The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-01-17
INADEQUATE REMUNERATION

Secretary of the Treasury w. G. McAdoo a few weeks ago
resigned his Po3s'tion-hs many posihons--and retired from
office because the salary paid him was inadequate and insuffi-
Gent to meet his expenses. Now comes Attorney General Greg
DRY following his example. One would think that the attorney
general of the United States would be paid a liberal salary, but
such is not the case, There are lawyers in Memphis whose
income from their practice is greater than the salary allowed
the attorney-general. These are the great lawyers. They serve
only a limited number of clients, individuals and corporations,
and they earn every dollar they get. The attorney general looks
after the interests of more than one hundred million people, who
are his clients, and surely one would be justified in expecting
that he would be paid in proportion to the magnitude of his
job and the great responsibility that rests on him Unfortu-
nately the reverse is the truth. Parsimony rules, and the result
is that while great lawyers are appointed to the office they are
never easy in their minds; they are making a sacrifice, and they
are anxious to get away to more profitable fields. This means
that the government does not get the best that they have to
give. No man is going to do his best unless he feels that his
labors are appreciated, and unless they are reasonably remit
nerated. This means waste, when there should be conservation
and greatest efficiency. Very wealthy men, to whom money has
less Of meaning, cheerfuIly give their services to the country
gratis, or what is the same, for 81 per annum. The honor is all
the compensation they want, unless, indeed, material reward
comes to them through capitahzing their great positions and the
opportunities for m~oney-makng which they offer.
The government, being the business Of every citizen, ought
to be conducted by men of greatest ability, and these should be
adequately compensated. Great corporations are wiser than is
our government in this respect. They pay according to the
measure of the service rendered. Charles M. Schwab received
from a great steel corporation a salary of 100000 a year for
his services, and under his management the company made so
many millions in profits that the one million paid Schwab seemed
negligible.
The English people reward the men they place in high posi-
tons literally, and we hear nothing about any of them starving
out and resigning in seNfdefense. The chief Justice and the
encouragement OF England receive salaries comparable 10 noth-
ing in the public life of this country, save the salary OF our
president. As a result English law is better administered and
better enforced than the law in any other country.
No matter how great and how able a man may be he is not
exempt from his duty to his family and from what Attorney Cen
eral Gregory calls his Substantial obligations These must be
met and attended to, no matter what else happens. There are
many lawyers and men of no contemplate ability who believe
they could worry along on what is paid our attorney general
and, no doubt they could but for reasons which will suggest
themselves they are not given these important appointments, and
have no opportunity of putting their theories to the test.
Somehow or other when we grow perplexed and confused
we can turn back to original sources and find the meaning and
the key to the most difficult problems, and in the Great Book
we are told that the laborer is worthy of his hire" which means
also that the hire should be worthy of the laborer. Cheap pay
means cheap work, and cheap work in the last instance is the
most expensive and profitless work that can be engaged in.