Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-01-08
Very Penitent.


had the effrontery to make flaming
speech in defence Of the "Salary Grab, y
and who has since been elevated to the
position of President protein. of the
Senate, has become very penitent since
his return to his seat after the holiday
vacation He took part in the debate
on Tuesday, when he said that he voted
FOR the Salary Bin and now intended to
vote for its repeal he had practiced
law for thirty-6ve years, and he be-
lieved there was but one way to get
sound, honest public servants, and that
was to pay them round price,
Too many men have gone to Congress
holding Mr.. Carpenters views. That
body is now made up of men who are
what the world terms "sharp men
who have longed more FOR wealth and
the "pomp and circumstance" of posi-
.ion than for the good that may be done
the people whom they think they repre-.
sent. Mr.. Carpenter now saws:
He had voted for an Increase of pay con.
selentiously, and had nothing to make
him change his opinion. lie could see no rea
sou now why the bill should be repealed, sx-
rept one, and that is, The people demand it,
fhe theory to-day. and very proper one, is
tbst the people govern through their servants
and as the governing power of this country
the people have q right 10 Go what they please
wise or unwlse II this bill should be SUBMIT
isd 10 the people OF Wisconsin to-day, it would
be repealed by vote of i've - one He rp i
garded himself as their agent on the floor of
the Senate, aud should cast the vote which he
believed the people of Wisconsin would cast
and further he would vote 10 put the repeal
back just SIS far as the Constitution would al
low him he would vote with the Gentleman
from Indiana (Mr Pratt) to put the repeal back
TO March A, 1873. He would push ii back to
March 4, 1871, were II not for that instrument
The Constitution OF the United States"
That is from the speech of the man
who had the brazen effrontery to hurl
his personal opinions in the face of his
constituents. Acting as it were as the
attorney of the Senate And a pretty
figure he made of his case for his clients.
He comes back to them and says his
constituents are Eve to one against him.
But they are even stronger-twenty to |
one would be nearer correct. Nor will
Mr.. Carpenters penitential tears save
him. His party may carry the State by
the weight ofparty majority perhaps; but
this is even doubtful. Yet it would not
return Mr.. Carpenter. When this Rad
ical Senator refers to the Constitution
being bar TO reducing the Presidents
salary from $4,000 10 where it was he
must bear in mind that the people will
hold him and his party responsible for
putting ii beyond the power of Congress
to reduce it to $4,000 again. 1t is,
however, mere nonsense in the Senators
of that party to make such q plea
They are after more money, and hope
to let the salary of the President remain
where it is as a help and excuse for
them in the future to increase their own
pay.
We did not wish to say more on this
subject, but Senators Morton, Flanagan,
and one or two members of the House
of Representatives have SO frequently
referred to the extra pay as being their
private property, that we deem il me-
cessary. To say nothing of the want
of respect for the people, it is perfectly
absurd for the Senators to refer to the
money they voted into their own pock-
cts az being their private property
The people do not wish to dispute this
point in legal sense. But to put il on
such grounds subjects those who return
it TO the implication of acknowledging
that they have had to make restitution;
when in fact some Of them had never
taken or received the money.
The Salary Bill is in exact accord
with the acts of the Radical cffice-hold-
srE--they have been the most grasping
and dishonest class that has ever figured
in the history of the country since the
foundation of the government. Reform
is simply impossible. The only remedy
is in the election of better men through
the triumph Of the Democratic party.
The debate ON the repeal Of the Sal.
ary Bill was continued yesterday. Mes
srs. Baysrd and Salisbury are reported