The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-04-14

Correspond suggests PLACE ~
begin Hettenchmrnt


EpiroR STAR The question Ut salar.
les paid to public Office. holders Is nm
important one. especially In little
country like Hawaii. and we might
learn something by comparing ourselves
with our neighbor, the United States.
II we investigate with this idea In
view we will find that Texas. Missouri
and Georgia, with 6.752. OGO people.
spread over 1856 square miles of ter.
ritory, have a Governor apiece. and the
three cost them $4,000 per annum.
Illinois, Iowa and Arizona. with 5,5gi.
s3l people and 22j, Gyj square miles of
surface, pay three men $4,000 per
annum to perform the duties of Gov
ernor. Maine, Nebraska, New Hamp-
shire, Oregon, Vermont and South Da.
kota have Governor apiece, and the
lot costs $4,000 per year. These six
States have population of 1901 .523
people, occupying 100000 square miles
of land. New York State and the
State of Maine together have a popula-
ton Of 7,174, 400 and s., 2l0 miles of ter
ritory, yet they find two men willing TO
serve as Governors for $4,000 per
annum between them
We see that %, 1874, 75s people, occupy
ing 976,605 square miles of territory,
find thirteen men willing to serve as
governors for SAG, 600 per year, or for less
than 1880 APIECE. The United States
pays the Vice-President and the menu
bers of the Cabinet $4,000 per year. The
uninitiated might think that the United
States and the States composing it would
have trouble to find men willing to fill
these places at the prices herein quoted.
They might think that poor men only
and men out OF job would be willing
to fill these important places. We are
happy to be able to inform such, if any
such there are, that men fall over each
other in the eager haste to get one Of
these places. In fact, they do not have
to be found, for they find themselves.
Governor Pennoyer, Oregon's governor,
is not poor, neither was he out of job,
but he is serving his second term for
$500 per year, and he seems to be
satisfied with the pay. New York 3
present governor, r. p. Flower, is sew
eral times a millionaire yet he is willing
to fill the place for $40, 900 year. Hon.
Levi p. Morton, S. B. Elkins and John
Wannamaker are millionaires yet they
worked for $4,000 per annum. Nebraska
with population OF over 10000 and
77,5l0 square miles of surface, gets gov
ernor for $500 per year. Arizona has SO
$40 people and 1l3,020 square miles OF
territory and the United States pays hel
governor $1,000 per annum, and
he had to have strong "pul'
to get the place. If. Hawaii with hel
10000 people and less than 1000 square
miles of land should become territory
of the United States, Uncle Sam would
pay man $4,000 or $4,000 per annum to
be Governor here. Now, Mr.. Editor,
we believe that the laborer is worthy of
his hire, but we do not believe in pay
ing him from four to six times as much
as he is worth. A common laborer
here in Hawaii receives from 40 cents
to 81 per day, without board, If he
loses day his pay stops for that day,
but public office holder receives full
pay whether he puts in full time or not,
so that highly paid public office
holder may be, and often is, absent
from duty for a week or month and
draws pay for work performed by
others.
The place to begin retrenchment is
with highly paid office-holders, but
their salaries seem to be regarded as
sacred for they are never touched The
reduction falls upon the poorly paid
the one least able to bear it, and the
ones who are compelled to render the
service. X,