Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-08
"ProgresIVe Public Sentiment,'
on 'Rack Pay.

There is not, nor ever has been, any
doubt in our mind, that there is a gradu-
al, steady and constant improvement 60
ing on in the world. We believe that
progress is as much a law of the mental
and moral world, as of the physical
world We have, heretofore, taken Oc-
casion to express the opinion that the
world was growing better as 1t grows
older. We are very happy to agree with
a cotemporary in the proposition that
there is general progression towards a
more refined and elevated standard of
morality, whatever that may mean
sin the public sentiment of the couu-
try. Perhaps morality is capable of re-
finement, in different degrees, but we
had supposed that morality was some
thing, if we may so express it, in and
of itself, that there was, and could be,
no degrees in morality Either an act
is moral or immoral. So sentiments
and opinions must be moral or immoral.
If "a persons acts or sentiments are inn
moral, in part-we will say-they cannot
be moral, neither can the men be consid-
cred moral. There are degrees III crime
and wiekedneSs, but not in morality
But let this pass. We think that we un-
derstand the idea intended to be con
veyed, which Is, we presume, that the
world is growing better In general, and
the United States in particular. The IL
lustration used to prove the proposition
is, however, peculiarly unfortunate. 1t
is true, as we said, Monday, that GIVE
times has the compensation of members
of Congress been increased, and each time
the increase has been retroactive" which
we suppose is what is meant by the
statement that five times Congress
has raised its own salary and each time
made it apply to thu current Congress "
We don't intend to be "hypercritical, ;"
but we were not aware that Congress had
any salary, or that there was any eur
rent Congress, in the sense and meaning
of the language used. 1t is not true, how
ever, that ''there was nothing said by
the people on the subject, until the ex-
pertinent of last winter, when the whole
country was swept by q tempest of in-
dignation. That tempest of indigna-
ton has ''swept" the country upon
each and every occasion, when Congress
has presumed to increase the pay of its
members. One must have been a careless
reader of his eountry's history not to
have known and understood this. The
least familiarity with the politics of the
United States would have taught the
writer that, heretofore, vote for the in
crease of ones own pay was more ia
/ tai bar to reelection to Congress than
was the vote for the Missouri Compromise
to New Englands representatives. In
the latter case, one arose from his polit-
ical grave, in the former cases, every
one voting for an increase of pay was
politically dead and buried forever. Up
on one of these occasions, we think il
was the third-we have not the memo
randa at hand to refer to-the political
excitement and indignation of the people
was intense, sweeping parties and men,
who had advocated the measure, into
the back ground, elevating new men tc
power, and producing, in fact, politi
cal revolution. The excitement, as po-
litical history informs us, was greater
and the interest more absorbing thar
that which preceded the election OF
General Harrison or followed the repea
of the Missouri Compromise. Upon al
the occasions referred to it has equallet
if not surpassed that of the present
The men who voted for increased pay
never had the privilege of receiving it
except in the form of shack pay" W.
presume it will be so after the mex
! election. The reference to James A
Garfield is particularly unfortunate. H'
not only voted for, but received his ex
ira compensation, and was requested b.
a portion of his constituents, to resign
This he declined to do, but JUSTIFIED, 0
attempted to justify, his vote ant
course. We can hardly think tina
"Sunset" Cox is very good exempla
of political morality, but we have, per