Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-12-12
go 10 hotel which is not considered
first class, though comfortable.

90 30 = EptSl NliSu Is Hp< CuuSiucte<l
first class, though comfortable.
Ofcourse one may keep house in Wash
ington about rs cheaply rs in any large
city. But congressman who have their
own homes in the states. and who have
TO be here only part Of the year, donot
care to fit up another domestic estab-
iishment. Nor is there any economy in
!, loing. Even If one gives up the old
/, hoE.e and keeps house in Washington, =
congressinan's salary is barely sufficient
to make both ends meet. From SIS To
500 . month must 50 for house, $40
fer servants, and if one wants to live in
anything like comfort 30 fora carriage.
A salary Of SAT- month disappears like
snowdrift in April.
Every cabinet minister in Washing
ton spends more money each year than
his salary brings him. Attorney Gem
eral Miller will leave Washington $sS.
0o0 poorer than when he came, hear,
Secretary Noble told me he has spent
two dollars in Washington for every one
the government has paid hun. "This
thing will have TO come To al end some
time" he added. Il am often surprised
that our government Is administered as
honestly as it is, considering the cost of
living i'll Washington and the small sal.
aries paid by the government.
The truth Of it is, official life in this
city is no place for poor man. Temp
tation is thrown in his way at every
turn, aud the wonder is that so few sue.
cumb TO it. Unless we change our ways
and pay decent salaries the day will soon
come when we shall have either cor.
rupt government or IA government To-
which none but rich men will dare as,
pire to place III. Neither is desirable.
1t is time already that III forming a
new cabinet a president elect be confined
to rich or well to do men, President
Cleveland, fer instance, would like to
have W. l.. Wilson. of West Virginia.
in his cabinet as secretary Of the treas
ury. Mr.. Wilson cannot afford to take
the place. Service as congressman keeps
him poor enough. and to be cabinet
minister would mean ruin, Mr.. Cleve
land would like TO have Don Dickinson
in his cabinet again, but MIR. Dickinson
has had one taste of official life in this
city, and ho says he is not rich enough
to afford HE luxury again.
There is no man in this country for
whom Mr.. Cleveland has greater ad
miration than General Patrick Collins,
Of Boston. Mr.. Collins is too poor to
take u place in the new presidents min.
istry, and some years ago deliberately
retired from public life in order that he
might make some money for himself
and family. After he gets rich, and he
is making rapid progress in that dircc-
ton, he may conclude to re-enter poll
tics. Tho same thing is true of ex-tov-
ernor Campbell, of Ohio. l hear that
Mr.. Cleveland would like to have Mr.
Campbell in the new ministry. but the
governor has been in the slough of de
spond financially, and now. having
chance TO make some money, proposes
to put ambition behind him and make IL
These men are not hungry for money.
They are not eager to be rich. They do
not love wealth for wealths sake. But
they know the value, the necessity, Of
being independent financially. There
fore Mr.. Cleveland has to consider III Sc.
lecting men to help him manage the af-
fairs of the government during the next
four years not only their brains and
character, but their financial standing.
All have to say is that in pursuing a line
of policy which gradually freezes poor
men out of public life and turns the Of