, 1873-08-17
MR. HOAR ON THE BALAHY-aRAB,

pungont and indeed powerful in other respects,
is considerably weakcnod by tho necessity Of to-
Tending his own action In tho promises. N1r.
uoar is mombcr OF Congress from tito Worcos-
tor District Of Massachusetts. 11o opposed
tho bill increasing tho sa1nrieH, and beloved tue
retroactive fontnro waa unjust and immoral.
According to his own statement, he consulted
with other membera who had opposed tho
measure, and found disposition among them
to draw tho baok-pay. Their argument
was that tley would have boon tho aufrorors If
the salary had hcon reduced; Tint they Ind dono
their duty III opposing It; mud, now TINT tlloy
were entitled to 1t by law, they wore Justified in
taking IT. II tho "lcat1ers Of tho opposition
to tho bill, whom nfr. Hoar says he consulted,
hold this opinion ut first, many Of them srbso-
quontly changed their minds and covered tho
money bnck into tho TroaBury. Mr.. Hour, pre-
sumably OIL tho same grounds, decided to draw
ha pay; but llo was 80 thoroughly convinced
that 1t was wrong, that ho also docidod to bcstow
it upon aomo public enterprise. 1Io selected tho
Worcester Institute, an educational institution
free to NIL rosidonts Of Worcester County. bIr.
Hoar turned over a5, 900 to the Trlstoos Of the
Institute, all amount representing the back-pay,
on condition that tho residents Of llvo town.
ahips, outside of Worcester County, but included
within his district should enjoy tho privileges Of
tho fund. Afr. Hoar justiies his action in
plausible way. ue says that if ho had covered
this money hack into tho Treasury whilo other
Congressman kept their share, Worcester County
would hayo contributed MI excessive proportion
of tho public revenue. His purpose WIS to 80
dispose of the money that tho people Of his dis
trlct should have tho bonoht of it. 1To
d'aclaims oil intontion Of manufacturing public
sentiment in Lis favor, or. Con- Butler puts It,
Of buying glory instoad Of butchers meat.
If we admit that Nlr. Hoar's motives were per-
fectly disintorcsted, lie certainly made serious
n1istako in Judgment. Tho money which ho drew
out of tho United stntcs Treasury did not belong
to the people Of Lis district but to the people Of
tho United States. II he had adopted Buffers
original plan Of returning three cents to
evory voter III tho district (which But
Ter, by tho way, did not hoop up), it
money than to hnve given it to an educational
1natitution whoee adyanta ges cannot reach NIL
hia constituents. But tl,ls would l,avo been
equally an improper disposition OF tho money,
which eithor belonged to nIr. Hoar or to tho
people Of the United Statos. II ho had succeod-
cd III returning to evory taxpayer Of Lis district
a fair proportion OF the " grab,' ho would have
giyon tho pooplo of Worcester County al tyan-
tago over the rest Of the taxpayors in this cour-
try. They had pnid no moro tlan their propoy-
tics to no rebate that WIS not likewise
distributed among tho other Taxpayers Of tho
country. Tho simple fact of tho cgao IL, that, IT
Mr.. Hoar beloved Ao was not justly entitled to
the back-pay, he had morally no moro right to
dispose Of it, or exercise my control over it,
than he lad to keep it for his own use and ben
eft.
To concede tho justice of Mr. Honr's dofonse
Of his disposal Of tho back-pay would be to ac-
knowledge the right Of one man to givo away
another mans money. In SIr. Hoar's case, tic
fact that tho law authorized him to draw tic
money makes no diGereuce since lo re-
gardod 1t as wrong IN spite Of tho
law. His example was pornicious. Other
Congressman followed it, giving tho
money to school-fund, to the Washington
Monument Association, to 4 State Treasury, or
to County Troasurios, or Bome other institution
where they thought it would 10 thom most
good. Thus thoro has boon several installmonts
Of the back-pay belonging to the United States
Treasury distributed without authority. The
temptation to be liberal with othor peoplos
money is very much stronger than to bo liberal
with ono's own. Tho practice is tho
moro dangerous because it is liable to bo
initiated. If politicians como to beliovo
that thoir sins can bo atonod for
by 57dicious bestowal OF tho public funds, there
is obviously no end to tho number OF ondow-
ments that can DO yotod out Of tho Treasury.
hlr. Hoara money waa not dishonesty obtained,
for tho law authorized it, but II waa immorally
usod, since llc, hinsof, regarded tho bach-pay ay
not belonging to lin. 1t will DO 4 ditlicnlt
matter i'll political circles to draw tho limo be-
tween the immoral uso and the dishonest obtain
Ing OF public funda. Ills example WAS the more
porn'cous, because ho Atands OH higher pedca-
tal than tho average Congrosaman. Tho notion
Of Mr. Hoar and all tho other Congressman who
have initiated him in dlsposipg Of their buck
pay is simply q modification OF the dangerous
and pornioious practice Of giving awny other
peoples money, Which, in QUO form or anothor
Is accountable for most OF tho dofa1cationa,