The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-03-07


are "llnxious times" and there is no
telling where the Lightning is going to
strike. Blessed is the man that hath his
house well protected with zinc:platcd,
,piraI.twisted, steel-pointed Lightning
rods.
The Demands OF Washington 40.
cicty.
All the newspapers are just now prais'
ing up habits Of economy in public men
a! Washington, that is, rs far as any pub.
lie men at Washington are known to have
such habits. II is pointed out that Vice
President Wilson lived economically and
died only worth three or four thousand dol
lars. 1t is also told to Secretary Bout
wells credit that he lived in hired rooms
and never pretended to entertain. Gener
al Sherman lett Washington because he
couldn't live on his salary. 1t costs
Secretary Fish $4,000 year to keel
house, but he has an income OF 100000
A poor man has no business to kceI
house in Washington.
All this il very nice talk just now, and
sounds well in the newspapers. II will
last, however, like many other novelties,
ior brief season, and then will COM
nencc the usual society notes" again in
which the magnificent entertainments oi
this, that and the other public mans
family will be Landed to the skies.
The fact is that public man at Wash
ington who boards, or who keeps house
in an humble way, is very often the sub
ect Of slurs both in and ont Of the news
pipers. A man who receives $1,000 per
lnnum is expected to be liberal, and not
to try to save money. opt OF his salary.
The theory is that his salary is given TO
him Just MS his lhileage is, to- be spent in
ihepubIic service; that is, to entertain his
constituents, procure iavOrs for his
Political friends, and, in general way,
help along the party.
OF course this theory is radically de.
tectivc, rs are ever so many practices
beIonging to our politics, but there are
Fery many public men who would rather
leave Washington in debt, or get money
in doubtful ways, than be called mean in
their expenditures.
When L. NJ. Stanton was Secretary OF
War he lnbcred like Titan, and did
more work than any man in the service
Of the government, and all for $4,000 per
year. lie died 80 poor that a subscrip'
ton Of $4,000 was made up by the pub
lie for the support OF his family. Hc felt
obliged to spend all his salary, and did
loso,land yet, in SO doing, he was wrong
ing his family. But for the charity o
his friends his family would now be
paupers. As it is, they must feel as il
they were pensioners on the subscribers
who contributed to the fund that sup.
ports them.
NOman, public or private, has u right
to spend the price Of his toll and health
in such way. His expenditures should
be kept within his income IS religious
duty to his family. And while the world
honors, and should honor, Mr.. Stanton's
memory, because although millions upon
millions passed under his hand, not a
dollar ever stained his palms; and while
lllthat his family has since received is
.lnly due them from the country he served
nvcll, yet it is nevertheless true that, rs
Amlc, a man'sduty is to decline any posi-
ton in life that conflicts with his obliga.
tons to those dependant on him. The
Scripture says that he who provides not
iJr his own household is worse than an
iadde. The public has no right to re-
qaire service that it is not willing to pay
ior II Cabinet officers cannot live on
'0oOper Onnum they should receive more
But, then, what would be the use OF in
cfeasing salaricsY To initiate salaries
"Onld simply be to stimulate new de-
nands on the part OF society. No salary
could keep pace with these demands. 1t
would be the old story of gathering the
mama, They who gathered little had
enough, and they who gathered much had
nothing over. So would i'll be with salaries
big OR little, in Washington.
As everybody who has ever visited
Washington knows, it is n thoroughly ar
"aclaI lie that people lead there. The
scale OF prices is a regular gouge from a
cigar up toa weeks board at the hotels.
Nearly everything is poor in quality and
n'Shin price, The pIOceiS notorious for
'a'' characteristic. 1t il said that peo'
Pie can live in Baltimore and do bnsi'
"esin Washington, and save money by go
'ns back and forward every, day. This
ought not to be the case, and at one time,
IN earlier days, II was not. There was
'hme when Thos. Jefferson rode OH his
a0F'c to the Capitol, took the oath OF OF.
nee before the Senate, and returned to the
Executive Mansion rs quietly and unos-
'eA'atiOusly rs he left. It has always
VSen the pride and boast Of Virginia that
Ger Governors wcrO never inaugurated