Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-01-22
THE CITY ATTORNEYS SALARY.


THE city council Monday night,
with but one dissenting voice,
passed an ordinance increasing
the salary of the City Attorney, Rol-
lin X. Page, from $1,000 to $500 a
year. The Capital Journal thinks the
council made a grieyous mistake, and
it has a number Of reasons for this
position. 1t has no personal feeling
against MIR, Page, its objection being
to the increase of salary Of the Of
flee.
Councilman Minton voiced one Of
these objections, and in doing so
touched the vital spot of the whole
proceeding. He pointed out that the
present incumbent, when he was
elected to the office, knew what the
salary was, and accepted the place
at the salary with laudable alacrity.
He virtually, in accepting the office
entered into a contract with the city
for the period of year, or whatever
term his office Is, that he would per.
form the duties of the office for that
term for $1,000 year. Morally. it
Is a violation of his contract, to aC-
cept more.
He was elected to the place only
q few weeks ago and why his SER
vices became twenty-five per cent
more valuable in a couple Of weeks
Is something the individual council
men should throw some light upon,
for no one else can. The office Is
sinecure, at the best, and dozens Of
Salem attorneys would have been
willing to accept, as Mr.. Page did, the
office and its 500 a month salary,
Indeed, there is no evidence, at least
none known to the public, that Mr..
Page asked for the raise. At the
same time it is a dead open and shut
proposition that he would not have
resigned, had the salary not been
raised, for as has been said the Of
flee requires no very arduous labors
mental or other and whoever holds
Ii has practically all Of his time TO
attend TO other business No business
man would pay a salary to law
yer IL he had no more business for
him TO do than the city has for its
attorney. Why, then, did the council
voluntarily agree to pay this officer
$500 a year more than he had con-
tracted for? Mr. Page, at the coun-
ell meeting Monday night was re-
quested to speak He did. He said;
81 do not care to answer the argu-
ment l am willing to leave 1t with
the council This was becomingIy
modest on his part, for Mlntons ar
gument was unanswerable
Another statement Of Mr., Minton's
was equally unanswerable, and that
was that no one even asks that the
street sweepers, the common labor
ers employed by the city, have their
wages raised, Yet they are a neces-
slty, while the office of city attorney
Is somewhat Of n municipal luxury
that could be dispensed with and not
greatly missed, other than that It is
somewhat Of a habit hard to break
The Capital Journal, just now dur
ing the legislature, has not much
spare space, but It will gladly devote
some of It to the city councilmen in
which 10 explain this generous giving
away Of the city's money, believing
an explanation would prove hlghly
interesting reading for It's subscrib.
ers, but don't all come at once. An
opinion from City Attorney Page as
to the legality Of the proceeding, and
also a discussion of It's moral feat
ureg would make additional good
reading, and Tho Journal will gladly
publish his report.