The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-11-24
TAs Aailg Arens.
Monday, November a. 1873.
Tho President and the salAry-Grab.

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Translated from the New York stAats-zeitung,
That the President, at the passage of
the most unpopular of all the laws OF the
Forty second Congress, was directly and
actively interested is long since no secret
The opposition papers have repeatedly
made mention of this, and the Administer
ton press has never tried 10 make q thor
ough contradiction. A few unimportaut
organs, whose zeal for the Administration
is larger than their sense of truth, have
certainly defended the President against |
such accusations yet the better-informed |
papers have observed deep silence over
this subject There is no want of Con
gressmen who are well conscious that the
President was the real originator Of the
law yet out Of loyalty to him, and from
fear to lose his patronage, they had rather
suffer patiently the attacks of the press
and the criticisms Of the enraged people
than to betray their lord and master.
IL was reserved for the Republican Con-
vention OF Massachusetts TO make differ
ence between the salary Of the President
and that of the congressman. 1t declared
the increase Of the former as necessary
and Just, while it condemned the charging
OF the latter as an extravaganza. 1t was
passionate against the impudence of the
camel. The condemnation of the guilty
Congressman may have been ever so much
in its place, 1t was for all that an injustice
in this one-sided opinion of the matter, so
long as the Convention did not speak out
the whole, full truth,--so long as it did
not expose the chief Of the band with them
This went TO the heart, particularly, of the
Hon. G, w. Willard, a'Republican Repre-
sentative from Vermont. He pitied tht
poor devils who were to eat out the souI
which Mr. Grant had put in the dish, and
in his moral indignation over the ALBERTA
ton of the Republican Convention of Mas
sachusetts, he came out with the Who'll,
history of the origin of the Salary law.
The increasing the salaries Of the Con
gressmen was, till now, always put in th
foreground, while the simultaneous increas
Of the Presidents salary was looked on a
consequence, or a MOTTO be-avoided APP
pendix, Of the former. However, since tn
explanation Of the Hon. MIR. Willard, tn
case Is reversed. To increase the salary O
the President was the first, and original
the only, proposition. IL appeared, how
ever, that neither Congress nor the peopl
came 10 meet the warm desire of the Pres
ident with the necessary enthusiasm, an
something must be thought of to make tn
proposition susceptible OF an excuse Thi
something was the simultaneous increas
Of the salaries OF the Congressman Tha
the majority of the latter made use of tn
favorable opportunity 10 show their subor
dination toward the President, and at In
same time to satisfy their own inordnat
desire 10 for money, has become, alas a
undeniable fact, Thus was the much.talk
ed-of bill brought to pass. "The Pres
dent, says MIR. Willard explicitly, favor
ed the bill before It passed either of th
two Houses. He expressed the desire u
wards individual members of Congress {
see his own salary increased. The selfir
terestedness of the members of Congress
in the increase of their salaries was at tn
same time a medium through which tn
salary of the President could be increased
In this way the whole law could be passed
aud this is the only reason why it was 5
much favored in the White House.
OF the truth Of this explanation Their
can be little doubt as the coyetousness 9th
President is well known. For the judy
ment Of this hated affair, this explanatio
is Of the greatest significance, though il
far from satisfying the people, rather cas-
forth atresh their indignation, The great
est part ofthe responsibility in this unut
terable disgrace bears evidently upon tn
President That does not, though, excus
Congress. Did the highest civil officer O
the Nation devise the plan to defraud tn
people, so were the disreputable Represer
tatives only too ready to execute it. Tn
President took the lions share aud tn
others divided unto themselves the rest 0
the spoil The robbery system is not les
complete than any band which inhahits tn
Abruzzo Mountains.
The sacrifices which the American pee
pie must make 10 the low inclinations of tn
present President, are immense, Not onl
must his salary be doubled, but hundred
OF thousands OF dollars must be paid to tn
hungry eatch.polls who have made tn
doubling possible,