Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-03-19
Method in Stealing.

From time immemorial there has been a
class which has lived by transferring to its
own possession the property of others, Civ
ing no equivalent. Strong and meaning
words have been employed in speaking of
those who belong to this class. Thieves and
robbers. defaulters and embezzers are the
terms applied to them. 1t has been reserved
for the members of the last Congress to do
the thing which attaches the above epithets
to men, and yet to write Honorable before
their names.
Many are the metaphysical subt.etes by
which those guilty of theft have been ac-
customed to excuse to their own consciences,
the acts which wronglnlly deprive other
men Of their property Robin Hood took
from the rich to give to the poor The
beggar steals to live. The act itself is sell
dom justified, but the strength of the motive
to do evil that good may come, is given in
palliation.
Congressman of the United States used to
receive eight dollars day; then three thou
sand dollars a year and now by two
handed, prospective and retrospective grab
into the public treasury, seventy-fye hun
dred dollars year And, as the pay has
increased in quantity, the service rendered
has decreased in quality. Eight dollars
day for Silas Wright's services six times
that for those of Pomeroy, Caldwell and
their fellow coyotes.
It is mark of the innocent simplicity of
the founders of this republic, that, while
securing by constitutional provision that
there should be no increase of the President's
salary during his official term, they gave
loose reins to Congress which holds Tor
rather unties) the purse strings. Whether
these old gentlemen were asleep or whether
they had no conception of such degree Of
audacity and oblique moral vision as is pos
sessed by Gen. Butler and his followers. we
can not tell. They certainly built more fool
ishly than they knew, when they gave the
Congressman OF the nineteenth century the
right to fix their own salaries
1t is true enough that the people of the
United States are able to pay and ought to
pay well the men whom they ask to serve
them. One trouble is that there are precious
few men in Washington whom the people
hare asked to serve them in nine cases out
of ten the asking has been from the other
side. And in any case, the measure of sal
airy should not be that demanded by the re-
quirements of fashionable society and of high
life at national capital. republic is on Il
different foundation from a monarchy or ar
lstocracy. Its basic principle is representa-
ton, and it is as useless to claim that brains
or culture are not to be found among poor
men as that they are always found witt the
millionaire. Peradventure poor and honest
man may at some time be sent to Washing
ton as a Representative there should be
such state of things that he can live there
economically and at the same time 90 about
with the respect of those with whom he is
brought in contact. Conformity to the re-
ception, fast-horse and diplomatic dinner
style of life should not be required. That
sort of thing is well enough for those who
can afford it and have not brains enough to
employ themselves about useful work
1t is no more shameful for Congressman
to practice economy than it is for the labor
er. The foolish pomp and cir cumstance OF
a costly inaugural is in bad taste for people
who are complaining that they " can't live"
atpresent rates. 1t is time to see that the
defaulting, the stealing and the nameles5
frauds OF the day have their source greatly
in departure from aiming at simplicity OF
life as the true ideal, and the setting up in
stead the heather idol of vain display for
worship. /" The Republic. now looms as
the imminent future government of the earth
This nation, as its best exponent needs to
interpret it in greater simplicity aud purity.
And yet its great representative body not
only extravagantly enlarges the salaries O
the future, pleading in excuse the demands
of the m0diSte, the hash-vender, and tht
horse jockey; but votes, without excuse ant
with its brazen cheek aglow with greed, fv'
thousand dollars back pay to each Of it
members.