The Republican journal., 1885-02-05
The Prog. Age on the Salaries of County
Officers,

To TIE EDITOR OF THE Journal: l noticed in
the Prog. Age of last week article entitled I'm
crease of Salaries and much pleased with it
After reading it could hardly avoid eXclaiming
''tfem is my sentiments" | think the salaries Of
county officers too high now, and l have
watched the columns of the journal ever since
heard of that nefarious increase Of salary petition,
for strong article from your pen in condemnation
of the scheme but inasmuch as the editor of the
Age was once County Attorney and also Judge of
Probate, it was perhaps fitting that he should speak
first, because he must necessarily know more about
these Offices and their perquistes. He knows that
when he was County Attorney he received salary
equal to hundred and fifty dollars for each
term of court he attended as such attorney, and
this was before the He also knows that when
he Judge of Probate he received a salary of
four hundred dollars per year, and if his figures in
the article above referred to are correct, (and they
probably are, ne is said to be apt in igures) he
took Tout of the peoples treasury" more than
tlcenty dotiarS per day, besides the perqusies
These acts of the editor in wrongfully taking these
sums Of money "out of the peoples treasury" have
undoubtedly troubled his conscience % ever since
his terms of Office expired, and 1t is surprising
that he failed y accept the denominations of eth
of these offices, considering bis ability pleasing
address and pleasant dispositions The fact that the
Republican party compelled him to take these ex-
horbtant sums against his will ~ was, of course,
the sole reason why he left that party rather than
that he became disgrunted because that party fail
ed to recognize his great ability and worth as
are uncharitable enough to believe.
repeat, these salaries are too high row. Why
the present Judge of Probate receives yearly one
hdtf as much as the editor of the Age did when he
Judge! l don't think this is right 1t is not
fair for any of his successors to be forced take
more than one-quarter as much "public money out
of the peoples treasury" as the editor of the Age
did
As to the Office of County Attorney the present
incumbent receives for each term of court a little
more than onc-haf the amount the editor of the
Age did when he consented to perform the duties
of that Office in ante bellum iimt-. His salary was
a salary, but before the war. How he must
have suffered,
l trust oar county delegation will think twice
before voting to increase the s;iaries' these of
fcers, thereby compelling the present incumbents
and their successors to suffer in like manner. 1t
will he much better for them to lock up their offices
and the probate court room, as soon as court adj
Jnurns, come out in the country, and hire out to
saw wood, work a farm or teach school for q
living, some of "our late incumbents of these
offices" have DONE than to force them to take this
public money out of the peoples treasury" With
out doubt ii would have been gratifying to the
editor of the Age if he had been allowed to do the
same. Let us all sympathze with the present in
cumbents in their proposed Affections and have pity
for the editor of the Age, in whom we see the
wreck OF former County Attorney and Judge of
Probate. e.
Jan. 81, 1883.