Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-02-11
Curr1xe DowN sALARrEs.-Whel

. few Republican Office holders Were
asked . cehtribate one per cent, of
their salaries for the purpose of car
rIing on political work, virtuous
Democrats shed tears over the great
outrage perpetrated. They pictured
the poverty-stricken officials, strug-
Cling to make both ends meet, going
down in the whirlpool of human
misery, all through this outrageous
assessment of one per cent. The
mock tears have suddenly vanished,
the discovery has Just been made
that Republican officials are largely
overpaid, that the salaries fixed by
Democracy more than twenty years
ago are altogether too high for this
expensive age. They want to show
the country that money can be saved,
so they cut down the salaries of
their opponents ten per cent. all
around. The poor officials who were
to sink under one per cent. volun
tary contribution are expected to
stand erect and thank Heaven for
Democratic economy.
The other day it was proposed in
the House -as the principles of econ
omy were to be strictly carried out,
and the cutting down of salaries
was to begeneral, in the work of
retrenchment and reform-that con-
gressmen should reduce their sal
aries to half fare-$4,Ooo a year.
This was cutting IN direction not
on the programme. If the thing
was certain that such a measure
would be squelched in the Senate,
it might be made TO subserve the
end little cheap capital, but when
it was alleged that it was by no
means certain that the Senate
could be depended upon to check its
measure, the proposition fell of the
own weight.
The action of some of the Con-
gregational churches, in reference to
the question of attending the ad-
yisory council of Plymouth church
-Brooklyn-seems to engender
some strong feeling. In some of
these cases, where the membership
is divided as to the treatment of
the ''letter missive,n the contest is
SO spirited and vehement, as. to inter-
rupt good feeling, and to introduce
any thing but a wholesome state of
things. Thus this iniquitous Beech
er business continues to spread its
baleful influence over the land, and
there is apparently no prospect
relief, until Beecher retires from
public view, by stepping down and
out"
The great Democratic policy of
retrenchment seems to amount to an
effort to save a few thousand dollars
in cutting down the salaries of Off
GERS of the army and reducing the
rations of the West Point cadets, in
order to pay off Confederate cotton
claims and enter upon career of
fraudulent Southern improvements.
Mr.. Morrison, of Illinois, the faith
er of the new tariff bill, denounces
as a scoundrel a man who, to get a
crippled brother out of rebel pris-
on, enlisted insthe Confederate army,
and after his brother was released,
deserted and Joined the Union army.
Mr.. Morrison holds that it was a
breach of faith and so dishonorable
as to deserve the epithet of scoun-
drelism. Now, we should like to
know Mr.. Morrison's opinion of the
men who, as members of Congress
and Federal officers, having taken
the most solemn oath to support the
Constitution and the laws made in
pursuance thereof, drew their pay
for services even after the war of
secession began, and then deserted
to the service of a Government
whose avowed purpose was to des-
troy the Union they had sworn to
to defend. ,...i7s
Gen. Schenck-Minister to the |
court of St. James-is to have the |
attentions of the committee on for
eign affairs, in the way of an inves-
tigation into several and sundry lit
tie lateral operations, opportunity |
for which, has rather been wrested |
from his position, or at least, af
forded facilities for them. AS the |
movement has been instigated by
republican member, and unanimous.
ly sustained in the House, it will not |
rebound especially to the credit of
the democratic majority of that
body 'ea'. u ''oil.'.
The sublime Porte has another
little matter with his dependencies.
Roumania objects to the payment |
of her customary tribute in ad-
vance, in accordance with previous
agreement and the request of the
Porte, and intimates that she may |
not pay at all, as the Turkish part |
of the obligation-that of undertak. |
ing the defence of the province from