The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-02-21
AUxUKrEs OR JUSTICE.

Il
Washington, that their representatives al
the national capitol should appear TO then
best in social and personal matters as well
as intellectually, that they should, in
word, put always their best foot forward,
to use common expression. But While
this is true il is doubtful if any commu'
nifty in the country would relish the idea oil
lavishing upon their congressman the lux
ries of every imaginable character which
only those who were to enjoy them ought,
by all means, TO pay for out Of their own
private purses. lfsuch proposition were
brought fairly and squarely before the
"soyereigns," it is beyond dispute that 1t
would be voted down by large majority
at once. And yet the people do pay annu'
ally from $40, 900 to 100000 for just such lux
uries as those of the character referred to-.
The bills for contingent expenses, reported
and passed annually, include variety Of
luxuries that while not specially objec-
tionable, yet in any question of economy,
might be dispensed with without doing in
justice or creating any serious trouble or
suffering among the members Of con
gress. There are, for example, large APP
preparations for stationery, postage stamps,
soaps. hair-brushes, newspapers, barber
shops and other articles for personal COM
fort. So long as the attention OF legislators
is directed to schemes and policies, whether
of appropriations or reform and retrench-
ment involving millions, paltry sums
of $4,000 and $780, 900 do not cut much of
figure either one way or the other,
but when the spirit of economy gets to
worrying about matters not rising above
the dignity and importance of $4,000 or
$4,000, il strikes us that these contingent
expenses and luxuries referred to cut con-
siderable figure. Especially is this the case
when the $4,000 under consideration is the
aggregate salary Of women in the depart
ments Iaboring earnestly and faithfully for
their own and their families support, and
whom il is proposed to dismiss from the
service, as u brilliant and necessary stroke
OF economy. Such proposition has been
made, and is being seriously mooted. If
congress finds it an imperative necessity to
cut down the governmental expenses to the
extent of $4,000, IL seems to us that justice
would demand that the axe should first
tall upon the luxuries that these
lords of legislation vote annually to them
selves rather than the deprivation OF bare
living to twenty or twenty-five women in
the departments. IT the women are not
correct in their lives, turn them at
once out OF the governments employ, but
if, and there is in the case in question moth
ing to the contrary, they are worthy and
poor, ii looks very small and very selfish
in congress to hold on to its luxuries and
deprive these clerks of comforts and posi-
bly, necessaries. 1t would be more credita.
BILE to ship batch OF the young males from
the departments, those consequential and
stylish young fellows whose earnings are
left nightly in the gambling aud other bells
in Washington. SuCh foolish propositions
are made and acted upon in the
various halls OF legislation in the United
States almost daily, to he entire disregard
aud apparently knowledge of the exist
ence Of anything like common sense and
Justice that a thinking man, away from the
noise of the capitals, cannot but wonder
how it was possible for large majority of
the ironically dubbed Solons to get away
from home at all, much less pose AZ legis.
Iators and statesmen. The utility of the
press is in nothing so patent as in the ex-
pose constantly made of the righteousness
and ahsurdity of certain measures that
claim the attention and win the support of
legislative bodies in this government of
the people, for the people and by the PEG.
nle.n