Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-09-14
WASHINGTON LETTER.

ARLINGTON, sept. ~, 1000
In round numbers there are 10000 |
oficeholders dependent for their bread and
oleomargarino upon the treasury of the
United States, and who receive salaries
ranging from Sl5 per month TO $4,000
per annum, the compensation OF the Presi
dent. So much has been said concerning
the extravagant salaries paid 20 our higher
government officials, in connection with
the civil service reform discussious, few
comparisons between the salaries paid in
this country aud those paid to officials in
similar stations in England may be Of gen
eral interest. For instance, Lord Chief
Justice ColerIdge, now visiting tins coun-
try, receives salary twice as large as that
OF the President OF our fifty Ave millions oil
people, and nearly ten times larger than
that received by the chief justice of the
United States. The lord mayor OF London
and the lord Lieutenant OF Ireland each re-
ceive salary larger by $4,000 a year
than that received by our chief executive.
| While we pay our ministers 10 London and
Paris and Berlin SIT 500 per annum, and
consider that the very exaltslion of ex-
travaganoe, the am mbassadors accredited to
this country from th,se nations receive
nearly, if not quite, three fold more than
we pay, and the Russian minister receives
more than four fold the e1irnvagant figure
that has kept us in grumble for thirty
years. To our second class ministers, such
MS represent us at Madrid and Vienna and
Rome, we pay $4,000 per annum, while
England pays to her representatives to
those countries S27 500.
There is vet another class oil ministers to
whom we pay salary OF $4,000, such as
those who represent us at in the South
American States, and England makes no
distinction between them aud the Austrian
and Italian missions, so far as compensa-
tion is concerned. And 40 it is with our
consuls and our secretaries legation and
other attaches to whom we pay the maxi
mum salary OF 5,fi00, and England per-
peuaies hers through lifetime by giving
them Just double that sum. We pay our
cabinet officers $4,000 per annum, which
is just about the amount the English prem.
ier receives per month, and the compirol
Ter OF the treasury works for the same
lor of the English exchequer receives per
month. The postmaster at New York gets
$4,000 per annum, and his confrere at
London gets as many pounds, or nearly
, five times as much while the same officer
at Liverpool, Manchester. and dozen
other English cities, receive more than
double the compensation Of the postmaster
, OF our metropolis The general of the
army gets $E,500 per year, which would
scarcely be considered pin-money for the
/, head OF the British army; nor would the
q admiral OF the English navy be able to
a keep up the dignity of his position upon
r such a pittance as the S1l, 900 per yeal
! that we dole out to the head oil our power
: ful sea fOrceH.
= With most of the officials to whom W,
v pay wlatwe are prone to consider extrav
i agant salaries, there is an absolute sirnggl,
i, for existence, because Of the demands npoi
q them for hospitaltIes, official courlesies
4 and all that sort OF thing. In fact many
;, Of them, and particularly the cabinet Off
GERS, expend much more than The salarie
4 they receive every year in responding I,
:, these social requirements. None of them
:. not even the President, is expected TO Ia,
il by anything for rainy day out OF lhes
~ salaries, and we all know with what
% pitifnl disdain the whole American peopl
> look upon recently retired President
i who is suspected 10 have so economical il
i, the household expenses OF the execntiv,
a mansion AZ TO salt down abou; one half o
!. his entire salary. There is, Of course, II,
~ good reason why we OF this plain. demo
; cratic, modern republic should especial |,
- emulate aristocratic and wealthy Englant
~ III the matter of official salaries, no matte
y how powerful or we'll able we may be to d.
-, so. These comparisons are made simpi,
=, asa matter Of interest. Yet we ought Il
y pay high officials enough TO meet all th
IL proper demands of life in their positions
10 tholgh it is II curions fact that, rnadequat
u as present salaries are said to be, there i
no no difficulty in finding any number OF mel
!, willing and anxious 10 take the places.
- is, however, fact that if we carry tn
;, subject step farther, aud make compari
:, :, aon between official salaries and those il
~ commercial life IN our county, we shai
find the discrepancies almost as great il
some OF the higher grades. There nr
n, presidents OF insurance and railway com
panes who receive salaries as great, O
h greater, than that of the President OF III
= United States and in many other posi-
"a tions where integrity and high order o
~ ability is required, much more is pai
ll,an for corresponding service under tn
government. But when we come down Il
Id the lower grades, such as clerkships, etc
le which comprise the great m ,ss Of the l10
= 600 above referred TO, we find that salaris
I'd average considerable better than in com
mercial positions /; so that in the aggrt
te gate Uncle Sam pays his servants as muc
ly as, or more than, the same number OF me
" of equal character and capacity could CON
is mand in salaries in any other walk of lf
N Tins ar any othar cnuuIrv
er Dom PEDRO.
er ~-..~
Those needing anything in the line G
Hats, Caps, Shirts, Collars, Woolen Shirt
i, Underwear, Neckiies, Hosiery, Suspendel
U, and Gents' Furnishing Goods, will do we