Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1874-10-01
Consistent Still.


ing extract from an editorial in the
HERALD of March 18th, 1873:
We are in favor of paying our pub
lie officers q fair equivalent for their
valuable services. Some of these sal |
aries may have been too low, but it
was simply an outrage for modest Con
gressmen just going out of office; and
in fact, for those just reelected to an
other Congress, to vote an increase of
their own pay, which was already
quite as much as the services of such
gentlemen are worth. If salaries are
low for Congressman, would it not
have looked quite as well for Congress
to have fixed a higher salary as the
pay for the Congressman that are to
succeed their own term two years
hence?
They knew what the per annum pay
of Member of Congress was. They
were eager to be elected, and accepted
the terms. Their constituents sup
posed they were voting for honest
men; men who would be willing to
abide by the terms of the contract, but
in this they have been shamefully be-
trayed, and we apprehend, so far as
Ohio is concerned, that the Member
of Congress who, under these circum-
stances, has the effrOntery to ask the
people to re-elect him to Congress,
will find it much easier to stay at
home than to secure his reelection to
Congress, and with heavy heart, will
be likely to express the opinion that
81 ordan is hard road to travel.'
The editors of the Register, after
the above quotations, with an air of
triumph and peculiar gusto that be-
tokens feebleness in the attic, say:
After reading the above, one would
conclude that the HERALD never would
support a salary-grabber. But strange
to say, it was the first to advocate the
reelection of one; was instrumental
in securing his nomination; and is
now industriously endeavOring to
hoodwink the people and secure his
election. This is Republican consist
ency.
Now, gentlemen, we have not one
! word of the above quotations to take
Pack.~And although the editors are
5Serdant enough to fancy that they have
made APPOINT on US, the reader will, by
careful observation, find that there is
nothing inconsistent with what we
lsa.su s--AEAa 81 isassuppOrt Of John
A, ! 1 Quincy SmithAUf Congress. He was
not member of Congress at the time
the bill was passed, and of course
: could not vote for it, and would not
have done SO if he had been mem
: ber. When he became a candidate (af-
ter the salary bill had become law
{ he knew what the per annum pay of a
!, member of Congress was; so did his
constituents. He was willing to abide
by the terms of the contract. Now
if he did take pay for one month after
he was sworn into Office, in accord
ance with the terms of the contract
under which he was elected, he viola
ted no part Of the contract; he tool
only what the law allowed him, and il
is fair to presume that Mr.. Savage, hi:
present competitor, had he been in Mr.
: Smiths place, would have proved
himself a law-abiding man and woult
have taken his legal share of pay 70
no Democrat that we have ever reat
about or heard of, when in an officia
position, was so self sacrificing as t.
n decline all the salary the law allowe
D him, and it is not to be supposed tina
g Mr.. Savage, or the editors Of the Reg
lister, would have been exceptions t
this rule.
But, Mr.. Smith, as soon as it wa
practicable, after the assembling O
= Congress, used his influence and hi
vote in Congress to repeal the salary
grab law, and it was repealed. Nj
Smith was no more responsible for th
passage of the salary grab than wa
Mr.. Savage, and there is nothing NOR
inconsistent in our supporting hir
now for reelection than there is fo
the Register folks to support Mr.. Say
age. And there is nothing inconsist
ent in our support of Smith now, wit
y the article quoted by the Register, an
more than there was two years age
~ after the salary brah bill had passe
and was the law.
- We now put the question to ou
neighbOrs of the Register, to stat
8 whether in all their vast experienc
9 and observation, they ever knew
t- county or State Democratic officer s
It modest, and self-sacrifcing, as to r.
" fuse to take the salary or fees fixe
!. by law AS compensation for his oficia
> pOsitiOn3 Did you2
II The Republicans of the Secon