The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-07-13


sidcrcd they cut down the salaries of all
the officials about the departments. They
cut down the salaries of members of con-
gress and other officers certain percent
age, perhaps 10 per cent. They sent that
bill to the senate. Ii appears that the house
had abolished a good many unnecessary
positions IN the government. The SEN
ate refused TO concur. They did not put
their refusal on the ground that those ap.
preparations were absolutely necessary.
or that the government could not get on
without them. The senate stool back
on its dignity and refused to concur ia
the bill because those
USELESS OFFICIALS HAD BEEN CUT OFF,
They refused to concur because the
house had changed the existing law.
Logan said yesterday that this was clear
ly notification and revolution. Now
want to know if Mr.. Logan don't re-
member when that salary-grab bill was
passed which increased the salaries of
members OF congress, judges, heads OF
departments, and the president OF the
United States which was put in the APP
preparation bill by consent OF the senate,
and that he himself voted for it =! Ii Is the
same appropriation bill--the executive,
judicial and legislative appropriation
bill. The senate concurred in the amend
ments then raising the salaries. Why can
1t not concur in the amendments now
cutting them down! Those appropria-
tons have not been made in haste.
have looked them over and believe they
are amply sufficient for carrying OH the
government. They are larger than APP
preparations for similar purposes before
the war, The salaries of men,
hnr, Of a
in those appropriation bills from
5000 to $1,000, at the same time decreas-
ing the mileage. Why Because then it
cost man II good deal more to live.
Gold was up to 200 per cent. The labor
ing men in the city everywhere who then
had been getting 81 80 "A day got 81 to
81 80 IA day. Ii there ever was a time in
the world when it was proper to cut
down these salaries this is the time.
Under the present law we pay the post
master of the city OF Aurora $4,000 a
year. The government pays it, His
salary has not been reduced until the
present house ofrepresentativcs proposes
TO reduce the salaries OF pOstmasters Us
well as others. The salaries OF your own
workmeh and clerks in the city Of Aurora
have been reduced. Does it require q
higher degree of talent to be post
much important business in the city of
Aurora and many good men employed
here. You have shops and business
houses. know that many OF your work.
men here have been deprived of labor aud
wages on account of hard times. They
have all suffered reduction o. wages.
how much your wages have been scored
dOI't know. | have no doubt they have
been reduced, but how much they have
been reduced within the last twelve
months have no means of Knowing
probably from % TO 80 per cent.
Now the house of representatives only
proposes TO reduce the salaries II officials
so that men receiving 81 200 year shall
be reduced some 10 per cent. think.
The senate stands back upon its dignity
and says it shall not be done. Logan
says this is revolution and notification.
Laughter. Well. it was not revolution
and notification to provide in the appro-
priat.On bill that the salaries should be
increased from s., ZOO TO 81 900. and that
the salary of President johnson should
be increased from $4,000 to $4,000
The house Of representatives has passed
the salary and diplomatic appropriation
bill. In that bill the salaries of ministers
and cOnsuls have been changed. They
have consolidated some countries. Where
we have had two or more ministers they
have provided for one. like some of the
South American states, where we have
no relations or commorcn Those Offices
have most of them been put on within the
| last few years, in flush times when we had
| plenty of money, and when some lead
ing politician wanted to 90 10 some out
of-the-way place and do nothing. We
have provided for a minister to Junga
| VINO must have salary of 5000 or
5000 per annum. He goes there and the
people pay him.
Now what is being done? The house
OF representatives, fresh from the people.
have provided that they shall be abol-
ished. The senate upon its dignity
stands up and says, NO, sir;
WE WILL NOT ABOLISH THESE OFFICERS.
1t is highly improper for the house
| OF representatives to provide in an appro-
| Driation bill for the abolition Of these Of
fices." Now this brings us right back to
the proposition which set out with. that
the party in power can not reform itself,
because the moment you start out to
| abolish these Offices throughout the
United States, that moment you set about
turning Republicans out of office. and
that won't do. The party in power can
| not abolish themselves or retrench with
out hitting their friends and the howl
| goes up from one end of the country to
the other: "FOr Gods sake don't touch
me; go on 70 that other fellow" Your
senator's, who have good many friends
| In the Official positions. of course will not
vote to abolish. This friend who is now
engaged on salary, at work for
the government, will come home and inn
mediately turn in and work against the
man who votes for abolishing these OF.
fees. Ii was just so when the Republic
| can party came into power. The Demo-
cratic party had been in power a long
tlme, and abuses had grown up, but they
| never grew up so fast as during the war
| The Democratic party having been in
power, as l said, these abuses had grown
| up. When the Republicans came into
power they saw where they stood. They
struck them off. remember very well
the last congress under the Democratic
administration. ! remember the flight
| we made against what we called
ExTRAvAGANT APPROPRIATIONS,
under the lead of John Sherman, who
was then the chairman of the committee
on ways and means, who took the ground
In the house that AZ WAS the prerogatiye
OF the house to originate the appropria-
ton bills. The constitution has proyid.
ed that that branch Of the legislative de-
partment freshest from the people shall
| originate all these money bills. That |
think Is wise provision. And no man
was fiercer in his denunciatOn of the
right Of the senate to have this so than
was John Sherman during the last con-
gress under the Democratic administra-
ton. We cut down the appropriations
then for carrying on the government to