Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-08-13
No Difference.

The article in our columns las
week, in demonstration of the fac
that there is no real difference he
tween the cases of Gov. Kirkwood
and Mr.. Ainsworth, the Democratic
Congressman elect from this district,
SO far as blame for taking the salaries
fixed for them by law is concerned,
and the conclusion theretrom that if
one is worthy of the elegant epithet
OF salary grabber," the other must
OF necessity wear it also, seems to
have disturbed the Democratic Or
gan across the way. 1t rushes IRAN
tically into the breach and makes use
of a great deal of foggy rhetoric to
prove that for Ainsworth to receive
pay for nine months previous to be-
ing qualified to sit in Congress, and
for which he renders no equivalent
whatever, is all right, but that for
Kirkwood to receive pay under SINH
lar circumstances is the most helnous
of crimes. AS specimen IF the fus-
tan which it brings forward to stand
in the place of argument, we clip
from it's columns the following. small
caps and all:
Senator Harlan resigned in April 1865,
to go into the Cabinet Eight months
afterward, in January 1866, Mr.. Kirk
wood was elected and the motion in the
LEGISLATURE FIXED HIS TERM OF SERVICE
FROM JANUARY 18th, 1866, TO MARCH 4th,
1857. The commission from the Gov
ernor, Stone we believe, also specified
these dates of limitation. He was sen
ator from January 18th, 1866, to March
4th. 1867, and no longer.
In the first place, it is not true that
the Legislature fixed Mr.. Kirkwood's
term as Senator from Jan. Is. 1866
to March 4, 1867, or for any other
period of time. Had it done so it
would clearly have been guilty of
impertinence, if not stupidity. 1t
may not be known to the editor of
the Conservative that Congress has
the exclusive privilege of fixing the
terms and prescribing the pay of its
own members, and that no state leg
islature has been found so anxious to
prove itself convocation of fools as
to arrogate this function, but it is
nevertheless, a fact. Just how Con-
gress has fixed the matter in regard
to vacancies like that Gov. Kirkwood
was called to fill, our neighbor may
learn from the following extract from
the U. S. Statutes, Vol. y, page 624,
passed July -, 1852, which provides:
THAT in all cases Of a uacancy in
either House Of Congress, by the death or
otherwise, of any member elected or ap-
pointed thereto after the commencement of
Congress to which he shall have been elect
cd, each person afterward elected or ap-
pointed to fill such vacancy, shall be COM
pensated and paid from the time that the
compensation Of lis predecessor ceased"
Gov. Kirkwood received pay from
and after the resignation of Mr.. Har-
Ian, in accordance with the above
provision of law, yet the Conserva-
tive, with a confidence born of igno-
rance or mendacity, dogmatically as
serts that there is no law for Gov.
Kirkwood's action, but the claw of
robbery" 1t now devolves upon it
to prove that the above law is not
authentic, or to take back the charge
of robbery. If it does neither it will
stand convicted Of willful, malicious
falsehood.
The facts in q nutshell are, that
both Kirkwood and Ainsworth are
justified by law and precedent which
no man Or party has sought to set
aside, in taking their salary just as
they did. There is nothing in the
equity of the question that does not
apply to both, and if one is "salary
grabber' for receiving, according to
law, pay in advance of services rem
dered, the other is equally entitled to
the designation. Yet the Conservd-
toe, with a dishonest partisanship
and uncandor entirely characteristic,
heaps upon Gov. Kirkwood all the
dirty epithets i'll the vocabulary of
slang, because he is the candidate of
the Republican party, and at the same
time, justifies Mr.. Aims worth because
he is Democrat, and because it
helped to elect him. Honest men,
from these facts, can easily determine
how much dependence to place upon
suggestions from such source.