The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-04-17
Back Salary Grab.


those who serve the people and 10 apollo
gy is due for the exercise Of this right in
the present instance. The stewards of
the public trust are servants and not
rulers of the people This is en- age of
innovation and corruption in social life
as we'll as in public station, and there
prevails IN this country a widespread
disregard for law and contempt for its
proper administration This has been
notably illustrated during the last des
cade, bat never more so than By that
hold and defiant legislation of Congress,
popularity known as the back salary
grab" The public mind fails to under>
stand the morality or comprehend the
legality of the principle which a differ
ent and larger compensation than that
allowed by the law as it existed when
the services were performed, and con-
demns the idea that after the services are
performed under one contract, the mem-
bers of Congress can alter and increase
the '"back salary" Such precedents
have for their effects not only a disre>
gard of the Law and defrauding of the
public government, but blunts the pub
lie conscience and .corrupts the public
Integrity. 1t encourages too similar
principle in others and we begin to see
the fruits of il in our own midst. There
was small " back salary grab bill en-
acted by cur Quarterly Court on Mon
day last, by considerable majority of
the magistrates. II reads thus: On
motion it was ordered that the asse> sors
for the year 1874 be allowed SIS each as
additional pay for their services" This
court hal heretofore appointed assessors
for 1874 under the assessment law allow
ing certain compensation fixed By law,
and the assessors for 1874 had Just re-
turned their work performed into court,
which was received and adopted These
assessors had accepted the appointment
for the compensation allowed by law,
and performed the work for said com>
pensation; but now it was proposed to
"allow them SIS each as additional pay
| for their services" To show that this is
neither more nor less than a back Sulu-
~ graz" it is only necessary to state
that these same assessors are generally
selfappointed aud most Of them members
Of the Court which voted this additional
pay d" to themselves after the services had
! been performed, which carries out the
whole principle Of back salary grab"
to the aggregate amount of 1910 for
which there is no legal authority. It is
proper to state that some members of
this body protested against this usurpa
ton Of power, since these "graJ6eTs
took care not to record their votes, al
though the law requires a vote by "ayes
and noes, upon such appropriations
Nov, Messrs Editors, We would like to
know by what law the people are Ie-
quired to pay this amount thus illegally
voted away. Is itenacted by the Legis-
lature or has the Quarterly Court legis~
latiye power to enact such a law, and
further which is TO be enforced the act
of the Legislature providing certain
compensation or an order of that Court
providing a different and additional
pay to the assessors? Here we have
two laws in conflict, general law Of
the land and a special law of the court.
! But says one, the Comptroller says
" should the County Court allow compen-
satiou to the assessors additional to that
allowed by sec. As (of tie assessment
! law shall not prevent nor interfere"
And who made Mr.. Comptroller the
umpire or judge whether the County
Court should or should not violate the
laws Does that make it right or wrong
legal or Illegal for the county court to
'allow additional compensation, just as
the com troIler will or will not inter
.Jere p Neither the comptroller nor any
other person eau authorize the judicial
tribunals, to do an unlawful act. Does
the court DO this by permission, by the
grace Of roy lord the comptroller, or be-
cause the law authorizes it and that
alone?
Messrs. Editors, call your attention
to another act of his law making court
You remember some years ago, the Tax
Collector of Hardeman county defaulted
fer considerable amount, some $500
to the state and similar amount to the
County. 1t is sud that the State by
proper proceedings collected her money
from his securities but this Judicial leg.
islature passed an act releasing his
I securities from paying to the county the
sum due to it. Now as a friend to these
securities the writer rejOices at then
good fortunes; bat the question recurs,
what legal right had this Court to give
away so much of the peoples money
Was it for county purposes or for any O
) the objects contemplated by law? No. I
was fund belonging to the people
! paid by the people as much as any
other fund, and this private act of the
r. court is without authority Of law and
a dangerous precedent for our people
With the same propriety, the court couI
vote away the public mcneys for an
purpose however unauthorized by law
= Such proceedings have justly been mad
g the subject Of comment ard criticism
, and the people may well suspect that thei
2 money viii be thus appropriated when
ever sympathy or interest suggests
+ Let the people know the truth of thes
e matters and correct them,
JUSTICE.