Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-10-09
Mr.. Willard Speaks.

writes letter concerning the salary
increase which serves as an admirable
commentary on the Worcester Re-
publican resolutions. Mr.. Willard is
u Republican of the straitest sect, and
as he voted against the salary grab
from beginning to end, and refused to
Ipocket his share of the plumber, he is
every way competent to criticise the
very equivocal utterance Of his party
in Massachusetts upon this subject.
In the first place Mr.. Willard denies
the validity of the excuse, put forth
at Worcester, that the increase of the
Presidents salary was lust and neces-
sary," and he supports his opinion
with facts and figures. 1t is a no.
table circumstance that no President
before Grant has found his pay so in
sufficient as to warrant petition for
more. Lincoln managed to get along
comfortably on $4,000 a year when
prices were much hi CHER than at pres
ent and that. too, when the Treasury
paid far less for White House expens-
es than it does under Grant. 1t may
not be generally understood, although
every appropriation bill proclaims the
fact, that the President has absolute
ly no use for his salary except for
strictly personal expenses, clothing
his family, supplying his table and
paying his life insurance premiums.
Even the bills for official dinners and
public entertainments are settled by
special appropriation. Otherwise the
cost of housekeeping is wholly de-
trayed for the President, from the
$4,000 paid for keeping Up the
greenhouse to the 1920 TO the man
who builds the fires. This year the
amount required Ffor the purpose is
$4,000, showing a considerable an
nual increase under Grants Admins
tration. Mr.. Willard very pertinently
remarks that those who think the
Presidents salary was properly doub-
led under these circumstances cannot
reasonably denounce members Of Con
gress for making their own pay about
one tenth as large.
But Mr. Willard makes yet more
destructive work with the Hoar re
solution when he challenges the his
toric truth of their statements. In
stead of max ING the Congressman the
original sinners, he fastens the blame
directly upon the President. The
proposition to give Grant $4,000 a
year extra salary, he says did not i'm
mediately find favor in Congress. But
the President "urged the passage of
the bill in advance" Favored it before
it passed either House. and "person.
ally expressed to members desire to
have his own salary increased" In
other words, he inspired the raid on
the Treasury and lobbied for it among
Congressman, using the "selfish in
terest of members in increasing their
own pay as only one of the devices
to secure his individual gain. This,
it should be remembered, is the state
ment OF a Republican Congressman
who was on the spot, engaged in the
Legislation of which he speaks, and
cognizant of the influences by which
the obnoxious bill was pushed through
the two Houses. He certainly speaks
to the point; and nowhere more di-
rectly than in the sentence in which
he owns up the Presidents connection
with the job, declaring that the back
pay and Congressional salary increase
found favor at the White House sim
ply because they "pulled through" the
$4,000 annual addition to Grants in
come. In short, the picture which
this Republican Congressman draws
of the Republican President is that of
a selfish, grasping and avaricious man,
who, while enjoying an ample remun-
GRAFTON for his services, does not hest
tate to connive at raid on the public
funds and to tasten an annual expense
Of millions on the people, in order to
influence Congress to put money in
his own pocket. -Boston Post.
The n. Y. Democatic State Con-
vention, was held at Utica, on Wednes-