The New York herald., 1873-12-12
Salary Stcalers-Publtc Virtue and
Party Plundortng.

Party Plundoring.
Public virtue is said to be the essential
principle and vital spirit of governments like
ours, yet whole Congress gives us irrefraga-
BILE evidence that it is not unwilling to profit
by petty larceny; to plunge its Legislative arm
up to the elbow into the national treasure
chest and pocket what it was trusted to guard.
So that if Montesquieu was right-if virtue is
the vitality of republics-then our grand po-
litical experiment is in bad way or our Con-
gressmen greatly belle the nation in pretend
ing to represent it. Perhaps the truth is be-
tween these points and laps over a little on
either alternative. Congressman are not fair
types of the people Of their districts; and this
is a truth that has no partisan application. for
the m en- of both sides will plunder on any
convenient occasion with q noble indifference
perior to narrow dissension on political issues
in presence of any opportunity to put money
in their purses. This is the essential point in
the ring system of public robbery, and we find
the superiority of the people over their repre-
sentatives in the very fact that before they
can successfully steal on any extensive combi-
nation Congressman must first betray their con-
stituents; they must agree not to recognize as
an obstacle to their operations those principles
which the people elected them to uphold;
they must agree with their political opponents
that it is better to act together for the more
successful prosecution of dishonest schemes in
their own interest than to act in opposition
for the assumed interest of the people. They
are traitors, therefore, before they are thieves;
and if the system upon which men in Office
operate was acted upon by the people at large
in their general dealings one with another, then
loss of confidence, distrust and suspicion would
sap the foundation of our whole fabric of indus
try and commerce. Broadcast among our peo-
pie there is dishonesty, of course, there is in
every country, but it is not found with us in
greater proportion to the numbers than it is
found elsewhere, while We doubt if there ever
was Legislative body SO shamelessly corrupt
as the present Congress In utter disregard
of its responsibility towards the Southern
States, with an indifference to the welfare of
those great communities that was partly re-
venge, the republican party permitted recon-
| struction on principles that let in the crowds
of carpe-bag Representatives and Senators,
and thus the personal composition of Con-
gress was adulterated the governing body was
debased by the coming in of q horde Of scoun-
drels, political vagabonds, refugees, bank
rupts-wretches who had been forced to leave
by turns every community where there was
any administration of justice or respect for the
right If a mass of clipped coin is put into
the circulation and is given and taken on an
equality with good coin all the good coin soon
becomes clipped also or disappears. So it has
been with Congress-; the bad reduced the mass
to its level, and oil Congress is animated by
the principles and morals that the carpet-bag-
| gers brought there; and this is the retributive
| justice that makes the i'll we permit to be done
to others catastrophe to ourselves.
Investigation has plentifully shown how
Congress teens with roguery; but the most
fragrant act in violation of common honesty
yet brought to its door is that particular ap-
preparation Of the public money which it has
covered with the thin DISCUSSES of the Salary
bill. AS the pay of congressman can only be
fixed by law, and as they are themselves the
lawmakers, their dealings with this subject
would naturally bring them into delicate rela-
tions with public opinion, for they might be
charged with extravaganza or demagoguery,
as they either made the pay too high or NUM-
fcently voted to give the country their valua-
BILE services for pins fee. People have pretty
well determined that in politics gratuitous
services are the dearest they can have. If we
establish by law that q certain set of func-
tionaries shall receive no salary, we do it with
the hope that it may result in filing the
places with men of independent means, who
will be above temptation-at least that has
always been the motive in this country; but
that has never been the operation. Absence
of salary does not fill offices with men of
fortune, and does not compel the poor man
to avoid position as q burden beyond his
powers for the poor man gets into Office
just the same, only he goes the more readily
into plundering schemes because he believes
the State which gets his services owes him
support, and he excuses his dishonesty to his
conscience on the ground that he only takes
what justly should be given. And if the de-
sire to keep the legislator from such tempta-
ton is good reason for giving him salary,
it is good reason for giving him liberal
one; SO that, viewing the subject in its largest
sense, it is perhaps not improbable that the
country would assent that Congressman should
have, after due notice, q remuneration equal
to that they recently voted themselves. But
they removed the subject from any such rea-
sonable ground of consideration by making
their measure retroactive; by legislating, not
that future Congressman should receive q
greater pay, but that they Individually should
each one pocket a specific sum to be taken
from the public purse, and to which sum they
had no right and no moral claim. Any in
| dividual whatever who has been en-