, 1876-03-05

initiating them to the best Of their abilit,
If all the important officials were men of th
class, it would end at once this insane, ruiz
Gus, and wicked corruption, and would pu
an end to blackmailing and stealing, becaus
these men could have no possible motive fo
doing it.
The third suggestion Which grows out O
this problem is whether it is not feasible AM
even essential to pay our great pub1icfunction
aries salaries sufficiently high to enable then
to keep up with the higher classes withou
having to steal or blackmail in order to do it
Gen SHERMAN, in the interview which ri
printed yesterday, bears witness to the ute
impossibility Of officials living upon thei
salaries who have not large private fortunes
The General says:
| LII my opinion, Secretary BELKNAP's downfall il
due more to tbs vicious organization Of Washington
society than anything eso- refer to the ridiculous
e1.ayaganco Of those who in the first social cir
ces at the Capital Very few Cabinet officers are able
to live within their salaries, While was there, the
only member Of the Cabinet who could stand it vat
FISH. With his income Of $2U0,O00 year. he could
auord to pay most any price for social privileges
Nevertheless It cost him $4,000 year. Mr. CHANp-
1ER, who has gons into the Cabinet since CAME to
St. LOUIS is another whose private fortune Is
ample that his saary is object to him. Outside Of
these two, none Of the public oficnls Washington
can ise within their Salaries I left Washington
chiefly because my salary would no. support me- and
because did not consider the society there the proper
piece In which to rear family. received S13 500
regularly, besides 600 for rent and horses making
s16 500 in all 1outlivea this amount every year by
seve1nl thousand dollars. I had to Keep open house
all the time. hly family rarely had any rest from
tertaining people, most Of them utter strangers in
whom We could feel no interest.
1t is evident enough that our public Of
fcials in Washington cannot keep up social
equality upon their meagre salaries with those
into whose society they are forced by virtue
OF their exalted official positions These high
officials are responsible for the receipt and
disbursement of hundreds Of millions and tho
appointment Of tens of thousands of suborci-
mates holding offices of trust and involving
great amounts Of money. Secretary RE1ESAr
himself was responsible for the disbursement
of S40,000,000 per annum among at least
G0,00o persons, and yet was paid the pitiful
sum of $4,000 year in money at discount
of 1G per cent, which many clerks, tellers,
and bookkeepers get who have not thou
sandth part of his responsibility. OF course
this is no excuse for his malfeasance and yio-
lation Of both honor and trust but is it poll
tic to pay men holding these great public
trusts such meagre pittances, especially when
it is known that they must incur expenses By
virtue Of the inexorable demands of society
and fashion far beyond their salaries? We
p:y our public officers less than any civilized
nation On earth,-less even than the poor
little Republic of Switzerland. Our Repub-
lcan Court, at the head of one of the largest,
and most powerful, and wealthiest, M
tions in the world, is paid less |
than the smallest aud weakest nation in !
Europe allows its chief servants. We do not !
pay them any more, substantially, than WIS
paid in the days Of WASHINGTON and JEFpEn-
SON, when the country was very poor and |
weak, and social distinctions were BY no |
means SO marked and exacting as now; when
pleinness of manners aud simplicity Of dress
and style of living prevailed, and people had
something else to do beside aping their rich
neighbors- This, therefore, is tho greet
E'AO14EU t4AL AC4ulllQS L4t ALtNt1llDu VI IlG
American people. The 100000 very rich
families who compose the so-callcd cream"
If our fashionable society can never, it is
o II feared, be induced to come down to
plain, simple, and unostentatious style OF life
my moro than q woman who has money
enough TO wear d twenty-dollar dress will
consent to wear fve-dollar one GABn1E1's
rumpet will shiyer these absurd distinctions
tut until that time they will continue to
1ist. Meanwhile, the people of this country
ave the problem before them. They must
ither elect men to Office whose wealth re-
noyes them from the necessity of corrupt
rachceS, or they must 80 increase the sala- +
les Of the great officers as to enable them t
, live within their official income under the {
resent ridiculous and shameful etiquette of T
,ciety, and, refusing to do one thing or the g
ther, they must be prepared to suffer the I
loyitable consequences that follow tempta- 8
on, under the terrible pressure Of fashiona- /
lie requirements. +