The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-12-01
RAISE NO SALARIES.


If it ware. those Legislators and State
officials who are working for higher
salaries would be worthy of great
praise 1t seems that never before
has so general and sy stematic an at
tack been made upon the State treas
ury for the purpose of securing high
or rates of compensation. Defeat seems
only to spur to greater effort. The
line of attack is contracted and the as
ssult renewed with fresh vigor
The Journal has previously had &C.
casion to call attention to the multi
tude of bills which have been intro
duced relating to salaries Needless
to say every bill provides for an in
crease. A bill to decrease a salary
would amaze the Legislators ana would
be considered freak legislation, for
once up salary never goes down
again.
Several salary bills have already
been slaughtered in the House, but,
10! like Phoenix they rise from their
ashes. The bill 20 increase the salary
of the superintendent of education is
a case in point. Killed in the House,
it appears In the Senate in slightly
different garb and With its demands
reduced half from the time of its
first appearance The whole scheme
is apparently to get as much as posi-
al &c
session and then depend upon future
Legislatures to attend to the others
Vermont officials are paid we'll enough
now. Their salaries comport well
with the labors which they perform
and the cost of living in the State as
compared with the duties of officials
in ether places, their salaries, and liv-
ing expenses. Take for instance, the
judges of the Supreme Court Their
salary of $4,000 year and $500 for ex-
penses is very inviting to most law
yers. Comparatively few lawyers in
the State earn annually more than
that sum and hardly one of those few
but would gladly surrender his prac-
tice to take an honorable position on
the bench. for all practical purposes
good for life, and with salary that
makes the recipient independent, even
though it be not enormous. 1t is I
better salary than Senator of the
United States receives
The auditors office is putting forih
strenuous call for more money for
Itself for clerical assistance. 1t was
but few years ago that the office
was administered without anv clerical
assistance being furnished by the
State. Nobody can say that the work
was not as we'll done then as now and
1t may have been better done, for cer-
tainiy no egregious errors were made
such as called in question the honor
of candidate for Governor and re.
CURED an investigation to straighten
out the tangle Until within a few
years the auditor has felt it his duty
to surrender his time to the State in
return for the salary he drew, and has
given his personal attention to the
work OF tire office all of the time.
Beginning with the time when cleri.
Cal asst c. was furnished, the
auditor has seen fit to continue the
practice OF is profession while retain.
ing general Supervision over the work
OF his offic | the auditor be grant.
ed more ,,rIcaI assistance 1t will not
result III any tjer ADMINISTRATION of
the office nat, If anything, will lave
a very different effect. Keep it VI
and the auditor viii in time be freed
from all the tedious labor and will be
permitted to practice his profession in
peace only bothering himself about
his office enough to draw his salary
and set up the cigars during sessions
OF the Legislature
1t is all an insidious money grabbing
scheme. The plotters very we'll know
that II any salaries are raised they
all VIII be in time. So they lay spe.
oial stress on some of the offices this
year where the most plausible reason.
for increase can be presented. 1t il
argued that the salary of the superin
tendent Of education must be raised in
order to keep Mr.. Ranger. 1t is wrong
No office should be built up or turned
from its proper course for any one
mau There are other Rangers ant
Stones. Much as the Journal approves
of Mr. Ranger and his work it ooult
never consent to running the office TO
him If he cannot afford to work To-
the present salary, he should step on
and let some other bright young edu
Gator demonstrate his abilities in tn,
position
If the Legislators do not perceive tn
whole scheme and refuse to raise
salary. two years hence n score o
more OF officials will come forwar,
with the plea that 1.-THE salary of sucI
an one was raised in 1904 and
deserve raise just as much as h
did," ard they will get what the