Mower County transcript., 1906-12-26
FARMER BEN'SS Fl
:,
COLUMN

~VA AolSklN F.,
So the congressman are at the salary
grab business agen are they? MY
paper says that on the l4th bill was
tried to be pushed thru the house OF
representatives raisin' the salaries of
congressman from $4,000 a year to
$500 just fifty per cent advance.
Tawney, Fletcher, Bede and Buckman
voted in favor Of the grab and the rest
of the Minnesota representatives had
sand enough to vote agenst It. just
think. Congressman now get about
hundred dollars a week every week IN
the year and they are off duty about
half of the twelve months and besides
they ge, {. big rake off in the mileage
grab and each one yets 81 800 extra for
sclerk hire ard some of 'em are
rumeged to draw big CRAFTS on the
salaries of the hig pustVtlises III their
deestricks besides. Just think VI
hundred dollars a week straight besides
all the side pickln's aHra then WduC 10
increase it by halt. [ tell you farmer
or doctor or any Other man in the whole
deestrick would jump high as Il flag
pole at the sight OF a 5aundreu dollars
week income.
But inst look at the other grabs
The congressman NOW draw twenty
cents mile mileage goin' to Washing
ten when hey actually travel on rail
road and Pullman passes and stick the
whole mileage grab into their pocket
books as. clear graft. TaWney gets about
$3.50 each session for mileage while the
actual cost of traveiin' from Wlnona
to W ashington is only about $12 each
wey. And even this wasn't enut OF a
grab, for some Of 'em actually stood up
when one session ended last year and
them begun the next mint rite IN
the same hall and den anded the whole
mileage to Minnesota and back agen
when they hadn't even gone across the
room in travel say nothin' of goin even
outside OF the deestrick of Columbia
We've got the names ef some of these
grabbers on the list TO be published
r. WfIet.~we get good and ready. Now
Far92er B..n amt givin' you any wind
in this fggerin' It's she livin' facts
as Civ out from Washington. And
then TO think of tryin' to grab for sl50
week straight salary besides the
gratis .and side pickins'.
I'm goin' to Civ few considerations
on this salary business When Farmer
Ben first came home from Che war the
congressman drew $4,000 salary, hut
gold was at a premium and congress-
mems pay in greenbacks was worth
only about .GJ cents on a dollar and |
think it was in the year 66 they chalked
salaries up to $4,000. The results didn't
paw so fur as gettin a better brand Of
congressman and now it will prove the
same agen. Now if Farmer Ben amt
correct in cialmin these congressman
grow away from their constituents
every term they spend at Washington
Am ready to lie corrected. Look NOW
they come home for a few weeks to
Jolly up the voters at election time and
strut round like boosters and don't Civ
a cuss for the needs and wants OF their
constituents and then HE back to
Washington to live like lords on a
hundred dollars week besides CRAFTS
and pickins and hav niggers "alt.n' on
EN- and when their rural constituents
call on 'em are ashamed to even ask
'em out to dinner with 'en.
O o @
Now I'll be blamed if I'm in favor Of
addin' onto the congreSSman's salary
and maxim it $3.50 week straight be-
sides CRAFTS and grabs so as to make
'em live still more like princes. And
mark you the longer they stay at
ashington, the worse they get in ex-
travagance and princely idees. l tell
you these things amt much like the
good old days when the simple life at
Washington contraSted SO strongly
with European court life. Now I re-
iterate that such livin' amt in keep
with TIE livin' Of their constituents.
Just think Of Austin and Mower
county and the whole first deestrick, all
those whose incomes or salaries are a
hundred collars a week, stand up.
They're nifty easy counted all told. l
tell you that hundred dollars a week
is four times the average salary OF the
hard workin' constituents OF this dees-
trick. How many farmers see $1,000
in hard cash in year say nothin' of
$4,000 and pickin's extra? Here endeth
this chapter ON congressmen's salaries
and we've hardly begun. -.