The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-02-08


Mr.. BoyxlS's ciisit ility to the office he hoids.
The Wing seems to us to be pokihg ion a. ,
the Legislature. 1t says:
"Tbcre Is 40 such thing as the Once OF
Register efyhe Land Office. The Ldad "leEe
is the Office; the Register is the man VINO n,ls
THO office. There - no such th,ng as tne
Office of Lieutenant Governor. Inc L.eu'
tenant. GovernorJup is the office; the isfea'
ieno,s. Governor is the man VINO HIS tne
Office"
So saws the Wing; but what says the Con
stitution
~No person exccp. citizen shall be eligt-
ble to the office of Goccrno.-Art'cle w.
section g.
nor. or when be shall exercise the 0tece Of
Gocernor."-Art. ", sec. I.
But that is the UNDERWOOD Constitution.
Well. what says the Federal Constitution
"So person cxcept natural-born citi.
yen. or citizen of the United States,
shall be eligible to the office Of PRESIDENT"
Art. H., sec. l, paragraph 5.
Before be enter on the execution OF his J.
Office lie shall take the following oath or
affirmation: ,u
II do solemnly swear Tor afiirm) that will
faithfully execute tie office Of Prcsidest Of
The Uniied States" &c.-Paragraph 8.
That settles that question, and spells all
the Wings srgrmcnt. 1t shows, too, WfisA
the Constitution means when it says that The
emoluments Of an Office shall net DC In
creased. 1t means the officer.
The Wkis assumes that certain duties az
pertain to the Land Office, and certain other
duties to some other Office. Ttat is also
mistake. The loar defines the DATES of every
officer. Nobody else can do it. And W ben
il saws that the Register of the Land o flee
shall perform certain duties, let those q uties
be what they may, they appertan to his
Office. The one single object of the G onsii-
tutional provision is TO prevent memt 'ers OF
the Legislature from legislating mon' ~ into
their own pockets; and it is as mucl vic.
la,ion OF The Constitution for legl. 'ator 10
do this indirectly as for him TO do it' directly.
The Wfts contends that the presef t Legis-
lature NAV make the Secretary OF be Com.
ponwealth er oficto Auditor, autK 'riZe both
the present salaries to be paid to one man,
and then may elect Dir. CoGnha Secretary
of the Commonwealth, without violating
the Constitution The Wing w al not say
TINT the office of Secretary of thu , Common
wealth could be filled by Mr.. CoGHILL if
this Legislature were to increSs &C the pay OF
the Secretary by even so mucs $ one dollar,
hit il does contend that thou Oh Mr.. COG.
MIL NAV vote to unite the tu. offices, and
n double the pay of the nAsa holding both,
vet Mr.. CsGuILL may 'te elected to that
office. That is just what was. done in the
case Of Mir. BoYKiS- It~Es,n S to us to be
clear case of the violation of the Constitu-
t;on. The effect is tue ~-sarHe in both cases.
In one :csse by mere suffer fuge the Consti.
tuition Is violated. In the other it is viola
ted openly. The Wing says:
"Iftbe statute had said the Register Of
the Easd Office for his services in tue Land
Office should hive az increase Of pay, the
D,sura.i, and Mr.IsIcfey would have start
ed with solid ground under their feet. But
it doris not say 20. -Gs the contrary, it makes
the additional allowance tor additional du-
ties. and those additional duties not in the
line of the Registers regular duties, but alto.
getlrer out side of il, aud of totally differ
ont ohurac .eT.'
Itjs sufficient reply to this to say that il
theLegisi nure car eyade the Constitution
BY the sim pie process of adding "duies" to
an Office. bea there is no office in the Com
monweslth: whose sFay may not be increased
by the Legislature without depriviDg the
members voting ,fcr such increase of the
right to hol q it.
BH hear the Wing:
"Thc eDolunents of the Office have not
been increas ed; the enoluments of the officer
have.bcep. The Constitution speaks only Of
the 01ice."
The Wing had already said that there was
no such Office as Etet Sis,er Of the Land Office.
1t now says that the etDouments of The office
have rat been incrcG Sud, but those of the
officer. This means th q. the Legislature can
increase Mr.. BoYKN's nmoluments at will
though he'was once q ms.'nber OF the present
Legislature. See: the o. lice has had no
emoluments added to it; the officer has.
This is CONSTITUTIONAL! If sc !, the present Le-
gi,lature can give Mr.. Bc 'YEIN ten thou
sand dollars year witt tout violating
the Constitution. And VIII at strange
Constitution that must be VIII ich forbids an
q office" TO have increased emo 'luments, but
allows the "oficer" in that off &c to have as
many as he can get! Aud if ee "emolu-
men.s may be given TO "tbe G. tflcer," but
not to the Office" what has any member of
the Legislature to do with its 4 ir. LorEN.
STEIN NAV be elected Lieutenant, Governor,
and be paid q salary Of three then sand dol
lars year. He can take the NOM y. Ihe
" c6ice". won't get any of it! Indee( d, there
"a no Office of Lieutenant. Governor. 1. avs the
Wing! What simpletons the fathersi OF the
Republic were (the provision in quasi ton IS
in the United States Constitution u sup
pose that they knew what they were bout.
The officer" pockets the money, ant the
"otfice" gets nothing! Can the Wing re IN
earnest?
Finally, let US say that the Constitutl ion
intends to forbid persons from holding c., r
tain offices. The inhibition is upon person $.
The meaning is that member of the Legis
lalure shall ill no Office whose emolumenti
he has increased in any way either directly,
or indirectly; and to attempt to evade the
prohibition by adding both duties and pay
70 IN Office is to insult the understandings Of
the people. They know what that prohibit
ton means, and they know Eho thus
eyadeS it. i
We repeat that Ar. BoYEIs is capable,
faithful, and popular officer. We have no.