Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-18
Secretary Taft Declares Them
Totally Inadequate.
THE POLICY CRITICISED
INCONSISTENT WITH THE PRINcI-
PIES OF DEMOCRACY.
Practically Impossible for Men Of Mod
crate Means to Fill Important Posi-
tions in the Government Service.

Secretary Taft is one Of the frankest and
most Independent officials of the govern
ment and never hesitates to speak his
mind. On a recent occasion he openly and
frankly referred to the totally inadequate
salaries" paid by the government to Its
most important officials and declared that
this defect in the policy of the govern
ment' called for change and remedy.
Il omit reference to the salary OF the
President" said the War Secretary, be
cause that is more nearly adequate than
|sany of the others paid In the state, ana
yet that might properly be increased. But
take the salary of the Vice President Ihe
Vice President succeeds to the presidency
in case of death, disability or resignation
of the President. He ought therefore to be
of the same class of man, with the same
high ability and broad craftsmanship as
the President himself. The duties OF the
Vice President are confined to presiding
ever the Senate. He Is prevented by Gus
tom at any rate, If not7by law, from en-
gagng in any profession or occupation. He
is the second officer of the state. It is
evident that he should live the second
officer of the state during the; term for
which he is elected. 1t is true that he
great labor but he Is where he may be
called at any moment to discharge such
functions.
Is $1,000 Year Sufficient
"They also serve who only stand and
walt, Is 1t meet, is 1t proper. that the Vice
President of a nation of eighty millions OF
people should be compelled to give up all
means of livelihood. all means of properly
maintaining an establishment fitting for'the
second officer of the state and receive only
the small salary of $500?
"rhe enormous material growth of bus-
ness and increase of wealth has in
creased the scale of living as largely to in
crease the living wage for an official occu-
plying a prominent position under the gov
eminent. So great has this increase be
come that il is now practically Impossible
for a representative or a senator having
family to keep house in Washington on the
scale of living which he ought to maintain
for less than double his salary. The judges
of the Supreme Court of the United States,
court which we like to call and believe
to be the greatest tribunal in the world re-
ceive S12,J 800 and the chief justice $4,000.
Now, I speak whereof / know when
say that every one of those judges finds
it to be of the utmost difficulty to live in
Washington at the rate and upon the scale
that a judge of the Supreme Court of the
United States ought to live with the salary
which is paid him. Many of them are un-
able to have horses and carriage, and none
of them who maintains any sort OF an es-
tablshment Is able to live within his in
come. Certainly. this ought not to be.
Even in the state of New York they pay
judges of first instance. called the '-su-
preme court" judges. ST 500 year each.
In England they pay the lord chancellor
$4,000, the lord chief Justice $4,000 and
their ordinary judges $4,000. Why is 1t
court that certainly stands high as
any in England, should begrudge to its
greatest jurists and lawyers a sum sufficient
to enable them to live decently?
H., Ixn4 ;,xI~ II
year of 400 cases, and that in a number
of these cases counsel who do not stand
as high at the bar and have not the knowl-
edge of the law which the judges on the
bench have. receive more in single case
as a fee than each judge receives for his
entire annual salary.
Salaries of Ambassadors and Ministers,
Then, take our ambassadors and minis
ters abroad. The highest salary paid to
any one of them is s17,5e0. In many in
stances they cannot rent houses for the
salaries which are paid them, and all the
other expenses of living in representation
of this government must be paid out of the
! pockets of the ambassadors for the privi-
| lege of holding the office. Every civilized
| nation except the United States. of any
| standing whatever, furnishes In all the
| large countries to which its ambassadors
| and ministers are accredited handsome
| houses where the extra territorial hospi-
| tally Of the nation may be fittingly and
| suitably dispensed. Not only are ambas-
| sailors of England. Germany. France and
Russia paid from $50 600 to $4,000 a year
| but they are all given houses completely
equipped with large entertainment fund,
which enables them, when they retire from
| Office. to feel that they have not spent
| fortune in the service of their government
And then / could give you out of my
personal experience the lot of a cabinet of
| fcer. 1t is absolutely impossible for cab
| In Washington and maintain himself re-
| specially upon salary of 5000 which Is
paid him..
| Islands received a salary of $4,000 a year
| That was because 1t was fixed by President
| Mckinley and not by Congress. When the
| question came up of the fundamental law
| of the Philippine Islands the only method
| 900 was not to mention the salary In the
act at all, and SO 1t continued just as 1t
| had been. Out of $4,000 l was able to
save. perhaps. $1,000 year, although was
allowed house to live in without rent.
| do not exaggerate when say it costs every
| cabinet officer double and sometimes treble
| the salary which the United States pays
him. Now, ought this to be so?
Defects Of the Policy.
"Of course, the f1ippant and the easy an
swer is: IF you do not like your position.
| you may resign But is that an answer?
| 1t may be for the individual. and 1t may be
| that for certain individuals In Office any
salary is more than they earn. But we are
| rich nation and are entitled to attract to
! the public service as able and competent
| men as the richest corporations of this
| country and the richest governments of
| Europe. We are democracy. We pro-
coed on the theory that every respectable
| citizen. qualified by ability and learning to
| fill a national Office. may fiil II, but II you
are going to pay salaries which do not de-
| fer one-half OF the expense of living while
| the office Is being filled, then you limit
| those who are eligible to the higher offices
| In your republic to the wealthy men.
Gould anything be more absurd for q
1 republic than to pursue policy which shall
deprive all the poor men or men OF mod
| crate means of any chance for public Of
| flee or of any desire to fill them? Is It not
| the irony of Inconsistency that we who are
| engaged In praising the purity and the SIM
piicity OF the democracy should adopt q
policy by which only millionaires can gov
ern us?
ut is the theory that the people favor
| low salaries. I think 1t Is q theory not well
| founded. and that when the proposition Is
| explained to the people the people will ia
yor the proposition that the laborer Is
worthy OF his hire and that his hire ought