New-York tribune., 1873-04-17
THE SALARY STEAL.

| To the Edttor OF The Trtbuhe'
SIZE: The charges brought against the mem
bers of Congress for voting an increase OF salary ana
especially for making that increase apply to tho out
going incoming Congress, and also against tne
President for not Withholding his signature from the
BILL though made with yigOr and persisted IN Win an
iteration that Is convincing to the popular mnd WI"
perhaps, IN themselves, repay lttlo quiet analysis anu
consideration 1t IL tho easiest OF all things TO cry mad
dog" and It is familiar device for the accompces OF
the escaping culprt appear eeesfooted In the pur
suit and oudest-tongued IN tho cry OF stop thief" III
certainly seems possibly that the whom the people,
In their vnrous districts and States, have espcclaly
chosen to represent thep should be quito as jealous o
their regulations quite "a careul OF the peopies
money. as the selfeeeted guardians OF tho peo
ple who represent country or city papers at
tho Capital and who. In many cases. are tho re-
cpients OF fayors and fat places from these same
Congressman, in tho way or corkships To cOmHit'
tees etc much at least seems due to the accused
Now the leading charge seems to be hat-and TINS GER
tainly applies as well to the incoming as the outgoing
Increase OF pay Is taken In bold violation
of " contract" between A b, the Congressman, and
we the people" In which contract B stipulated 10 40
certain for certain fixed sum, but having done II
and finding there moro work to be had he turns
round IN violation Of his contract and deliberately steals
certain additional This is the charge and very
serious ono 1t s-makDg out majority OF the members
I'm both houses Of Congress To be unbushing thieves
IL ga charge also, which just seriously compromises
all tho members OF he next Congress who shall receive
their non legal salaries for they were elected under the
same contract" the members OF the Congress just
expired There is another point 1t could never happen
that members Of the expiring Congress should not DO
| members Of the incoming Congress- so that II no
Congressman can ever properly vote an increase
of salary. why, whatever bo the changing needs
and varying values OF money, the salaries OF
Congressmen must remain unchanged. accord.
| ing to those very proper and honest correspond
| 4 Tutn fHa Df
involved In this voting additional salary TO themselves
during the last hours OF the session, do not propose
| to enter but do propose considering the honesty
Of tho transaction which has been so openly questioned
QUESTION OF A CONTRACT.
And at the ousct must observe that it i'll becomes
those who have taken the word contract to Juggle
yitls these honest" editors have done-o prate Of
honesty" In the I'm which they use II, and on
the strength OF which they call these members OF Con
gress thieves" there is no contract and they know
it, To harp upon that term and to base charges upon 1t
as they have DONE is 10 lie. to cheat to cozzen! They
claim that contract" existed by which each member
OF Congress bound himself to do much work for so
| much money. Il will pass by for the moment the iact
this question Of the salary OF the
member neither entered into the mind nor was brought
TO the attention OF either Of the contracting parties at
the time OF the eectonJ Yet that must be confessed
| singular contract where the employer knows that
the employed has the right by law OF increasing his
compensation any time without any regard to the VIII
Of the employer the matter II seems to lack some OF
the vital elements Of "contract-One OF the contract
g parties being absolutely without power to enforce or
compel the enforcement OF the socalled contract ana
| lacking that, II ceases TO be a contract
That simple statement efectualy dispOses Of this
contract" idea and with It should fall the huge mis-
shapen structure OF falsehOod that has been so ndusn
ously built upon contracted and rotten foundation
The simple fact is that the founders Of our system OF
government had far faith in the republican ideas
| gpfplected of Con-
| rress and they knew that each House was the best
Judge OF its own needs and, therefore. they left this
question Of compensation of members OF Congress In the
hands Of the Congress- just where they left the question
OF compensation all the officers OF the Government;
and IL "a very far from being steal" for the Congress
TO enact an increase OF compensation 20 Its members
Whether it will enact such increase at the beginning
Of its session or at the end for the incoming Congress,
Il question its members to decide; but 1t Is submit
ted that while It exists a Congress- the time when
particular law Is enacted does not in itself affect the
moral qualities of the law In other words the fact OF
the of salary having passed Oh the first day OF
| the gathering OF the last Congress- or on the last
/ day of its session, would not change it into an
| honest or dishonest action. There is one other
fact-a fact TO which largely owing the disastrous
Credit Mobilier" revelaons-a fact which is at once
the weakness and the danger Of popular representative
pyerument-One which the press, instead or Obyiang,
are largely aggrayatlng-tha Is, the tllmdity OF the
representatives of the people. man who knows THAT
every word, every action every vote will be eagerly
seized commented put in the worst possible light to
ing becomes cautions timd non-cOmmittal, cOwardly
Hence IL Is that have known for the past two
years that the salary Of ngressnen was wholly insult
fcient have still afraid OF the handle 1t would
give to their opponents and enemies at home that they
would not dare TO vote for It, The same mas held good
in regard salaries Of the Supreme Court Justices or
many heads Of bureaus, though all admitted that the
Of salary bXed years ago were Wholly inadequate
| to meet the present needs OF these 0ihcals. 80,
from this cowardice OF the members largely due
believe the unscrupuOusness OF the press III at
trbuling motives faction Is very possible that at no
other time but when the questions OF reflections were
ali settled could majority Of the House have been OBJ
tanned any vote increasing their own or other official
of Congress who hopes for reelection. This shown
in various ways. IL was admitted that more affirmative
could he had needed II was apparent that soue
| who voted o. No" wished the bill to pass.
SOME ADVICE TO THE PRESS.
There are some features OF the bill relating 10 Con-
gressmen distinguishing it from ga steal" In the first
place it does away with constructive mileage, which has
made large discrimination in the salary OF members
from dstanceso large that the Pacific coast members
with aacry refused TO take their back pay, I'm that
case they would have debtors the Government
for from 900 TO g. 900 This bill, then does away with
injustice Of giving one member twice the salary OF
! another It nomnally increases the members salary
but as this is in lieu OF all postage, stationery,
Nc il questionable whether In many cases 1t Will not
prove the reverse of increase The repeal Of the
ranking privilege and the fact that the constructive
mileage was done away with by this bill were doubtless
strong reasons induce many to vote for the bill Ger
| tain 10 Is that many men VINO nave sustained en-
viable repuations for honesty voted for the bill When
| men Of known integrity and honesty vote for the
bill as no one will question done, can 1t be just or
wise or patriotic for the press persist in wholesale
charges OF theft against these members OF Congress
The effect OF these charges Is already in Ohio
where the constituents of the abest representa-
tves from that State call on him to resign because he
voted this BILL The Is at point where one OF
| two things must happen-either the implied claim OF
peculiar purity ana honesty OF the men who deal In
these wholesale accusations will be thoroughly slfted
and the eyes people opened 10 the worth OF such
railing accusations by such often irresponsible men,
contamination" perhaps, dey0uty to be wished" or
else their railing accusations will be passed by like the
idle tales OF notorious and confessed sanderers and
impossible that freemen shall long