Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-07-22
Upon what theory the Legislature


Upon what theory the Legislature
acted in this Encouragement of sala-
rics and in increasing them so
enormously it is difficult to imagine.
There has never been any COM
plant on the part of the people
that the salaries paid to State OIL
GERS were too small nor
has there been any lack of candi-
dates for the offices. The Legisla-
ture surely did not mean to init
mate that at present prices the olli-
ces arc only sought for and filled
by inferior men, or that the raising
of salaries is necessary to secure
better ones. If this were the case
the people would no doubt readily
and cheerfully assent to the in
crease. If it is conceded that the
State needs better Governors than
it has had during the past quarter
of century, and that it can only
procure them by treblinC the sala-
~, let the salary I've trebled; but
if the position is eagerly sought
by as good men as there are in the
State without regard to salary, II
is neither necessary or business
like to increase the salary. The
same comment applies with equal
force to the other offices in the gift
Of the people. Ii the salaries now
paid are sufficient, with such honor
as the positions offer, to secure
competition between men every
way qualified to fill them, there
is no good reason for changing the
salorias.
In saying it is difficult to imagine
what reason the Legislature had
for increasing these salaries we DO
not forget that the compiler of the
Constitution has undertaken to
embody those reasons or some Of
them in his "rcview." AS there
presented, however, the reason
seems So utterly inadequate that
we can hardly credit the compiler's
assertion that they are in az
cordance with "the sentiment of
the Legislature 1t is scarcely
credible that body of men, which
was presumably so well acquainted
with popular views on this subject,
should have entertained the belief
that it was generally admitted
that the compensation paid to the
State officers is wholly inadequate
and insufficient"
Still less credible is it that the
Legislature could have gravely
argued that "if the State in 1850,
on basis of population Of 397 ,965,
and of an equalized assessed valu-
alton of property of. $4,000, 202,
could afford to pay the salaries fix
ed at that time, the State in 1874,
with population of 1,1Si,63S, and
an equalized valuation of S630,00O,-
600, can afford to pay the salaries
now proposed" And yet there are
the two principal propositions on
which the proposed increase is
commended by the compiler. The
first is so palpably q misapprehen-
sion of the popular sentiment
that it needs no refutation; while
the second is much more novel
than striking. 1t is undoubtedly
true In great way, that it is worth
more 10 manage the affairs of a
large State than small one ; but
there is q grave doubt whether the
difference can be ascertaiued with
anything like exactness from COM
parison of census return. If there
is any soundness in the proposition
the Legislature has fixed the sala-
ries in the amendment far to low,
for according to the property fig
ures given by the compiler, the in
crease should have been nearly two
thousand per cent. instead of one
+ . r c