National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-03-13

The increase by the late Congress of the
,alaricr Of tho President members OF the
Cabinet, justices Of the Supreme Court mcm-
bers Of Congress, &C., IL just now the subject
Of numerous articles In the newspaper press.
Nearly oil the so-called Independent and the
majority Of the Democratic journals urc
bitter in their attacks upon the officers who
will receive the increased compensation, and
especially bitter upon the members Of Con.
grcss who voted for 1t. Tbs New York World,
however, more discriminating and judicial
than its party contemporaries, draws dis
tinctlon between the classes who are thus
benefited, and while severely Condcmning
members OF Congress for voting money into
their own pockets, says in regard to the Pres
ident and the Judges;
compared with the judicial and executive
Officers OF other countries ours are unierpald.
The salary Of the President, though increased,
will not permit hin to lay up an amount worth
as much as an English prime minister's pension.
Yet with some ffugallty Of expenditure IN the
white House poor man entering the Presidency
might now retire from Il able TO conform to our
unwrittcn law that eN-Presdents shall not en-
gage In the bread -aDd-butter fight. A TO the
Judges OF the Supreme Court, tho man with q
family to support who goes upon the bench even
now can make little or no provision against dis
aster, and must possess a nXed income apart
from his salary u he would not see his daughters
suffering az the daughters Of the late Chief Jus
tice Taney have suffered.
"ENtravagnnt as the rate OF our national cN-
penditure Is, heavy as Ia the buUlen OF our an.
hual debt-charge, needful a. are economies In
every department. Of the Government, we cannot
hnd ground to condemn severely the Increase Of
he salaries Of President, VIE President and
speaker. II Il so popular \ thing Just now to
utter that condemnation that journals Ike the
Times, which provoked public indignation by
their persistent whitewashing Of the Nenal credit
moblller men, now seek TO appesse that inhigna-
ton by diatribes on more yenlal wronR.lOing.
But We must deal fairly with our readers, and,
whatever might lie the political advantage Of
their Indignation we cannot COnsclentiOusly at
tempt to arouse u In the case OF the increase OF
the salaries Of the executive Officers we have
named: while as for the Increased salaries OF the
Judges they are not, In our opinion, . dollar too
circuit and district Judges had been doubled.
"FOr increasing the salaries Of Congressman
We should not have voted. Five thousand dot
lars Ia larger amount than majority Of Con-
gressmen annually earn at home, and by service
as Representatives they are precluded not but
assisted rather, TO increase honestly their In
comes. II their expenses during the session arc
larger In Washington than at home, several
months In the year are let them In which they
may be earning money. As for the members
whose income is larger than their pay as Repre-
sentatives, their case need not be considered.
men as much as they would be willing to eNpend
while In Onice. SO tnat the eXtravagancc Of au
Increase Of Congressional salaries we are obliged
to condemn, though not In language As un-
measured as that employed by some OF our
Democratic contemporaries, nor SO violent as
that used by our Republican ngigGhdrs with
regulations 10 be made or repaired