The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-05-01
the sword. That it has been
wiped out is or ought to be source of
pride to every true American.
From the NJ Y. World.
Mr.. Evarts's Pay and Emolumenti

Mr.. Evartss ray ana 6mo1uments.
The question, which has been good
deal mooted in some of the papers, whether
it is proper that the secretary of state
should be at the same time a practising
lawyer has. been answered bylanother ques-
ton whether the secretary of the state gets
enough salary, or, as it is sometimes put,
whether he gets enough to maintain the
dignity of the Office" The assumption is
that if the Office does not compensate the
incumbent according to bis own estimate of
his own merits and requirements, he is
justified 10 bringing it up to that standard
by any lawful pursuit, This is not the
view that has generally been taken by our
public men. 1t has been considered that
high Office was itself an object of am
bition, and that it would secure capable
man even If he made pecuniary sacrifice
in accepting it. The salary ofthe secretary
of state is, we believe, $4,000. This is
far short of many professional incomes, but
it is not abject beggary. 1t enables the
secretary to keep up at least a respectable
establishments, and when we 60 beyond
responsibility into splendor it is nard to fix
limit of expense. Ifa secretary of state
insists upon living and entertaining like
Gear ne will need the revenues of all the
Russias. The spectacle of secretary of
state shooting more or less madly
| from his sphere to the court of appeals at
Albany and the general term in New Y ork,
or even into the supreme court at Wash
ington, does not seem particularly in
spring. That he should do this, and in
doing it notify the principalities and
powers with whom he has diplomatic
dealings that his government does not
support him, in order to MAINTAIN the
| dignity of his office, seem rather comic
The late A. T. Stewart did not take this
view of the matter. When he was nomi-
mated for secretary of the treasury, if he
had taken the view that his salary should
be equal to what he could earn 10 his pri-
vate business he would have required that
the salary of the treasury should be raised
TO something like two millions a year.
What he did was to offer, although he
offered in vain, to retire absolutely from
the conduct of his business and to abandon
all the profit of it during his term of public
service.
The reasons why the secretary of the
treasury should not be an active merchant
are somewhat different from the reasons
why the secretary of state shoald not be q
private merchant There are many
reputable men, however, who would con-
sent to take the secretaryship of state and
devote themselves entirely to the duties Of
it at the present salary. If nobody in the
country who will take the Office on those
terms is competent to hold it the salary
ought to be raised at once, because we can
not expect to have Mr.. Evarts always with
US to supplement his official income with
his professional. 1.-THE country cannot gel
on without Mr.. Evarts, and Mr., Eyart>
cannot get on without all his emoluments
1t is case as pathetic as that of Thackeray'
ballad:
My patients want their doctor and their docto
wants his fees"
and there is nothing for it but to accep
the somewhat Shylocky terms on which
alone Mr.. Evarts will consent to serve hi
= country. At least until the crisis whicl
: makes his incumbency an absolute pol;tica
necessity be Overpast, we must leave a.
underpaid secretary to explain to th
foreign ministers, in paraphrase OF 81
: Paul, how they themselves know tina
his tongue has ministered unto his neces
sites.
Whether Mr. Eyartss mission seems t.
= himself so urgent and so indispensable a
r means of knowing 1t is possible tina
. resentment at his dual character kept tn
a officers Of the state government fror
% attending Mr. Cowdin's reception to hir
at Albany on Monday evening. Nj
|, Cowdin, it appears, invited his guests t
h meet Hon. William NJ. Evarts, secrt
tary of state. 1t would no doubt hav
been equally appropriate if they had pee
asked to meet Mr. William NJ. Evarts, tn
. eminent advocate and much more accurat
!, if they they had been asked to meet "Hol
! William M.REvarts, secretary..of state. az
! counsellor at law. But we really trust
:, was not because he was described as seer
10 tary of state, a description which we az
y NIT was not necessary to identify him. thI
p they stayed away, 1t is true that he
n only secretary Of state de factO, but the
h could not reasonably expect Mr.. Cowdin
= append that to his descriptive list" of VI
o. Evarts. And the reception was onlv
=, de facto reception. We should be sorry
4 believe that the state officers thought NJ
a Cowdin's verbal inexactness reason f
/ sending de jure regrets,
>.