The Portland daily press., 1873-12-02

a restoration of democratic power, or to confer
authority upon any combination which could
be formed out of elements that constitute the
anti administration minority As contrasted
with preceding epochs the present is a millen-
mum. During the term of Lincoln, nothwith-
standing his entire personal integrity, we had
great many scandalous practices, incidental no
doubt to state of rebellion but nevertheless
calculated to bring reproach upon his times
Under Johnson's regime matters grew much
worse. When the head of the nation gets de-
moralzed the members are sure to degenerate.
Those were the days of Credit Mobilier and
other kindred projects, natural fruits of an inn
pure era. Since the advent of Grant, the
Executive branch of the government has been
without spot or blemsh. The direct, straight
forward honesty of the President has acted as
a wholesome example to the incumbents of
subordinate positions of every grade from cabi-
net ministers to tide walters. There have been
no lond professions, no high sounding boasts of
immaculateness, but it has grown to be under
stood that honesty in affairs is not snch an OBJ
solete condition, that it may not be practised
without general proclamation to the world to
look on and admire, and especially that it is not
to be manifested by sweeping disparagement
of the motives and the conduct of everybody
else.
But the one blot upon the otherwise fair rec
ord of this Administration is the back pay APP
preparation. In no sense party measure, sup
ported with quite as much zeal, and by even a
larger relative number of Democrats than of
Republicans, it is nevertheless a thing which
dc fn ho pral fror tha Ctatu hoe
by the united votes Of the controlling majority
in the new Congress.
1t has been sought in some quarters to incul-
pate the President in the wrong attaching to
the enactment of the salary bill. The effcrt is
in every way disingenuous and unreasonable.
Independently of the fact that the scheme was
carried through at the tail of an appropriation
bill in the last hours of the session, when the
veto of it would have necessitated an extra ses-
sion, and involved the nation in far greater ex
pense than could possibly have been incurred
by the payment of the utmost sum of the extra
compensation, it is extremely questionable
whether the President would be justified in
sitting in judgment OIL the legislative branch of
the government in matter mainly personal to
the members themselves, and about which they
constituencies. The representatives of the
people are independent, in their sphere, of any
other authority than that wherein they derived
their trusts, and it would establish dangerous
precedent to make them subject to the crit-
cism of coordinate branch of the government
for acts which should of right be within their
own exclusive Jurisdiction.
AS there is no back pay feature connected
with the increase of the Presidents salary, and
as that item of the bill was conceded in all
quarters to be just and equitable, it seems alb
surdly hypercritical to attempt to impute any
particle of the blame of this impolitic expendi-
unre to him. Rather let the two houses of
Congress fix the responsibility where it belongs
and prepare themselves to meet their constitu-
ents next year, by enacting an effective bill
which shall prove that all the back pay not
drawn, may remain in the Treasury, and that
so many of those who have taken the pay as
respect the popular will may have an opportuni-
ty to make restitution.
To return to the past weeks work with re-
view of which L began my letter, its occur
rences may be briefly summarized thus: Two
more Ring thieves sent to State Prison; de-
faulting bank cashier to the Penitentiary; the
Chamber of Commerce rejects the project of
government banking known as the 8 Is convert
ibe issue; money is abundant; business is re-
viving; treasury notes are two points nearer
par; and intelligent voices are being raised in
all directions in opposition to further imitation,
YARMOUTH.