The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-07-22
J. A. SMIsER, Sec'ty.
HOW THE TAX PAYERS ARE
ROBBED.


ROBBED.
THE American is engaged in a good
work, and if it will pursue it daily
and unhesitatingly, much good will
result. 1t is astounding that even
rolerably sensible men, when they
$50 to the legislature will 50 com
-I,letely lose their wits as they do
end permit themselves to be hood
-vyinked as they are, into wasting the
peoples money.
A pains taking statement in the
american to-day shows the Treasu-
."er's salary-including the perquisites
the law allows him-tO amount to
sSIS,381 per year. This is simply out
3ageous; nothing more nor less than
am outrageous imposition upon the
AJAX payers of Tennessee.
We do not intend anything we may
Vay as a reflection upon the Treas
-ilrer. He is an honest, faithf ii, capa-
2ple official; an aflable, polished,
pleasant gentleman. Treasurer
-IIouse takes only what the law al
lows him, which no one should cen
sure him for. The blame attaches to
abe legislature that was so careless
Spf the peoples rights as to pass such
~ law.
But the question of blame is a
:fruitIess one. The question for the
-DeOple to consider is not the blame,
1rut the remedy. The remedy is for
abe people to elect a Legislature that
will in fact and in truth look after
7hese bills and stop this useless eX-
7ravagance.
And the work for the American to
20, is to keep the country press in
4 ,rmed The American is on the
9 round and can inform itself. II 1t
y i'll do so, and through its columns
Slform its readers, the country press
- always true to the people will take
D the fight and relief will come.
The people don't know how they
a. being bled mercilessly, uselessly
a xed to death. They know that taxes
arr high; they think they are too
high, but they have not the slightest
idea to what great extent their
money is needleesly, recklessly
" ,sted.
The leak is not alone in the Treasu-
Ter's office, perhaps, even, no greater
there than elsewhere.
From Governor down to the porter'
who attend to. the water closets, II
proportion this same extravaganza
prevails. They give q porter, for in
stance, five dollars a day, when Inc
would be glad to get the job at one
From the highest TO the lowest, they
are paid five and ten times what thei
services are worth. No wonder tina
fer every office there, there are nifty
and a hundred applicants.
This same spirit of extravaganza IL
the expenditure Of the people
money does not stop at the capltol
hut pervades the entire machinery o
government over the State. The ap
1ointees of the Governor the commits
tioner of this and of that; the keepe
Of this and of that; they are all pai'
very much more than they are worth
we are not criticisiug Mr.. Buchanan
,ow. We are stating facts, for whicl
the Governor is no more responsible
than the Legislature.
The same extravaganza goes al
over the State and into every county
IT is the rankest nonsense to pay thu
Attorney Generals what they make
AS a class they are inferior as law
ers to the judges on the bench, ant
set their perquisites amount to iron
three to four times as much.
A $50 clerk, lazy farmer, shyste
LAWYER or a broken down editor vii
,un for clerk of one of the courts
and if he happens to get in he find
himself making more money than tn
hest business man in his county.
That is what makes hard times. 1
IL all wrong and all unnecessary
Let's turn our attention to prac
tical politics and elect men to ofhc
who will give US an economical al
,ninistration all along the line
let's send men from Maury Count
~rhO will pledge themselves to Pu
the knife to the salaries and cut Their
deep. Let's mix a little bushes
with politics and watch the resul