Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1873-03-11
The Salary Increase.

. 49, "AASN piONlurc lOE
creasing the salaries Of members
utterly inexcusable. Looked
from any point Of view, Il must
regarded as a base betrayal
those who votedin its favor, Of {
: interests Of their constituent. al
whatever may be their polite
f creed or party affiliations, they al
5 deserving of the severest reprob;
5 ton from all who believe in an hoI
D est and economical Administrative
). of public affairs.
; There might, under some circun
| stances, be passable justificatio
for an increase in the salaries {
! Congressman, TO date from the be
ginning of next Congress; bat un
fortunately even for this no shadow
Of excuse is shown. 1t is not pre-
tended by the most urgent advo'
cate Of the measure that there has
been or il any increase in the ex-
! pense Of living which makes the in
creased salaries necessary; and
even if there were any such pre-
tense it could be easily overthrown
by comparing the cost Of living with
that of the past eight or ten years.
The advocates Of the increase I'M
derstocd this perfectly well, and
knew better than 10 expose the
weakness Of their case by any az
tempt 70 show that the cost of hv-
ing hal advanced. Sill less posi-
hi.ity was there of making a sue
cessfui preten>e that Congressman
were becoming more valuable and
therefore deserved higher pay. The
most s-eaAfast friends Of the Forty
second Congress have been CON-
PEELED 10 admit that it has been a
marked failure and the people.
Judging it without any especial
friendliness, will indoree the YER
DICT. There has never been a time
in the history Of the country when
the pubic estimate Of the value Of
congressman was 50 low a. il i
now, and this, Notwithstanding the
high prices which individuals have
!riid for them and members mis-
their constituents in
crowding up he price Of goods
which have really fallen in the
market.
in saying that no attempt is
made TO show that the cost Of Ev-
ing has increased We by no means
forget that one member did put his
vote upon that ground. To Mr..
Banks belongs the honor of discov-
erinE that a member could not sup
port himself and family in Wash
ington on $1,000 wear If IL could
- aSSrrncd that Mr. Pn-I-~ --o-a -,
earnest in making this proposition,
It would be easy to answer that If
would live IN the style
which benefits representatives. Of
the people, they would find no diff
iculty in supporting themselves for
$1,000 a year. But it is not posi-
bic that Mr.. Banks can be in earn
est. He knows that no member Of
Congress il required to spend the
entire year at Washington. and that
the salary heretofore paid, with
mileage and other allowances. has
been ample to support all the dig
nifty beneath which an average
Congressman could stagcer. He
knows. too, that to many members
the salary is really larger than any
to which they are accustomed, en-
abling them to live better than ev-
er before while those members
who are gifted with expensive tastes
and habits have, az a rule. the
means Of gratifying them entirely
independent of their salaries. He
ought to know still further that it
would be the worst Of policy to paw
'uch a salary to Congressman a.
will enable them to support them
selves and families during the en-
lire year at Washington. The NOR
Al atmosphere Of that city may be
more wholesome when Congress is
not is session, but it is bad place
It any time for Congressman with
lothing to do; and We can conceive
4 no stronger reason for keeping
salaries where they are than the
prospect that a contrary course
would be direct encouragement
o members to hang about Wash
ngton in id,eness.
Bad, however. as the prospective
Increase il, il sinks into utter in
igniAcance compared with the re-
respective increase. For this there