The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1874-01-02
THE SALARY GRAB.


Mr. Stephens prominent among
Others. There is nothing in the lat
ter gentleman's speech, thus repor-
ted, differing materially from the
Geographic report previously re-
ceived, and as the speech involves
some very grave errors we PROPOSE
again tn call the attention Of our
readers tn IT,
We have two words under which
we have been in the habit Of elassi
flying politicians as they float 70 the
surface in political life - DEMAGoGuE
and STATESMAN. We have been in
the habit Of entertaining ideas dis.
,inguishing the qualities of EACH
We have understood that the aims
OF the one never reach beyond
himself that the other subordinates
all other considerations TO the good u
his country. But Mr.. Stephens con
POUNDS tho words and says they exr
press the same thing that the true
demagogue and true statesman il QUO
who successfully leads the people,
That, in Mr.. Stephens estimation is
the highest conception Of the states.
man. 1t is in vain ii one be as pro-
found as Webster, astusc as Calhoun
or eloquent as Clay, he is no states
man If he has never learned or for
gotten how to lead the lJeQpte. Fail
ing in this, the only qualities chal-
longing our homage--his lore and
unselfish patriotism-are gone for
ever.
1t may not DO improper to illus
trale the subject by reference to
prominent instances Of political ac-
ton in the public life of Mr.. Stephens.
Many of us recollect how earnestly
and eloquently in 1860, hc opposed
secession how ho spoke of the gov
eminent OF the Union as the best
government on earth and Of secession
as a movement that must result in
disastrous failure to the South, --
Now, if Mr.. Stephens had stood by
these convictions, the world, to-day,
would class him as statesman. -
But, the storm came and Mr.. Ste
pheus has always been fond OF riding
such storms, and he told the people
in effect If they would not let him
lead them one way he was ready to
lead them any way. lie accepted
prominent position in the secession
movement, wrote letters and made
speeches magnifying the greatness
Of the cause and assuring hope Of
success. Here he stood pre-emi-
nently the statesman. de magogue
and We arc not surprised that he now
coniounds words so very iifferen, in
meaning.
He defends the salary grab, retro.
active ami prospective. We lay it
down as a moral principle that when
one man accepts office from others,
upon terms of remuneration stipula>
ted, he is guilty Of wrong If he takes
more, and it is an aggrava,ion of the
wrong If he does so because of his
legal power to do it, Mr.. Stephens
thinks people should be educated for
statesmanship--to serve as popular
leaders aud to induce that sort of
education he thinks very high salaries
should be annexed to all prominent
offices and that then capacity and
honesty would come and soon the po-
litical millennium would dawn upon us.
Our government is representative
republic. We don't want any dis
tinet governing class. We would
like to see commerce, agriculture,
manufactures, finance, and the arts
and profession having their best rep /
resentations and then no one would
have any fears tina, the government
would not be bes, administered IL
is because, perhaps, tina, there al
ready exists Mr.. Stephens class of |
governors, battening ON the public |
spoils, whose interests are adverse
to that sort of government and who
often, by organized rings aad politi-
cal devices, hood-wink the people,
that the true end and object of
representative republic is in our
case, often defeated.
Mr.. Stephens does not represent
the moral or political sentiments of
Georgia on the SALARY Grab.D