The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1873-05-23
MOSES SCOTT TO BEN BUTLER.

d MOSES SCOTT TO BEN BUTLER.
; WASHINGTON, Pa, April /, '73
DEAR SIR Your three cent ex-
cUse for the "sslary steal'' is not sa
original one. The girl who pleaded
that her baby was "Only little one"
was ahead of you
Your legal right to vote yourselves
three cents apiece out of every hon
est mans pocket in the land is not
disputed. But you had the sams
right (if you had had the eourage) 10
have voted yourselves every cent out
Of the Treasury. The highwaymsn,
with his knife st your throat, has tho
same right--the right of power.
| Thst you had no moral right to tha
extra money you put in your pockets
Is shown by the fact that even Ben
Butler did not dare to try its passage
upon its merits, but attached the hiit
to sn important one that must be
passed, and began his work, like the
burglar, at the midnight hour
II is not strange that you think
your services worth 81 800 a yesr.
Doubtless Congressman generally
esteem their services full highly, and
if they were sold st what they esteem
themselves worth, few Ben Buffers
would pay Off the national debt.
The people, however, know OF but
feT men whose services are worth
fifty dollars a day; and they know
of no one in Congress whose place
could not be as well filed by men
VINO would serve st half thst. Better
men than the Forty-second Congress
can boast have served at eight dollars
day, and considered il good pay.
Your sophistry about poor men is
too thin to cene from q representa-
tive of Massachusetts. You, l sup
pose, with your recently purchased
SSO,OOO mansion, are one of those
poor that we have with US always;
and the three cent contribution II,
taken uD TO help pay for your howell.
II -
I've respectfully at Washington on ten
dollars day, unless he should per-
chance desire to initiate the ways Of
the eountry's pauPers who live in
thirty thousand dollar mansions.
Your big salaries for the benefit OF
poor men will only plsce thousands
Of dollars as electiOneeriDg mobey
in the pockets oi Congressman 10 Sc
cure re election and prevent the
election of poor men who might seek
their places.
How, | would Rsk, can the poor
clerks live in Washington on 81, 500 u
year, or less than five dollars 8 day,
If Congressman cannot on twenty
five? Will you answer that the
clerk is not Congressman, and that
the servant is above his lord p? These
things will bear explanation.
You claim that the msjoFity OF
Congressman could earn more than
81 500 at home. But even If this
were true, which is not true, you un
Intentionally or otherwise forget TO
state that 81, 500 is paid the Congress-
man for the third OF q years service
(holidays thrown in and that ms
position as Congressman gives him
an influence and nOtoriety that en-
ables him to make more in the other
two-thirds OF the ear than he would
in whole year il he had not been an
NJ. c. Witness your lee rs CIedIt
Mobiiier attorney.
Your jocosity over our burden of
taxes is perhaps well timed. But
when u heavy ue0t Is being rapidly
paid off by the nation, it is evident
that somebody Is being taxed to pay
it. However, granting your correct
ness, granting that taxes are not Op-
pressiye and Jnas the nation is abuud-
antly able TO pay full value Tor ser
vices rendered, it may be we'll to ask,
would II not be better to be just be-
fore we are generous. Three hun
dred thousand soldiers enlisted at the
beginning OF the war and were prom
ised Sll month in gold. They re-
ceived, owing to the depreciation OF
our currency, less than hall what was
promised TO them. They bore the
brunt of the fight, but were put off
with pitiiul one hundred dollars
bounty while those who came in at
the close received three hundred.
Congress refused TO do those veterans
justice by The equalization of bCun
ties, because the nation was in debt
and taxes enormous. And yet the
Treasury IS 50 plethoric that Con
gressmen csn vote themselves un-
limited bounty, while the veterans
must wait the good time coming.
You and l, Ben, see things differ
ently--in fact they say you do not
see things like any body this side
Dutch Gap-and / must not provoke
your "bottled r2'' wrath, lest you
blow me up, like you did Fort Fisher.
You make heavy draught upon
your imagination TO paint my charae-
ter, and have fully shown what ma
terial you have in your inner con-
sciousness 10 work upon. But TO
help J our demOralized vision, let me
do little painting tor myself.
L am opposed 10 high salaries, and
10 COngressmen EhO joined Ben But
Ter IN bis raid on the Treasury, or
dared not open their mouths against
it, because tney we're afraid OF his
iorked tongue. 1 own no bonds nor
Credit MObilier stock, and have no
Credit MObIlier money in my pocket.
pay 10 tax On whisky and / eat my
soup with spoon / believe there
.Ie smart ia~yers in Congress who
are not statesmen, and whose legal
practice has made them ready de-
enders OF their side, whether right
1r wrong / believe Ben Butler is enc
)f these. But don't believe Massa
;husetts will elect such man as her
IavernOr, nor even return bIm TO The
,est he mas dishOnored in Congress.
And yet, since the devil IL going to
md fro Uu the earth, what may VT
not expectE
| return your three cents I an
Tot IN tie habit OF receiving stolen
goods. You are not the first one
who has wanted to return MS price -
Eighteen hundred years ago, Judas
got ashamed OF what be mad dOJc
and wanted to return the "prIce' he
.ad received, but Il was refused. as
yours is row, and you will do well To
follow the example then gwen and
place your money where 1t will do
-he most goOd--buy potler's field FOR
who will die Of this
back salary disease tor their fate Is
written and tneir graves should he
prepared. Yours,
NosEs SCoTr.
SWINDLING EXTRAORDINARY.
For month or six weeks past a
series OF operations have been carried
on throughout Kankakee County OF
such msgnitude and brassiness a. %
entitle them TO the front rank among
the innumerable swindles Of the day.
There are six operators at Preseut,and
and their Vaccinations extend
Il -- -. -, E.afa nv zuecessiye