The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-04-25
The Salary Gr06-- TfEGt General
TUlY3SIcOrtA says A6cUt 1t.
OUGHT TO HE IsrPEACHrn


= bin increasing his own salary would de-
serve Impeachment. Entertaining such sem
timcnts, | cannot accept this money with
out feeling that / should thereby hecome
= party 10 a conspiracy to embezzle the
Government 5 money.
TIE MUTUAL BRIBERY.
l am not surprised that the ucopl, are
indignant and wrathful over this act of
7a7ifuo3 bribeTy by an expiring Congress
and recently reelected President: in
deed, were they not SO, it would be cause
fer real astonishment. With immense
public debts, Rational. and State, and local;
with iuci casing taxes, and decreasing prices
for our products !; with the rapid cucroach-
mCnt or rings and munOpolcS, who have
gorged themselves and grown rich upon
the blood OF the war, and the toll and
sweat of the masses with such reckless
waste and extravaganza in the use of tic
public money as has been seen at Wash
ingtun during the last few years,-no won
der the Country is agitatcd, or its attention
arrested At last. But, it should be renlcm-
beIcd that, without the approval of the
President, This increase of salaries could
not Lave been accomplished. Indeed,
without the c0-OP6rdttDl and farO1 of thc
President, Congress itself would not have
adopted II. This was well understood at
the time. Neither would Congress con
sent to increase the Presidents salary,
-,
This was shown in the House when. in
Committee of the Whole, Mr. Sargent Iirst
moved To iuCI case his salary. Tie COM
mlttee refused to entertain or consider it.
actually OvcTuiing = correct decision of
the Chairman air. Dawes, of Massachu-
sett".j TO beat 1t, so obnoxious was the
proposition when standing by itself 1t
was only by coupling the two together,
CoHgr6Ss and President, that either lad any
hopes OF success.
VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION.
The Constitution says The President
shall, at stated times, receive for his ser
vices compensation, which shall neither
Ge Increased nor diminished during The
period for which he shall have been clccl-
cd" Mark the language '..ShaH nat De
increased during the PERIOD for tchicE lie
Sh,GH Ears been electsd.' IN I preceding
clause, the Constitution defines a '.tcy1ll''
10 he four years and, if the trainers Of that
instrument intended TO limit the prohibition
oi the power to increase the Presidents
salary 10 q single term, why did they not
use that WoId instead Of the word ''FERI-
oD?' The latter word covers the whole
time whether it be foI one tenn, OF two, or
Hall-'t-doZen, that a man shall have been
elected President.
When there is doubt about the correct
Interpretation of a law, we look to the OBJ
JcCt or reason Of the provision. Was not
the object OF that provision, in short, 10
prevent President from helping to make
a law increasing his own COMPENSATION
during the discussion iii the House | in
quneo OF biz. Maynard, of Tennessee. and
also M. Butler, of Massachusetts both of
wliGn voted for the bill), what was the OBJ
lcct ~ mat provision of the Constitution?
hr. Maynard replied that it was to prevent
Co"4.eHs from bllhIng the President Mr..
Butler answered that il was TO prevent the
ieNiuSHt from using his power to increase
ms own salary, or, III other words from
b1bng Congress Such being the opin-
ions OF the friends and champions of 'in-
creased pay whether they looked at the
Constitution straight or crookedD, it was
dlincult to understand why it was not as
much violation of the spirit and inten-
hon OF the Constitution to increase the
compensation OF the President by bill
passed and approved by him at II O'Clock
at night, on Monday, the Sd Of March. as
Gy bill passed and approved by the same
President on ! tuesday, the, 4th. Congress
could as well bribe him, and he could as
eiIectUaliy use his power and influence
upon Congress, on one day as the other,
In either case, the President helps to make
the law which increases his own salary
''Gur1i.g TIE PGJf0d for 1rhich he has been !
cIecteG. he excuse that the Legislative
Appropriation bill would have been lost. |
and an extra session of Congress necessa-
~, II the conference report had been de- !
teated, or if the President had vetoed the |
bill, is mere Pretense. | have already said |
that, without the favor of the President, |
the amendment increasing salaries could !
never have passed Congress and If he had !
vetoed II, the bill would have been prompt |
~ passed with the obnoxious provision left /,
out. 80, too, defeat Of the conference |
report by either House would simply have |
had the effect to Tccommit the bill to an |
~ r. l-raNN co %
No OTHER PRESIDENT HAS "AsKED F6R |
MORE"
u he plea that larger salaries are neces |
sary to enable a President and members |
Of Congress to live respectfully in Wash |
Iugton, Is not true. No other President |
,'aS asked for more. Mr. Lincoln saved !
half his salary, and that, too, when gold |
was goo and over, And get the allow |
anceS, ''incidentals'' and ''contingcncies.'
for hr. Lincoln were far less liberal than
Tor the present occupant of the White
House. The following appropriations.
made in 1864 and III 1872, arc, i believe
FAR examples, and may be regarded as a
pretty fair sample Of our rapid growth in
eEtrayagant expenditures of late:
For Lincoln, 1864 For Grqnt 1870
For Secretary 10 For Secrctarvto
sign Patents.Sl 900 sign pateuts-S 800
I or GrINateSec- For PriVateSec-
rctary, Stew retary, Stew
'>ih ''l'' -hS7- 'tltl, Mes niger
SenGer--......... 5000 and two Exec
For contingent tive Clerks. 13, 500
eNPeu $ OF EX- For contingent
ecutive Office 2,OOu eXpen s of Ex-
For two Night ecutive Office $50
WatChmen.... 1900 For one Watch
For two Door man and two
keepcrs........,ss 200 Policemen. 5000
For one Fur For two Door
Hace-keeper... GOO keepers and
For fUel...........- ., 800 one Usher. 3 600 |
For repairs of or one Fur
house and for naCe-keeper... 720
furniture, i'm For fuel.... 5000
provemrnt Of For 'QnnudP re-
grounds, pUr- pairs of house
chase of pl nts and for furni-
and alic0ntin- ture, and for
gencies $1,000. 5000 repairs, etc, of
T - repairing greenhouse. -. 81, ,O90
summer resi-