The Jones County news. (Ellisville, Miss.) 1909-1924, 1913-07-31
BRYAN AND HIGH SALA-
RES

for William J. Brgpn, as ay le ked
upon him as an honest and ST. Ere
man, who precteed what be preached,
and believed in Just and economi-
nal administration OF public affairs
But Bryan did his reputation ir-
rcparabe harm when he gave as an
excuse for leaving his post OF duty at
Washington, at most critical period,
20 20 on a lecturing tour over the
country, that he could not live on bis
salary Of sl2, 600 a year We see that
already certain papers and interests
are taking Bryans statement as an
excuse to advocate a big increase IN
salaries OF all public men. The in.
come OF Kings and other potentiates
in Europe arc quoted as an example,
and the intmaton Is thrown ont that
the President ought to be paid a
quarter OF million a year. Cabinet
officers s25,0O0 congressman and
Senators sl2, 500, and all other Office
holders in proportion. The liking Of
salars is IN the power Of Congress,
and from past experience we know
that the members require but little
excuse TO advance salaries. A few
years ago Congressman were getting
5000 year and had to pay their
own private secretaries. They adj
vanced their salaries TO 87,5C0 made
IN allowance OF 81, 200 for a secretary
Tor each, and when one is made chair
man OF a committee, he is allowed an
additional secretary al salary OF
~ 500. we think The hardest work
this latter official has TO do is to sign
the roll monthly when he draws his
pay,
We are opposed to our Rupubic
aping the royalty of the Old World.
II matters not who pays the taxes,
the farmer must dig them from the
ground. There is too much dsposi-
ton these days toward extravaganza
with our high public officials
Every few years we see a great in
crease In salaries, under the old plea
OF high cost OF living aud the neees-
sity for display This Is not right
The great masses of our people must
also meet this advance 10 prices, and
they have not the public till to draw
on. In the early days OF our Re-
public, simplicity prevailed among
those ia Office. Thomas Jefferson
rode on horseback to the Capitol in
New York to be inaugurated but now
II costs vast amount 10 iusal a
new President ia oniae
What brought on the French
Revolution was the extravaganza OF
Kings and men in power The
peasantry of France had to eat grass
and nettles, and were starving by the
roadside, while their sovereign and
the nobility were spending vast sums
and impoversishing the land for dis
play and extravaganees.
And our own American Republic,
on smaller scale, is verging on this
same line, The people are now suf-
fering from hard times, and az the end
Of the year, II they have held their
own and kept out of debt, the average
farmer or laboring man counts him
self lucky. And yet we are told by
Bryan, the Great 'Commoner' sud
selt-elected champion oi ,aa lliag
masses, that he cannot live la WasA-
ington City on tine prtncely ST. AIRY ot
81, 900 month. MIR. Bryan has no
small children 10 support and his
family crop is laid by as it were.
II he cannot live on such magnificent
salary, then he ought to Join the
Plutocratio ranks and stop his false
pie of claim as defender of the mas
SEES.
But the worst part OF Secretary OF
State Bryan's declaration is that he
has given Congressman and all other
Federal oilice-holders a lever and ex
cuse for making another big advance
in salaries, and which they are now
certain to 90. The plea is made that
II Began, whose boast is simplicity.
cannot live in Washington on $1,000
year, then the same applies to Con
gressmen, Senators aud every other
man who has IA grip on the public
teat.
The Editor of this paper has always
voted straight Democratic ticket,
and has spent his lite battling for the
success of our party. But when We
find movement started to heap still
more burthens upon the toiling mil