River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1874-01-13
DfdoS-ButIers- Carpen t.


Tradition tells us that Dido, Queen
of Carthage, bought as much land as
she could compass with the hide of an
OK. She was an artful woman, and
might have been said to have had an
India Rubber conscience, had that ar.
ticle been fashionable in those days.
The sequel shows, however, that she
had a leathern one, for she caused the
hide of an OK to be cut in small thongs
which were carefully united, and then
stretched around the coveted prize
thus virtually swindliug the honest own
err snereof out of valuable tract Of
lani on which the city was afterwards
built. SO says the legend.
Human nature has been about the
same in all ages, though we think it
may be "moresO" now than ever before
The practical illustration we would
make of our symbol, Is to exhibit the
ayarice, art and ingenuity Of the pres
ent Congress Of the United States. In
the matter of a salary they had the ox's
hide, aud that in double sense, They
could fay the poor OK, aud thus leave
bis body exposed to the elements, while
he was powerless to resist. Next they
cut his hide in thongs, aud claimed the
largest salary that their united length
could compass Unlike Dido of Car.
thage, however they built no. public
edifces, but private residences with
their ill.gotten gam
And this same farce is now being re.
enacted in the new tangled salary grab
that recently passed the lower house in
Congress. With six thousand dollars
salary, aud "perquisites" aud mileage"
it will take the hide of five oxen, cut
in thongs, instead Of one, to compass
the pile they desire to embrace.
Our (B)butlers have made strange
havoc of our wines, our plate and our
finances; and as we reflect upon it, we
can but recur to the good old days of
Adams, Jefferson and Jackson, and
even call to MUD the apt illustration Of
Shakespeare:
Fie daughter when my old wife lived
upon
This day, she was both panther, butler,
cook
And our (C)carpenters have turned
out not only to be "wood butchers" but
COX butchers and country slayers.
Yes, the very life Of our nation is in
danger, if its deStinies are to remain
much longer in the hands Of the "Didos, F."
Buffers, Carpenters and other unscrup-
ulous demagogues who now possess it.
1t is useless longer to harp about
party, or partizau, since each seems to
vie with the other in the arts Of cor
ruption. At the opening of the pres
ent Congress each party embraced the
the earliest possible opportunity to en-
dorse the salary grab Of the previous
session. And what is more, as repre-
sentatives, not only of parties, respec.
lively, but of the nation, they propose
to unloose their glip upon its treasury
oaly to gain a stronger one. The bill
which passed the House Of Representa-.
tives fixing the salary Of Congressman
at $4,000 a year, with perquisites and
mileage, is even more obnoxious THAI
the 81 500 steal.
The fact may not be an agreeable one
to contemplate, but it must now be
plain to the people of this nation that a
radical change in the administration OF
its affairs is imperatiyely demanded.
Ia terms and language too plain to
be inexperienced, the people Of this
country recently demanded al uncon.
dtional repeal Of the law passed by the
last Congress, authorizing the salary
grab But these vampires Of Office
just laughed at the demands OF their
masters, and seem TO have conceived
the idea that their lease upon Office is
unlimited, whatever may be their dis.
position to steal the treasury OF the ma.
tion or "the livery Of heaven to serve
the devil in"