Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-08-12


President Wilson has returned his increased
pay, and written letter saying he cannot
take it, because his election was q contract
to serve for 5000 year, sum fixed by
law at the time. do not understand 1t to
be so, and l do not see how he can when he
was elected to the Senate. At the first the
pay was eight dollars day, yet in 1856 be
voted and spoke in favor of its being raised
both prospectively and retrospectively, to
So, 900 year. Did not bis first election
make contract to serve for little more
than half that sum as valid as the contract
made by last election? In 1865 he again
voted to raise his salary rom $1,000 to So
OO0, although he Eed been re elected, max
ing, as he rJw supposes. another contract
10 serve FOR a less Gum again. He was
elecsed Vice. President. His votes counted
sor him as Vice President. He accepted
the Office, and resigned his seat In the
Senate to take it, while the salary of the
Office stocd by law at $1,000 a year. By
the new bill, the Vice. Presidents salary wes
raised to $l0,00o. If there can be any such
thing as contract for salary fixed by a
mans election, how, with Mr.. Wilson's
view Of that contract, can be take the ad-
vapced salary Of the Office of Vice Presi.
dent?. Yet, almoss at the very time when
he returned bis increased salary as Senator
on the ground that he had made contract
that be should serve for 5000 a year, and
he could take no more, be gave his receipt
to the Treasurer for his increased salary as
Vice President at the rate of $4,000 year,
although, by his own showing, there was a
contract when he was elected and accepted
To fOr. NJ w-As al,
could not break as Senator, but at the me
moment did break as Vice President, by
taking his increased salary. What must be
the political stress of weather that thus
makes men 60 back on themselves, and vii
ify their own conduct in the past to Justify
themselves in the present?
There is another class of members of
Congress, whose actions In this regard
seem intended as a criticism on my course.
They will pardon me, if examine theirs.
Those gentlemen have taken their back
pay, and have devoted it to chosen pur-
poses, sometimes charitable, and sometimes
otherwise. Perhaps the best illustration of
such disposition Of the money is the action
of my colleague from the Eighth District,
the Hon. George F. Hosr. He drew his
increase of salary, and with it endowed an
institution for education Of youth in his dis
trict. If he had right to take that money
he certainly had right to keep it. II it
was not money honest enough to keep,
then it was not money honest enough to
take. If it was not honest enough money
for him 20 spend for bis own purpose,
certainly the ingenious youth of his dis
trict ought not to be contaminated by
being educated with dishonesty acquired
money. Devoting i'll gotten gains to charity
does not clean the money. May l remind
my colleague that his way of spending bad
money is not even original. He is guilty
of plagiarisms The chief priests devoted
the thirty pieces Of silver they got from
Judas to buying potters' field, for
the charitable purpose of burying the dead,
but it is called ''the field of blood" even
unto this day. One gets great glory, how
ever, by founding public institutions. 1t is
favorite method CT electioDeering of these
politicians, who electioneer through the use
of money. Every man has right, howev-
er, to do with his own money as he pleases,
and treating sit as his own money, no.
body can criticise the use which my col
league made of that four thousand and odd
dollars of back pay. Every man may do
u
he will buy what be needs most. Some
men need glory, and therefore purchase it.
Some men need butchers meat. l buy
butchers meat with my back pay. My ad-
vice to him, however, would have been to
use his pay as bis brother did when he took
his back pay as Supreme Judge, and as his
predecessor Of the same district, Mr.. Bald
win, the editor, used, in 1866, TO take it and
put it where it viii do the most good. Per
haps my advice has been followed. That is
precisely what my colleague thinks he has
done.
l felt quite sure at the time that whatever
course took in regard to the increase of
pay would be subject to newspaper de6le-
ment. Had l refused to present the bill,
and voted against it, then it would have
been said that, having sufficient income of
his own and means of earning mora by his
profession, the salary was nothing to him.
He knew that be could afford to live in Con-
gress without any salary, and therefore
solaced the demsgogue by voting against
sufficient compensation, SO that no poor
man could 60 to Congress. Iconfess, how
ever, that did not suppose the delightful
stream of calumny which Lnow hear would
be poured upon me. Whatever course
took would bring an accusation that regard
ed it question of money to ne, for the
hard la0or of lo.Jg business Ifs has given
me means Of living without it or any pub
lie employment, which have not used
in so nigg srdly q manner as to give
color TO such distractions. felt that if |
lost what have | could earn more, and if
my constituents did not desire my public
services fer them at 81 800 per year, there
were those who had been, and would be,
willing to give me seven times as much in
my profession. / can easily conceive what
must be the force of temptation to 8 man
with wife and children dependent upon
him. His business broken up and his pro
fession gone while in the public service, to
offer him even ten shares in some scheme
or speculation like the Credit Mobilier, or
Cedar Rapids bonds, or Hubbard Silver
Mine, which promised large returns if aid
ed by congressional legislation, SO that in
fact they become the price of his vote. If
the country wants honest public servants
it must pay them adequately. Desiring
and intending the poor man shall have n
opportunity to represent the people in
Congress IN either house, and be so
paid that he can stand erect among
his fellows and feel himself entirely indie
pendent so far as an adequate support is
concerned; to remove all wish or desire to
get perquisites, or to overdraw stationery
and allowances; to enable him to employ a
clerk to aid him in doing business and in
answering the correspondence of his con-
stituents--not an unonerous burden
which, as you may well guess, in my own
case, and doubtless in many oilers, amounts
to more than 10000 letters year, voted
for, advocated, engineered and made my
SELF responsible f0r-howeVer the same
msy be phrased--an increase OF salary to
President, Judges, members of the Cabinet
and of Congress, 10 every degree in my
power, and am glad that / was able to
bring it about to the extent charged upon
me. 1t is responsibility from which do
not shrink, and L shall neither falsify my
acts or prevaricate myself in palliation or
excuse.'' -. 49, ~.