Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1873-02-28
Increase OF Salaries.

/ fof several years attempts have been made
70 obtain an increase of salaries Of Assistant
Secretaries and of certain bureau officers in
the Treasury and interior Departments,
whose salaries have never been increased
since 1872 and 1917. Those salaries were
fixed at So Sxpe xpeassso IS per uay--afIerwaru raIseu
Inen PEI IIsef day-and remained at that until
1856, when it was increased to So, 900 per an
mum. The dollar of 1866 having the pur-
chasing value Of about sixty-fo cents, as
compared with gold, Congress incseased
tlleir salaries to 5000, but let the bureau
officers and clerks remain as they were.
1t seems to be conceded by nearly every
member of Congress that there is a prporiety
in Increasing the salaries OF certain officers
The Senate has within a few days amended
an appropriation bill so as to increase the
officers--the first named from $500 to 81.
600. and the others from $4,000 to $4,000.
After this great effort at doing long de-
ferred act Of justice, it is proposed that Con-
gressmen shall again increase their own pay
from $5,0 900 to So 800 or So 900. This propo-
sition is finding favor, it Is said, with many
members, and is likely to pass.
The senate has said, by its late action. that
the pay of a bureau officer or an Assistant
Secretary should not be more than $4,000
per annum. Those officers have 80 spend
their whole time in this city, where menu
bers OF Congress find it SO very expensive
to live half of their time that they are re-
1uired to increase their salaries. from $1,000
to 81 ,Oo0i
Assistant Secretaries and bureau officers
may be Supposed to compare with the aver
age of members of Congress. but Congress
men say they can live here all the year
round on So 900 per annum. One or other
statement of this case must be wrong.
The people can scarcely be pursuaded that
those who are already well paid should get
more. while those who are poorly paid re-
main poorly paid.
Congressmen are asked to consider the
proprtety of sgualising the pay of important
officers. Why should they not?
Why should the Comptrollers get 5000
and the Assistant Secretaries and bureau
officers get but $4,000 to $3,5009 and why
should the Commissioner of Internal Reve-
nue. get $4,000 while the Commissioner of
Indian Affairs and others get but $3,0O0-by
the Senate amendment only $1,000? Who
can give satisfactory reason for these in
vidious distinctions?
{ Congress has the power to correct these
inequalities by paying alt fair and proper
salaries, and it would not look well for them
to increase their own until they have done
instice to Others.
In 1866, the effort to be just and kind to
themselves exhausted their stock ot beEevo-
lence to such a degree that they could not
load the people with any additional increase
Of salaries, and SO they let all others remain
sout in the cold"
We may hope that the example of 1866
will not be followed by this Congress.
Ii their experience satisfies them that they
can not live here one-nalf of their time on a
salary OF 5000. then they should increase
it, and be satisfied at the same time that
gentlemen filling the second grade of execu-
tive offices in the Government can not sup
port their families on their present salaries of
81, 900.
II those officers are fully paid at either
50 900 or 81. 600, as IS proposed By the Sem
ate's amendment, for u full years service
spent in their offices, congressman can well
afford to give half OF their time for 5000.
Let it be remembered that they haye the
of attending to their professions or
other pursuits the otner half Cor. flashing
ton Chronicle..