Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-29
TIE PEOPLE AND THE SALARY
GEAR


the administration party not now add
cowardice to the other sins by attempt
ing to shift any portion ofthe response
bility for the passing of the salary bill
on TO the shoulders of their political
opponents" Nor need that party at
Tempt to shirk its responsibility touch
ing the repeal OF the s~alary-grab.
There is a general expression that the
action Of Congress on the salary ques-
ton has been as ungracious as the de-
bate was indecent. And it would
seem hat members will be very gener-
ally reminded this year that their
contracts" expire March 3, 1876
Hsrper's Weekly, which has been an
answering supporterof the Republican
party, says:
1T is a very curious fact to a close
observer In Washington that Congress
is generally profoundly ignorant of the
real tendency of public opinion. The
habit of strict party action confuses
accurate apprehension. The higher
standards of conduct are forgotten,
IN the desire to serve and satisfy party
expectation, and there is constant for
getfulness that party men are also in
telligent and honorable citizens. The
salary grab was showed through
J Congress by three forces-the desire of
money, the kRoDB svish of the President,
and the bravado Of Butler. They were
immediate and pressing, while public
opinion was remote and obscure.
The grab was driven through, and,
although it is now repealed, the mis-
chief it has occasioned cannot be I'M
done. 1t has injured the national re-
spect for Congress, and it has injured
the RepabticdRpIrty."
The people will have something to
say about this whole salary question in
their instructions to the members they
will elect to Congress the present year.
There was an almost universal demand
from the tax-paying people of the
country that the whole salary act should
be wiped out. The Republicans have
a two-third majority in each house of
Congress andthe President to back them
and they could have met the demand
Of the people touching this salary-grab
business. The spirit of thepeople of the
West in regard to this matter is sha-
dowed forth by the press after this
fashion:
If the members of the present Con-
gress who have drawn the back pay had
returned il into the Treasury, and if
the salary of the President and Judges
of the Supreme Court had been cut
down TO the original figures, a dispo-
sition at least to obey the voice of the
people would have been evinced. In
the absence of any provisions of the
nature suggested, the repeating act is
merely a trick unworthy a body of men
making any pretensiOns to purity or
craftsmanship, but quite IN accordance
with the reputation and conduct of the
men who passed the grab originally
Illinois State Register.
Grant approves the salary bill. This
shows him to be the head grabber of the
country. Twice he has approved a law
giving himself a double salary, when a
single word from him would have pre-.
vented it. But he wanted the money.
Pittsburgh Post.
And COW the President may be IRE
sumed to be happy. He has signcdthe
new salary grab law which repeals all
increase of salaries but his own. He
does not seem to appreciate the fact
that the infamy of the old measure.
which was spread out over a great many
persons, Is now. without being dimii-
ished in quantity, all concentrated on
Observation-Disclosures News.
The President has signed the bill re-
pealing the salary-grab. He has not
yet, however, reached that high pitch
of honesty that would impel him e re.
turn his share Of the grab to the Ma
tional Treasury.-FoRd du Lac rWis.J
Commonwealth.
Does anybody suppose the. salary
grab can be buried out OF sight SO long
as the greatest grabber Of ali is allowed
and continues to draw from the treas
ury his indecent, avaricio Us gains? The
question answers itself Neither the
grab, nor its history, nor the damage 1t
does to the Republican party, a be
buried out Of sight so long as It's most
conspicuous, most repugnant. and most
shameful feature Is kept alive.-WfI-
a5ingtoa Ill., AdCoo1te.
Congress viii have 10 $50 n bet
ter" and repeal Grant part of the
steal, before the people Will be salts
fed. While the little grabbers. who en-
acted the law, are being bounded down
by all parties, 1t is most unjust thatthe
Chief Grabber shoIld go free.-Ha-
rana Ill., Clarion,
Cut down the Presidents s~alaryI
This cry should 90 up from the Repub-
hcan taxpayers of this country to the
earof Congress, with an earnestness that
would make that body quake. Cut
down the Presidents salary!
Let there be such a public sentiment
created that Gen. Grant will be COM
PEELED to pay back the Z 5000 at least,
INTO the Treasury, or let him be Kissed
and spit upon wherever he goes.-Earl-
Cjde III Transcript.
The tempted are punished, and made
to surrender their spoils; but the tempt
er who got them into the knavery goes
scot free and keeps all his ill-gotten
plumber. So stands the case at pres
ent, but the people may yet take meas
ures that viii give it a very different
aspect.-PGge County rIoa9GJ Democrat.
There is one thing which the country
cannot and Will not soon forget, and
that is the conspicuous fact that there
IS no legal bar to 4 restitution Of the
plumber by the Presidents W volun-
tary act. With n single in
stance Of self-denial, one single act to
point out as the suggestion of a high
and magnanimous public spirit, he can
ask for a revision of the public opinion
in which he is regarded as using the
Presidency as if he had won it in a
rafie.-Kausas City Times.
These are only a few of the extracts
that We could give touching this mat
ter. They show that the people are
terribly in earnest, and that the Con-
gressmen who have misrepresented
them viii be taught this fact to their
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