The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1876-09-15

tIOhi attu thO ShtuhJ VI 1hho 'ss,
cessOr Red uCed by the Demo-
crsts-He TOOK the Money.
Special Correspondence Cincinnati Gazette
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. |, 1876
Gov. Hendricks gets $S 900 a
year for his official services in In
diana. He is the first Governor
that ever got it. He showed no
disposition to reject it, nor hest
fancy about taking it. AT the
time it was generally believed that
he "begged" a little in his eau
tious way to overcome the oppo-
sition to it. Yet he was much of
Tended at the Presidents accep-
tance of an increase proper
tionally smaller than his own.
Gov. Morton served through the
four years of war for $1,000 per
year, and the use of an official
residence, so squalid and unheal-
thy that Gov. Wright, it is said,
lost two wives in it, Gov. Whit
comb lost his wife in it, Gov. Will
lands wife contracted fatal dis
ease in it, and Mrs. Morton, it is
believed, must have followed if
the Governor had not abandoned
it. Then, when his work was
really over and his body crippled,
an allowance was made him for
rent or substitute, to be deter
mined by a Commission of State
officers, Joined by Calvin Fletcher
ST., an eminent citizen of Indian
apolis. They allowed $4,000 a
wear. 1t was not salary, nor a sum
fixed by statutory provision, but
an allowance reyOcable at any
session of the Legislature. When
Gov. Morton was elected to the
Senate in 1861, this allowance
went to Gov. Bake. But on get
ting into power in 1871, the Dem
ocrats refused to pay anything
but the salary, and he had to bor-
row money to pay house rent. In
1872 the Legislature met in extra
session, with a Republican ma
iority. Gov. Baker then recon-
mended, in his message, that the
salary be made complete, with
no allowance for rent, and placed
himself high enough to save his
successor the annoyance to which
the Democracy had subjected
him. He didn't say this, ofcourse.
butt was in his mind. The sala-
ry was put at $4,000 clear for the
first time since the organization
of the Slate, and not a cent was
revokably by any power. He
saves the house rent, or the
equivalent expense that Morton
and Baker had to pay, and proper
tionally, saves more than any Of
ficer in the State. The Republi-
can Legislature gave 1t to him,
and he took it, as he took his
Congressional back pay, without
a murmur of inequality between
him and his predecessors who
had done ten times as much as he
would have any chance to do, for
a little more than one-third OF his
salary. The increase of the Leg
islators' pay at the special ses-
sion of 1872, which took effect at
the opening Of the regular ses-
sion, of 1873, was not made upon
Gov. Bakers recommendation,
but waa introduced in a bill oar
ried in a bill introduced by James
Willard, of Floyd, Democrat,
and son of Gov. Willard of unfra-
grant memory, and was the work
of Democratic constitution,
though passed with the help Of
Republican votes. At the last
session of the Legislature (1S75),
composed Of a Republican Senate
and Democratic House; this per
diem was reduced from $S to S6
per day, and with it the Govern
or's salary from $1,000 to $4,000.
Bv a constitutional provision,
however, the latter reduction
does not affect Gov. Hendricks,
as the salary of the Governor can
not be increased or reduced du-
ring the term of the incumbent.