The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-01-16
The SALARY bill not SiGned.-.AH
q .uraGe On Public y 0-Gice.

The SALARY Bill NOT SIGned--.An
O.rrage On Public JH-Gice.
Whatever may be said in excuse for
the acting Governors failure to approve
the measure to reduce the expenses OF
the judiciary department, there are
other bills which he has not signed, and
for which omission of duty 10 apology
can be offered
The Legislature passed bill to reduce
tho salaries Of the various State officers
from the rates at which they had been
fixed Immediately after the close Of the
war when currency vas higher than now,
and the cost of living double what 1t Is
al the present time. The continuation
Of these rates. the Impeachment Of the
people, their pecuniary revenues ana
circumstances considered, was absolute
* outrageous They were prescribed as
mere temporary exPedients in the dIsor-
gauization Of values existing al the close
Of the war bat there was 10 excuse
whatever. for prolouging them when the
original causes Of their enactment had
passed away. The Legislature, in reduc-
inc them. merely responded to pubic
demand for Il redress Of the grievance.
II never entered into the mind OF any
one that the acting Governor would per-
nit himself to stand in the way of re-
form which was individually necessary
and proper In his message to the Leg
stature, he had confessed to the extrav-
eoauce with which the State government
had been administered and pledged him
self to cooperate with that body in APP
plying corrective.
The bill which we have referred to
was passed at the close Of the session,
ard instead Of being enrolled in the
pamphlet acts, it found its way into his
capaciou~ pockets where it has ever since
slumbered. He has not only violated
public duty, but has shocked the deli
cacy which would have operated on most
minds, in withholding his signature from
measure which involved a reduction OF
his own salary.
The pay Of the Governor Of Mississippi
under the existing law, to which the act
ING Governor adheres with death-llke
grip, is So, 900 per annum, with a man
sion and luxurious appointments super
added. Not satisfied with these emolu-
ments, as the public have already seen,
the Executive Contingent Fund was also
being applied to the uses Of private liv-
.ag when his last report Of its expendi-
ture was submitted to the Legislature.
In all the Union there are but two
States which pay higher salaries than
Mississippi California, the land of gold,
pays her Governor IS, 600 without furn-
ishing him a residence and Louisiana,
which, like Mis- ,issippi, has been carpet
bagged,. pays 81, 900. New York, with
her tens of millions of revenue, pays 81,
600: Ohio. the third State in the Union,
81, 600; Illinois, the fourth State, 81, )
800: Missouri, s., 800; Tennessee, So,
900; Minnesota, $4,000; Indiana, So
900 And so on to the end of the list.
Mississippi, poor, down-trodden, and
plundered- compelld to to pay higher
tribute than any Of her sisters with the
exceptions named The continual
ton of the evil, does not belong TO the
Legislature-iustice requires we should
sav-but to the Governor himself. who
has not only misapplied the contingent
fund to household uses-but has taken
advantage Of his opportunity to defeat
the measure OF that body reducing his
pay to $4,000, sum which the great
State Of New York deems amply sutfi-
cient for her Executive.
The Reform bill we are discussing re-
duced the salaries of the other officers
proportionally to that of the Executive,
which we have cited as an example Of the
rest The most We can hope to achieve
by dwelling upon these disagreeable sub
jects is to awaken public Indignation
against evil-doers, and thus to compel
reform Of their course.