays TO- II pcriod moans only tho first
| term for which President aoryos, then 1t in no
| wise prevents The President from employing his
influence and patronage to secure IN Increase of
his own pny, ~ this is just what tho prohibi-
| tion was intonlod to prevent. The difference
between term " and "poriod," therefore, isnot
merely technical, but ia based upon the oyi-
r1 nr,f.y 1f lin
tuition in prohibiting tho incroaso and diminu-
tion Of tho ProBidont'a salary. For Gen. Grant
to receive tile additional pay is, consequently, a
violation of tho Bprit Us vol as the letter Of tho
| Constitution.
II, then, the demand Of the people for tho re-
peal Of tho Salary bill shall prove to DO irresist
ible, as 1t seems likely to prove, It is not proba
bic that Congross will consent that Con. Grant
shall draw his proportion OF the grab when they
arc deprived Of their portion. The whole trans
action prcBonts itself to tie public as o wicked
compact betweon ConGreHs and the President
| to get thoir hands into tho Public Treasury aud
divide tho spoils. It is very generally be-
loved that Congress would not hayo in
| CTeAHGu Lle pH4 u LIT I1eslAUut eACHpL III
d nouns Of eonsummating their purpose
Of onlarging thoir own pay, The belief is just
az general that the President would never have
given tho bill lis signature, without which It
could not hayo become Inv, it it had not provided
an enormous increase Of his pay. In this light.
it will not satisfy the people to repeal the in
crease Of Congressional salaries, and leave Gen.
Grant to enjoy the reward Of his important pal
in tho grab. Nor can this occur If either thc
spirit or tho letter Of tile Constitution bo en-.
forced. Gen. Grants large personal proportion
Of tho grab will lavo to be disgorged if Congress
can be forced to diHgorge its proportion.
UNLIMITED GREENBACKs.
There ia to bo Governor elected In Ohio
In October next, and Gen. Thomas Ewing, al
present member of the State Constitutional