Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-07-19

senator Beck's very simple bill for getting rid
OF a growing abuse IN Congress has come back
from committee amended out of all resent
biance To its original shape. The fact OF the
matter Is that those Senators and Representa-
tives who are lawyers do not feel like giving up
the most lucrative branch of their practice:
while, on the other hand, the people consider
that salary of five thousand dollars year,
abundant perQuistes and the honor Of writing
~ ). y" or M. e." after ones name, ought to
satisfy any mans ambition, 1; he Is bound to
enter public life through its legislative side.
The people are right in principle. Nobody
forces a citizen of the United States to go to
Congress, and il he goes OF his own free will It
Is not unreasonable to- demand that he shall
take what the statutes prescribe for his COM
pensation. without distracting his mind by q
search for wealth outside as long as he remains
in the service of his country.
Nevertheless. the general question involved
Is a hard one to settle satisfactorily. 1t has a
multitude of phases. If a member of Congress
would be influenced by his relation as attorney
10 banking or railway company, which would
pay him his retainer whether IT prospered or
suffered, how much more would he be infiu-
enced by his relation as "a stOckhoI6er, his
yearly income rising or falling with every fiuc-
tuation of the prosperity of the company? And
II we are TO require members of Congress to
dispose of their shares of railway and bank
stock before they enter the legislative hall,
where are we to draw the line between other
forms OF investment, which may or may not
at some future time be affected by pending
legislation: As long as public men are human,
like the rest OF Us, we shall fiud the regulation
of their conduct by cast-irou rules no easy mat
Ter, II we seek to be just as well as thorough.
Although the Monroe doctrine commits the
United States TO the defense OF the other
American republics against the aggressions OF
minister "A little wholesome discipline to those
republics when their independence becomes
too exuberant. II is not long since hostile
demonstration was necessary to bring the gov
eminent of Colombia to its senses; and II the
reports from the Isthmus concerning the treat
ment of the United States mails by the author
titles there be true. there Is reason for some
more of the same sort of remonstrance, carried
perhaps a trfle further. Our southern neigh
bOrs never have any hesirancy about locking
up an American citizen If his conduct does not
meet with their entire approval. Possibly The
imprisonment of the Panama postmaster on a
United States ship-ofwar long enough to cure
him of his bumptiousneSs might be good
way to remind the Colombian authorities that
poker is not the only two-handed game Ameri-
cans know how to play at.
If n fellow must go to prison he ought to
manage to be sent there through the agency OF
a naval court martial. One of these wonderful
contrivances has recently found paymaster
guilty of embezzlement and desertion, for
which ofenses ii sentenced him to three years
imprisonment at hard labor. and to receire halt
furLOugh pay during that period. The members
OF the court must have thought they might get
into official trouble some day, themselves, and
therefore didn't want to set too severe an ex-
ample; but what does the har.i-working tax
payer think of a convicted thief and deserter
drawing regular salary from the public treas
ury while imprisoned for his crimes? Has
the President or Secretary of the Navy power to
set aside this extraordinary decree? 1T So will
It be permitted to stand?