The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-04-03

| the salary OF the PfPslQenL was Sz0s- y
600, aud no more. Washington, and,
each of his successors down to Lin
coin, paid for the 'tuei and lights used
! i'm the Executive Mansion out of his
salary; and once in every four years
an appropriation was made for new !.
| furniture. From the inauguration of
Republican President in 1861 a new
era was entered upon. Instead of
once in four years, every year since
then an appropriation, varying from
$4,000 to $50, 600 has been made to
/ furnish the Presidents house, and
large appropriations have been yearly
made for his lights and fuel. Thus,
at the late session OF Congress, an ap-
preparation of $35,O00 was made for =
/ new furniture tor the Presidents,
$1,000 for his gas; $1,000 for his fuel,
and $4,000 for, his hot house; aud
within couple of years a billiard
room was built for his use with mo.t-
ey taken from the Treasury, as we'll
as stable, which cost twenty-five or
thirty thousand dollars, without any !.
appropriation having been made
Therefor. as required by the Constitu-
ton. BY this system President Grant
has been receiving from eighty. to 4,
! ninety thousand a year, instead of
| twenty-five thousand, as prescribed
| - - - "a
! by law; and as his potninal salary has
been increased to $4,000, he will now q
receive directly and indirectly, from
one hundred and ten TO one hundred
and twenty thousand dollars annual
/ ly. During the past four years the
/ most active lobbyists in favor of an
increase of salaries has been President
Grant himself, although he has enter =
tanned fewer of his fellow-citizens
than any of his predecessors. ''NN'
il Within three years the salaries of
the Justices of the Supreme Court of
| the United States were increased from
six to eight thousand year, and at
| the late session they were again i'm
creased to ten thousand q year, over
! and above the perquisites of a servant 9
for each Judge at 50 a day, wax cam
dies, stationery, sc.
Formerly our Ministers to the
Courts of England and France receiv-
ed salaries of $4,000, with an outfit,
but now they have been increased,
we believe, to SIS, 500; and until with e
in year we had no other frs -class 8
missions: bnt now our missions to -,
Prussia, Italy, Russia and China, are
all made trst-class, and our Ministers
to those countries receive $18,500 in-
stead of $1,000 the salaries paid 1be-- 2
fore General Grant became President. ..
T. In the days of simple government,
the Cabinet off GERS were simply call
ed Secretaries, but in these days Of
Imperial grandeur they are styled >
Ministers. Formerly, the salary of a a,
Cabinet officer was $4,000, and that
amount covered everything. Since
1861, the salary was increased to So
900, and by the late law to $4,000,
and to, this is added the perquisite of
handsome carriage, horses, coach
man and footman in livery, and the
keeping of the horses. This latter
fact has been denied by irresponsible
persons but it is true ;although resolu-
/ Etions were several times offered in the
House, calling for information on the
subject, they were never allowed 10
pass. The Departments have always
had light one-horse conveyances to
carry their mail, etc.. but it was not
until Mr.. Stanton became Secretary
of War that sumptuous carriages for
the use of the families of Cabinet of ff
ficers were introduced at the peoples
cost.
Formerly Senators and Represents
tives received SO day during the ses-
sion of Congress, and nothing during
vacation. Then the salaries were ,
made yearly, and after while in-
creased to three and then five thou
sand dollars, with forty cents and at
terward twenty cents mileage, goiGg
and returning from Congress. By ut
this process the members from Oregon
California, Texas and Louisiana drew
from six to nearly eight thousand
dollars, while the members from
Maryland, Eastern Pennsylvania, etc.,
received but little over five thousand,
allowing that all travel on free passes i,
as is generally the case. Early in the
late session of Congress an attempt
was made to increase the salary Of the
President, and was voted down. An
effort was then made in the Senate to
get through bill raising the salaries
of the President, Vice President, Cab
met, Supreme Court and Congress,
but it was laid on the table. A bill,
similar in character, was then intro
duced in the House and was beaten
on square vote, and was again de-
feated in the Committee of the whole
House. 1t was believed that the sub
ject was finally disposed of. but on
the night of the 3rd of March it was
again introduced, and passed. embra-
cling the members of the Forty Sec
ond Congress. ...sos !' % 9'afl
Much has been said of members Of %
the Forty-second Congress having vo-
ted to pay themselves an increased
salary, but it seems to have escaped
attention that about one-hundred and
ten members of the Forty-second are
also members of the Fortv-third Con-st
gress. Was it not as indelicate for a ID
member of the Forty-second Congress.
to vote to increase his salary in the
Forty-third as for member of the
Forty-second to vote to increase his
salary? Between the two Congresses ai
there is this difference: The Forty-
second held three, while the Forty
third will only hold two sessions. and
the members-elect of this latter Con-
gress have nothing to do until tho
first Monday of December. when they n,
will draw $6,250 each without having
rendered one hours service.
The times are out of Joint, and
gouge is the game. If perquisites of
all kinds were done away with, and
the salaries fixed by law Were made !,
to cover all expenses of the agents of
the people, from the President down,
the Treasury would be the gamer.
That this will not be is conclnsivelv d
shown by the fact that the very ses-
sion of Congress which increased the
Presidents salary from $4,000 to
$4,000 also made appropriations
amounting to over $4,000 more to
pay for his gas, fuel, hot house and
furniture.
IF the people are satisfied, who has
right to complain 9-EnQutrer.
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