The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1873-03-14

~ ~ 'Nfs' ~ = ~ ftfAN NfA
The member. Of the i,nu,e Of Rcpro
senla'!ves ny mo means take the sun.
view of themselves which is taken b,
their constituents. To their consiitu emit
The pres nj seems u peculiarly unpropi
tious season for congressman 10 inN il,
comparison between what tncv earn,
anl what they get. ln the light Of ia,
testimony concerning Credit Mobilicr
the latter wakes the former waucs. Put
10 certain members of Congress we are
not aware whether they form y m,iori-
~ or not now is the accepted time for
voting themselves more money. and
more money for services already render
ell. a man voting to pay himself more
OF other peoples money than he has
hitherto received is ut no time a pleas
ing spectacle. A man voting himself
more money for his services TX POST
fAcW than he was wilingto work for
before they were rendered is spectacle
less pleasing still. And this latter is the
spectacle whercwith we arc now re-
frcslsed. The assurant Congressman
looking back on what seems to every
body but himself. about the most dis
graceful session in which any Congress
''''h NsVI SIT. tCtls uV hl~et"'Cs VII tHs
contrary he is penetrated with new and
peculiar sense OF his own purity and
merit. for which he clamors 10 be COM
pensated rs no Congressman was ever
compensated before. And TO do this he
tacks his claims aud clamors for moneys.
which no body but himself thinks that
he has earned, upon the tail Of bill pro-
viding more pay for classes of officers
whom everybody admits to be deserving
OF more pay, and insists that his claims
and their claims shall stand or fall to-
gether. Let the tax-paying constituents
OF these congressman regard with
thoughts that lie too deep for tears. this
singular attitude of their representatives.
1t is true that the seats of the Federal
Judges ought to be the prizes OF the
Bar, and that they will not DO sought as
prizes ny the most illustrious lawyersi
until 1t becomes untrue, as now it isl
true, that the income Of justice of the
Supreme Court of the United States
from his judgeship is less than the in
come ofany lawyer who habitually prac-
tees at the bar of that court from his pri-
vatc practice. AT least no great lawyers
will seek thunder such conditions until
their fortunes are secure. 1t may be true.
also, that the salary of the President is
Insufficient to maintain the dignity of his
Office, though his salary,as We have here
totore shown, is in fact something over
$4,000 instead of the $4,000 which il is
IN name. Aud it is true that many Of
ficcrs of customs and internal revenue
are under-paid. But an admission OF all
these things is very far from an admis-
sion that congressman are under-paid.
The judges are dcbarred by sclf-rc-
spect as well as by usage from ckinsi
out their incomes by private practice.
The President ought to be restrained BY
dccency from engaging in gainiul enter
prises during his Presidency. as he is re- =
strained by law from receiving "irom
the United States or any of them any
public emOluments beyond his salary
But every member Of Congress, unless
he is man of independent fortune, has !
private business to which he attends du-
ing his term in Congress. Sometimes.
Is in the case of the unexcmplary Mr..
)akes Ames, he does not attend to any g
ling else. Y
The grounds upon which the clamo- '"
'ous congressman put their claims are
'arious. Mr.. Butler demands more
money as the reward Of his general yir-
ue, and also as a reward of his particu-
ar privilege. in giving up the frankiny
privilege, although he explains that the
ranking privilege cost him s2.5 500 year
lie proposes to pay himself $780, and =
more for having saved himself the S.
~ and then call upon his constituents
bless his name. Mr.. Randall explains
hat If he had as other Congrcssmcn had
more money he and they would bc less -
likely to be bribed, or, as Mr. Randall =
refers to put ii, they would ''pass fewer
ubsidy bills" But most Of the Con-
ressmcn who spoke i'm favor of increas- hs
ne their pay put it upon the simple and tn
efficient ground that they had learned" -
he increase.
Ii it is once admitted that the public
erviccs of legislator are precisely on
par with the services Of an attorney:
hat legislation is business out Of which
is the legislators right to make as
luch money as possible, and that his re-
ltions with his country arc the relations
q merchant to his customer, it is hard
blame these Congressman for enlarp-
g their bills. We may remind them
be moderate, for that there is no tri- 81
unal with power tax their costs. But
nc fact i that public service is not +,
lerc trade; that the reward Of II Is not
be looked for in money; and that To-
isIation which is done for hire is no,
nd cannot be worth what il costs. how.
YER much or little that may be. This is
ne fundamental fact IF fho caso al