Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-08-09

has not been in reality more than
$1,000 q year added, il SO much.
Considering that the services of an
efficient agent of q manufacturing es-
Establishment of any considerable cap
ital cannot be had for, less than 81 500
a year, while our railroads pay s25, 900
for their presidents, the General can
not see how this increase can be deem
ed too large by any right-minded man.
At this poiut he makes a keen thrust
at Minister Washburne, who has lately
had published n letter in which he sta
ted that the people did not elect mem
bers of Congress to go to Washington
to support three or four mistresses or
to buck at the tiger. After speaking
sarcastically Of tue Minister, the Gen
eral adds that he has not observed
any objection on Washburue's part TO
the appropriation of $4,000, passed
in 1871, for the purpose of defraying
the expenses of the Minister to
France in 1870, although that appro.
priation was retroactive. He adds
that he thinks with this increase and
bucking the tiger, it is perhaps a
little easier to support family in
Paris on $4,000, gold, than to do
the same in Washington on $1,000
currency.
In other parts OF his letter he shows
that, almost without exception, every
public man who has returned his back
salary, or who has raised an outcry
about it, has himself, in years past,
voted for and accepted back pay. He
especially indicates Senator Wilson,
the Washburne family, Daniel Web
ster, Charles Sumner, N. p. Banks,
A. II. Rice, John f. Farnsworth and
Henry j. Raymond ofthe New York
Times. He shows that Banks and
Rice both voted in 1866 for an in
crease of pay at the rate of 67 pei
cent, with mileage and other allow
anoes-made retroactive for the whole
of that Congress-that is, if they vot.
ed for back pay for sixteen months,
so for that time the salary of each
member was doubled.
He also shows that, at the same
time, John B. Alley, Cakes Ames
Baldwin of Worcester, Dawes of the
9th District, Hooper of the 4th, ant
Gov. Washburn did not vote at all
but ddoged the question, and that i
any one Of those six Representatives
who thus sneaked had voted in the
negative the bill would have been de
feated.
In dealing with members who have
joined in the cutlery against back pay
he does not seem to have written with
gloves on.
+ He says that from the beginning o
the Government to the present hour
= every State Legislature and ever,
Congress which has increased the sal
: airy of its members, has made that in
, crease back to the beginning of thei
services that every executive officer
every judge on the bench in Massachu
: sets, when his salary WAS increased
has always taken back pay; that til
q soldiers petitioned to Congress t
r give them increased pay and bounty
f and that Congress gave it, allhoug
in so doing they voted them bac
pay; that the mechanics in Govern
e ment employ, before the eight-bou
d law was put in operation by the Pres
e ident's proclamation, petitioned Cor
!, gress to have increased back pay
and, therefore, ifthe members of th
Il Congress are back pay grabber'
= thieves and robbers, so also have bee
Y all the illustrious statesmen of til
i past, from Washington to Grant, VIII
= accepted increased pay, as we'll as th
:. purest of the judiciary, the most b.
L loved of the Executives, the brave.
of the soldiers and the working mel
After an elaborate examinatio
It of the contract theory, the Gener
10 shows that it is utterly groundless
that the action of the Congress W;
81 in strict accordance with the Const
Il tuition and with precedent and TIL
at the requirements Of the neSsp aper
g. that no man shall ever vote to raj
w his own pay, would simply have rel
y dered an increase of pay impossib
III from the beginning of the Cover
n. ment down to the present day. +
le then states of his personal knowled!
70 that among the most Jealous lobbyis
for the back pay bill were certain sp
% cial correspondents of leading new
T. papers who have since denou
It. ced it; although they themselves,
le clerks of committees, receive an i
nc crease of fifteen per cent. going ba
" to March, 1870"