The Grenada sentinel., 1907-01-12
CONGRESSIONAL SALARIES.
Fifty Per Cent. Increase Proposed
Tariff and Trust Prices,


The pay of a member of congress is
$4,000 a year and 20 cents mile in
coming to and returning from Wash
ington each session. In addition there
to congress votes its members 500 a
session for postage and stationery and
500 a month for clerk hire. Con-
gressmen have the franking priv
ilege for all letters and documents Of
a public character and stationery is
provided free for each committee
room, so that practically no stationery
need be purchased. AS the cost of liv-
ing has advanced nearly SO per cent.
and Is still rising, all government sal.
aries are virtually decreasing, the
same as private incomes are, and in
fairness they must be equitably ad-
justed to meet the enormous increase
in the price of commodities. 1t would
be, however. very unfair for congress
to add so per cent to the salaries Of
it's members and leave the other pub
lie servants, who receive much small
er salaries, without any increase The
whole question of increase of the sal
aries Of public servants should be
treated together and not leave the
government clerks and other officials
at the mercy of a Republican majority
in congress who seem intent on only
caring to increase their own salaries
and perquisites.
The whole people Of the United
States are suffering from the increased
cost of living and the Republican ma
jority of congress refuses to consider
the cause of high trust prices or to at
tetmpt to remedy it. 1t is only the
fear of public reprObation that pre-
vents the statndpat statesmen from in.
creasing their own salaries while leav-
ing their constituents to rustic with
the octopii as best they can. The tar.
if taxes, which were purposely in
creased, even beyond what the pro-
tected mOnopolists deemed necessary
to prevent foreign competition, have
never been reduced by reciprocity
agreements with foreign nations, as
was provided for in the Dingley act.
That unwarranted extreme protection
is the chief cause Of the present high
prices and the plundering of the peo-
pie for the benefit of the tariff-fos-
tered trusts, should be considered at |
the same time as the question Of sal
aries Of congressman and Of govern
ment officials.
When the tariff is reformed to a rev.
enue basis the price of trust products
will decline and that will virtually in
crease incomes. The salaries of con-
gressmen, or government officials, are
never reduced, whatever the cost OF
living may be, and before the people
are further taxed for the benefit of
their public servants the whole ques-
ton of the tariff and its effect on the
prices Of trust products should be in.
vestigated and the remedy applied.
This Republican congress, by it's
to increase the pay of men,
bers so per cent, virtually admits the
claim of the Democrats that the Re-
publican policy of protecting the trusts
has enabled those corporations that
control the production of all the man.
lfactured necessities of life, to in
crease prices so that fixed incomes
must be raised to meet the enlarged
rust profits. AS the Republican lead
ers have determined to postpone tariff
'evision, it would seem nothing but
air play to postpone the increase OF
heir own salaries until the same time.
f their constituents are wise they will
insist that they will not submit to an
Increase of the pay of congress, unless
he matter of their own incomes Is
llso provided for by tariff reform.