The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-09-10
lIartranft'S Salary.

When the poor men of this State wish 20
see who is really their friend, aud who is will
ing 20 make some sacrifice for 'hcir benefit,
they should not look TO the Governor, Hart
ranlt. Notwithstanding Che fact that farm
ers and mechanics are working hard for
bare living, and many laboriog men are get
ting only dollar day, while few years
ago they received three times that amount,
lIartrlnft has no scuples in taking from the
State Treasury more than has been paid 10
any Governor before him, even in The most
prosperous times. But say his suppohers,be
only takes what the law allows him, aud that
law was made few days before he came into
office. 1t is true that the law was made few
days before he was inauguratod as Governor,
because if it had not been it could not have
taken effect till after his term had expired.
1t is q well known fact, however, that he was
at Harrisburg and actively lobbying in behalf
of the bill during its passage. twas passed
by a legislature whose members expected
flvors of the Governor and whose good Off
ces they were anxious to couciliate, by lib
eral expenditure of money not their own.
Had Hartranft not been anxious for the
passage of the act, and had the legislators,
who were intent on getting their local bills
approved, not been anxious for fhvors in re-
turn, it is certain the Governors salary would
not have been so enormously increased. In
its conception and carrying out it was as
much an attempt to take the peoples money
without giving any return, as was the steal
ing by Tweed on fraudulent vouchers. The
difference is, that one is done under the forms
of law while the other was not. Stealing by
Governors and Legislators is, however, not a
whit better than stealing by private indvid-
uals No one will pretend that the Gov
ernor of Pennsylvania earns more than the
Governor of New York, but still he receives
more than double the pay. No one will for
a moment, pretend that Hartranit does half
the work that was done by Governor Curtin
and yet he receives three times the salary
that Curtin did, and is paid in currency
worth twice as much. With one exception
we believe Hartranft receives more than is
paid to the Governor Of any State, and an
amount entirely out of proportion to the
wages paid to the workingmen Of the State
The people universally condemn congressman
for increasing their salaries fifty per cent.
but we certainly cannot see why that should
be any more severely ccnsurcd than Hart
ranit's pcrsistentlobbying in getting the Gov
ernor's salary increased 200 per cent. If the
Governor of to-day ought to receive three
times as much as the Governor of ten years
ago then why not also the miner aud mcchan-
ic? Yet, while Hartranit draws his 900
Il year from the public money paid by the
people Of the State he is ever ready to furnish
troops to help the corporations grind the
workngmens wages down to starvation point.
For such man to pretend that he is a friend
to the workingmen is rank hypocrisy. We
say that the State ought to pay its servants
a fair compensation, no more and no less.
Employers ought to do the same by their
workmen, but the wages of one ought to be
no higher in proportion than those Of the
other. When those who have been trusted
by the people to fix the price of their own
labor, put it at a figure above what they
really earn, the surplus is simply so much
stealing. We hope the coming Democratic
Governor will promptly recommend the repeal
Of the increase of the Governors salary AID
let it be fixed at point somewhat in pro-
portion to the wages received by the miners,
mechanics and farmers.-E,c