Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-07-02
Gbe FIREMAN
MONTPELIER, VT,
WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 1873.
Back Pay Again.

Back Pay Again.
A large space in this weeks paper is given
to the defense of the salary grab by Senator
Carpenter, and to the letter from Senator
Morrill, giving bis reasons tor the exceptional
disposition which he made Of the sum over
which he obtained legal control by that bad
bill The assumptions made by Mr.. CarpeE-
ter are to a great extent refuted incidentally
by MIR. Morrill,, and it is pleasure to read
the two documents, each 10 the light OF the
other, The doctrine Of the Wisconsin Sena-
tor is set forth with the native boldness OF
the man, although the plea of poverty and
defense of the grab as in the interest OF the
poor (Senators) somew hat detract from what
would otherwise be the admirable audacty
of the speech.
Thereruns through the speech and through
the letter tone that is evidently founded on
the notion that " the press y occupies some
what peculiar ground on this question.
Right here it may be said that the express
slCns of the people wherever they have as
sembled have been stronger than those OF the
newspapers. Ii there is any morbid SEN
slbiIity " it is truly epidemic, and the press
certainly occupies no I" higher plane of &C
ton y than do constituents In general.
The FREEMAN never did an act that gave 1t
more pleasure, and never one that it looks
back on with more satisfaction, than when
it supported Justin s. Morrill, for the high
position which he honorably fills. 1t Ger
tainly claims to " occupy no higher plane OF
action - than the Senator does, nor does it
hold that the money has d been polluted "
by passing through Senator Morrill's hands.
But by what law does Senator stand 50 high
above the common order of men that a prdc-
tical suggestion as to the disposal Of money,
which he is now concerned with only from
the fact that he once had it, shall be deemed
BIZ MIN 90 such an insulting proposal -
Was that 4.386.S0 sanctifed by passing
through his hands? What was there about
that money, which was legally his, that made
him turn it over to the State?
We never proposed to return that money
to Senator Morrill,. The money was part
of that paid as taxes into the United Sta ties
treasury for the proper expenses of govern
ment. 1t was in the nature of trust fund
for that object. Congress holds position
analogous to that Of a trustee, but unfortu-
natey is responsible only TO itself. 1t un-
Justly, and not for the proper expenses OF gov
eminent, voted away some of thac money
part of it, the sum of S4,306.80, was
once legally but not equitably the property |
of Justin S. Morrill, Il has come to be le
gally but not equitably the property of Yer
mont, and We want it put in the United
States treasury whence it was unjustly taken
and where it justly belongs.
Mr. Morrill, puts the case of senator's on |
different ground from that of representatives.
He says 20 it is wholly impracticable for
representative t. return it directly to the
Taxpayers of his district That would |
l~>-e the method of handing it over to the
90 osase 'fe---'ry peculiarly senatorial duty.
see. The population of Vermont is
= ...sss>9 one hundredth of that of the
:, SO Sc. Her taxes are not more in proper
10 s1of Y population. She has one thirty
!, ,ss,s,,ad, sb1 the senators. So if Senator
trsasury th Guild return his pay to the State
y =, 4is State will have received abJut |
three ti9kes as much as she pays towards the
sa.Aiaalss1of United States senator's. As the
clse nov stands, Vermont, by Senator Nor
rill'sactiop, rs 50 in - on the senatorial sal
airy business to the amount of about one
thousand dollars. - Thrift, Horatio, thrift"
But Senator Morrill, is entirely wrong
about it's being comparatively improbable
for representative to return money to tie
x-payers. The advantage is decidedly on
the sids of the representative for in the first
place the taxpayers of district very nearly
proportionately pay their representative,
while those of State, like Delaware or Yer
m ont, do nothing Of the kind toward their
senator's, and asecondly, the county treas
uries a'e just as legitimate repositories of
this m Iney as the Sta treasury |,
Finally, every taxpayer OF Verm INT has a
81 Re IN that grab while it remains 10 our :
st tie treasury. The money Was no better
than stolen from the public funds By the
minority 10 Congress, who put it in Senator
NJ DRILLS legal possession; he, not wanting it
owing to its origin, has put it out OF his pos 9
session into that of Vermont the FREEMAN
still hopes that Vermont, not wanting it
owing to its origin, will put it out of her i,
possession and in the way of ultimately .
reaching the United States Treasury where
it rightiully belongs.
As timely conclusion to any present :
discussion of the salary bill and as COM
reatary on the Incorporate language
held by the press, the following resolution
# the Iowa Republican State Convention
zones to hand, adopted the same day Senator ,
NOrrlll's letter was written, and by delegates
fresh from the people:
Rssoired, That the act of the majority of !
he members of the last Congress, involving
What is known ss the " Back Paw Steal, Il
~ which they voted into their pockets a
thousands of dollars which did not belong to n
.hem, was most fagrantly improper and . !,
ufimous, and should secure the condem
latIon OF all who were a party to it, and we P
emand that the provisions of the late act d
# Congress by which the salaries were IN "
reased shall be promptly and uncondition- ,
lily repealed. +