Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-01-29
Not Quite Satisfactory.

Some Of the Grant Republican pa.
pers seem to think that the salary bill
which has just been passed, twill be
generally satisfactory" And some Of
these very dis-interested organs so
anxious are they to get rid Of the un
popularity Of the late Salary Grab
Steal bill, now exclam-'Let the
salary grab be buried out of sight y
An able New York city exchange,
makes the following pertinent com
ment in regard to satisfaction with
the Salary Bill just passed. 1t says :
'But this cannot be. The Presi-
dents salary is LETT by this bill at the
rate of $4,000 a year, and that in a
time Of general distress when humid
reds of thousands of farmers and
mechanics find it difficult to procure
the means of living.
The doubling of the Presidents pay
is one of the most odious features of
the salary grab. There was no reason
for it except Gen. Grants greediness
for money. The old salary Of $25,-
900 year was ample for him, as it
had been for every one Of his predoces-
sors. They had all saved handsome
sums out of it, and he, more Ski led
in saving and money-making than
any of them, was doing the same
More than this, enormous special al
lowances were made him by Congress-
amounting in addition to his salary to
more than $1,000 a year More.
over, he had agreed when he was
elected that he would serve for $25,-
900 a year and thus he violated the
rules of decoruul, if not of the Con.
stitution, when he beset Congress for
larger salary, and signed the bill
granting it.
Now does anybody suppose the
salary grab can be buried out of sight
so long as the greatest grabber OF all
is allowed and continues to draw from
the Treasury his indecent, avaricious
gains The question answers Itself
Neither the grab, nor its history, nor
the damage it does to the Republican
party, can be buried ont Of sight 50
long as its most conspicuous, most re.
pugnant, and most shameful feature is
kept alive and forced continually upon
the attention of nMlseatel people. -
Bury it by all means We will agree
to that but let it be entirely repealed
beforehand"
Speaking of the objections made
against the repeal Of some of the in
creased salaries Of the bill of last
March, the same paper remarks, that
Senator Conklin (of n. Y.,) knows
well that the whole Legislation on this
salary business is an anomaly, utterly
inconsistent and illogical in form, and
not obligatory in law. \ horse and
cart might be driven through the two
separate, different and contradictory
appropriations made for every officer
whose pay was augmented in that
law, from the President down to the
messengers OF the Senate. Hence
there is no inpediment to the repeal of
every one of the salaries. The con
stitutional provision applies to no
such case as exists. as it would do if a
single compensation had been fixed
That Cry, therefore, which has Leen
raised to protect the doubled pay Of
the President and the increase of the
Supreme Court is groundless. No
matter what may have been the in
tention Of certain persons in Congress,
the statute reads in one clause that the
President shall have $25,000 salary,
and in another $4,000. Also that
the Justices of the Supreme Court
shall have $4,000 in one section and
$4,000 in another"