Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-13
Rutland 9ailp 9rrald.
THE RUTLAND HERALD
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY Z, 1878.
The Question of Salaries.

The Question of Salaries.
One of the results that we might nat
urally have expected to flow from the
abolition Of the franking privilege, is
found in the agitation of the question Of
An increase of the pay of our Senators
and Representatives in Congress For
years after the establishment of our gov
enment and down to a comparatively
recent period, their compensation was
fix "a a. eight dollars for each day, dur
inc he session of Congress. They were
afterwards paid an annual salary Of
three thousand dollars, which was, sub
so41outy, increased to five thousand
dollars, where it remains at present.
During all this time they received an
allowance for mileage, differing more or
less according TO the actual distance Of
heir places ct residence from the capi
tol, bv the usually travelled routr-and
also had % cherished ''perquisite' in the
franAin9 privilege The abuses Of the
latter have led to its abolition, and, al
though, the mileage" charge is subject
80 more abuse, if not actual fraud. it re-
mains to the present day to gladden. the
pockets of our public servants. The re-
linQuishment, however, of the privilege
If receiving and transmitting mail mat
ter free of expense, is no argument in
favor of an increase of salary. Either
the whole system of the frank was wrong
or it should have been retained IF it
Ms wrong, then Congress only acted as
they were bound to do, when they mum
hered it among the relics of the past. II
they acted, in this matter. honestly and
from a sense Of public duty, then they
can found no claims therein for an in
crease of pay. 1t may necessarily fol-
low that under the changed order of
affairs, the cash balance of the Senator
and Representative. at the end of his
term, may be somewhat less than here
iofore, but so would the same deficiency
appear in a dishonest clerks balance if
ne had only been honest An advance
Of pay may be- demanded i'm the one case
AZ wpll ls the other. 1t may be true
that both parties are actually working
for less than their services are worth If
so, let their pay be increased, but let the
advance be placed on tenable grounds.
The only question to be determined is
what are their services actually aud rea-
sonably worth. We donot mean by this
what the services of certain persons,
who, by courtesy and the votes of their
constituents, are entitled to the desgna-
don of United States Senators or Repre-
sentatives in Congress, and whose ac-
tions have made the name a by-word
and reproach. The services of such men
are actually worth nothing. Congress
would be better off without them than
with them. There is a class of men.
whom we should endeavOur to attract
into public life, and this question of
salaries only becomes important in this
consideration and, possibly, in another
With the present salary, there is no diff
Guilty in finding asprants for congress
ional honors, and perhaps they will com
pare favOrably with those who have
represented the people before. Upon
this point we do not propose to enter.
A Senator or Representative who de-
votes his time and talents to the public
service is entitled to receive, from that
public, such and so much compensation,
as such talents and such services would
command in other walks of life. If the
salary now paid is not sufficient for the
services actually rendered, or expected
to be rendered, let it be increased. That
II can and does command the services of
properly qualified men does not meet
the point Because men have been and
can be found who will accept and dis
charge certain duties for inadequate pay,
1t IS no reason why they should be re-
quired to do so. A laborer is worthy of
his hire. If the hire of the laborers in
this part of the vineyard is not sufficient,
say so, and then increase it until it is
sufficient But if it is increased, let it
be done boldly and manfully. Let it be
claimed and conceded as matter of
right and Justice This rewarding pub
lie servants for display of public vir-
tue is simply senseless. They have sim
ply discharged duty and redeemed
their pledges, by giving up the franking
privilege, and we trust they will not
make the act ridiculous by demanding
pay for it. We want no robbing Peter
to pay Paul There is another view of
this salary question. While the coun-
try believes that the laborer is worthy of
his hire, it is coming to be, also, their
settled conviction that public offices,
while they are rarely declined, should
never be sought. In prescribing COM
pensation, it should be so arranged
that while men of proper attain
ments and proved integrity would not
be compelled to avoid and absolutely de-
cline official positions for want of ade-
quate pecuniary support, yet, on the
other hand, that the inducements should
not be sufficient to attract horde of
political adventures into the strife for
position, and thus breed more corruption
In party politics than has yet been
dreamed of. Let whoever, hereafter,
enters Congress be entitled to have and
receive such pay, that his time and best
talents can BIZ devoted to the service of
the country. Let 1t be such that our
Congressman and Senators will not be