Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-01-06
aFFICER., sALARIEs.

W
It is the easiest thing in the world for
a newspaper to place public officials at a
disadvantage, not to say in a false light,
before the people. There is an innate
streak of in the human breast
ito which we all plead guilty. which
makes us keen for gossip. What Shaks-
peare said Of posthumous fame may be well
said also Of the reputation Of the living
the good is inferred and the evel sur-
wives. The case in point is the imputa-
ton cast upon the State officers OF Ne
xsda that they are amassing fortunes at
the expense of the people; that their sal
aries are out of all proportion to the
services they perform. In the outset 1t
must be said, by way Of apology, for these
plethoric f~unctionaries who "wear hne
linen and feast sumptuously every day
that they had nothing to do with the
legislation by which their salaries are
fixed. The people, through their repre-
sentatives in the Legislature, determined
their labors and their pay. They were
chosen by the people to execute a con-
tract the terms of which the people them
selves had made. Should the public
servants End millions in their contract
they should hardly be r~eproached for
taking it SO long as they perform their
parts faithfully according to the statutes
Of the commonwealth.
So far SO good. But the prevalent
opinion, to some extent manufactured
for the public, that the State officers OF
Nevada have a bonanza in their salaries,
is all wrong. 1t is much nearer true
that they get but a bare, decent living
out of their pay. 1t may be said also
that they get no more than a fair market
price for their services. 1t shouldsbe
considered, moreover, by those who
think that the State officers are over
paid that, on account oil their positions,
they have extraordinary expenses with
which the private citizen is not taxed.
To say nothing of the charities tc
which they are almost daily called upon
to contribute at the Capitol, their ex'
penses Of living, from the Governor
down, whose bill for entertaining the
guests of the State is about half his sal.
airy. eat up all the pay they get and
often more. In the whole history of the
State there is not an officer to be named
who has made as much money as the
ordinary business man who has been sue
cessful in his affairs. Nine out of ten
of them have left their Offices 'dead
broke" and worse off a hundred times
for having been elected. In order to
keep up the style of living that the pub
lie demand Of their servants who are
damned for n~iggardliness unless they re-
spond and "keep up their end in an
e~xtravagant community, nearly every
man in the State Capitol to-day has his
salary "soaked" with some local Shy
lock for months ahead.
There is no doubt that Nevada is a
grievously taxed State. She should not
have been "battle born" Our Repub-
hcan friends needed her as such, how
ever, and we all have her together. The
SENTINEL has repeatedly called attention
to our financial condition, analysed its
present status forsthe information of the
people, and has left with them the ques-
ton, "What are we going to do about
it!' The SENTINEL is also in favor of
every possible reform and retrenchment
consistent with a business-fke admins.
tration Of the affairs Of the State. As
intimated by this paper, the situation is
serious, now, and will be full of en-
barrassment for the future, unless some
bonanzas are uncovered within the next
four or five years to relieve the pressure
of taxation and to stave off the evil day
when the margin of our borrowing power
shall have been filed out. The relief,
however, is not to be found in still
further reducing the salaries of a few
State officials. For these places efficient,
responsible men are needed, and they
must be paid living market prices for
their hire. 1t is doubtful whether, for
instance, all things considered, it would
be well to put the salary of the Con-
~troller, the Treasurer and the Secretary
of State at less than what it is already
fixed at for the next four years, that is,
s 5000 per annum. Other salaries have
beer r. duced in proportion, the Gov
ernor's to $1,000, and that of the Su-
preme Judge to $4,000. It is hardly
expected that a lawyer fit to sit on the
bench of our highest Court would accept
the Office for less, as a jurist of the
proper qualifications can make that much
in the practice Of his profession. The
effect Of further reduction will be in
evitable toimpair and degrade the service.
The salaries Of the deputies have been
reduced to s2,O 900 a year, and the salary
of Lientenant-G Governor cut off entirely,
except when he presides owe the Senate.
Those who are familiar with the work Of
the State officers think that it would be
unwise to lop off the deputies, in whom
extraordinary clerical skill and honesty
are expected. but if the principals should
be required to do all the work, and the
deputies all discharged. the saving to the
State in money would be just $4,000 a
year!
As before said, the SENTINEL is in
favor Of every wholesome business-Iike
retrenchment, but there does not seem