Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-05-01
SPIRIT OF THE AGE
Thursday May I, 1873.
THE SALARY GRAB.
Ex-C0ngressman J. F. FarnswOrth's
Letter.

F. Farnsworth, who now retires from
the seat in Congress, where he has for
so many years represented the Second
District, in Illinois, which accompanies
the transfer of his 'hack pay" to the
county treasures in his district, de-
nouncing the "act of mutual bribery
by an expiring Congress and recent
" elected President" Gen. Farms.
worth, in the course of the debate on
the salary grab, declared that the
President would deserve impeachment
if he signed the bill I; and in this letter
to his constituents he gives his reasons
for his statement. The letter says:
MUTUAL BRIBERY.
am not surprised that the people
are indignant and wrathful over this
act of mutual bribery by an expiring
Congress and recently reelected
President indeed, were they not so,
it would be cause for real astonish-
ment. With immense public debts !;
National, and State, and local with
increasing taxes, and decreasing prices
for our products with the rapid en-
croachment of rings" and monopolies,
who have goreed themselves and
grown rich upon the blood Of the war,
and the toll and sweat Of the masses ;
with such reckless waste and eXtrayag-
ance in the use of the public money
as has been seen at Washington dur
ing the last few years--no wonder the
country is agitated, or its attention AZ
rested at last. But it should be re
membered that, without the approval
Of the President, this increase of salar-
les could not have been accomplished.
Indeed, without the co.operatio" and
tarOr of the President, Congress it
self would not have adopted it. This
vas well understood at the time
Neither would Congress consent to III
crease the Presidents salary. standing
BY itself, upon ITS own merits. This
was shown in the house, When, in
Committee of the Whole, Mr.. Sargent
first moved to increase his salary
The Committee refused to entertain or
consider it, actually overriding cor
rect decision of the Chairman (Mr.
Dawes, Of Massachusetts, to beat it,
so obnoxious was the proposition when
standing by Itself. IL was onyl by
coupling the two together, Congress
and President, that either had any
hopes of success The Constitution
says
"Thc President shall at stated times receive
FOR his services II compensation which shall
neither be increased nor diminished during
the period for which he shall have been
elected"
Mark the language :-'',ShoH not be
increased during the PERIOD for achtch
he shoU haze been elected" In a pre-
ceeding clause the Constitution defines
a stern" to be four years and if the
trainers of that instrument intended to
limit the prohibition Of the power
to increase the Presidents salary to a
single terms, why did they not use
that word instead of the word PERIOD?
The latter word covers the wole time,
whether it be one term or two, or half
Il dozen, that q man "shall have been
elected President.
HOW TIE BILL PASSED.
When there is doubt ofthe correct in
depreciation of a law, we look to the
object or reason of the provision.-
Was not the object Of that povision,
in short, to prevent President from
helping to make a law increasing his
own compensation ? Daring the dis
cussion in the House, inquired of
Mr.. Maynard, Of Tennessee, and also
Mr.. Butler, of Massachusetts (both OF
whom voted for the billy what was
the object of that provision Of the Con
stitution ? Mr. Maynard replied that
it was to prevent Congress from brib-
ing the President; Mr.. Butler answer
ed that it was to prevent the Presi-
dent from using his power to increase
his own salary, or, in other words,
from bribing Congress. Such being
the opinions of the friends and champ
ons of ''increased pay" whether they
looked at the Constitution straight or
crookedD, it was difficult to understand
why it was not as much violation Of
the spirit and intention Of the Con-
stitution to increase the compensation
of the President by bill passed and
approved by him at II o'clock at night,
on Monday, the Sd of March, as by a
bill passed and approved by the same
President on Tuesday, the 4th. Con.
eress could as well bride him, and he
could as effectually use his power and
influence upon Congress, on one day
as the other. In either case, the Presi-
dent helps to make the law which in
creases his own salary 'dWing the
period for achich he has been elected"
The excuse that the Legislative APP
preparation bill would have been lost,
and an extra session of Congress neces-
sary, if the conference report had been
defeated, Or if the President had veto
ed the bill, is mere pretense. | have
already said that, without the favor of
the President, the amendment increas-
ing salaries cold never have passed
Congress and if he had vetoted it,
the bill would have been promptly
passed with the obnoxious provision
left out. So, too, defeat Of the con-
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