The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1921-04-28
BONUS GRABBERS
al TIir ltazrllnllY
IN me LlIAELlUh |
STILL RECEIVING CRITICISM BY
TENNESSEE PRESS
Dresden Enterprise Thinks LegisIa-
tors Can Hardly Justify Their
Actions in Appropriating the Peo-
Pies Money, and McMinnviIIe STAN
dare Says It Will Take $4,000 to
Correct Their BIunders.

Can members Of the legislature who
either voted for OF accepted the $3.50
voted each member Of the recent leg
lslature as extra pay" In violation
81 the constitution, justify their
action?
Whether legislators voted for the
appropriation Of $3.50 Of the peoples
money or whether they accept it. It
is one and the same. 1t is high time
the press and the people express
themselves on this subject and the
Enterprise wants to 90 on record as
denouncing the act as unfair to tax
payers.
This business started a few years
ago, when legislators voted them
selves SIS each for what they termed
expense money--stamps letter writ
ing, and so on--especiallv the $50
on Then it grew $50 per legisla-
tor, and the preceding legislator
raised it to 5000, we believe, and now
comes the recent Legislature and in
creased it to $3.50
The Enterprise does not know that
our representatives voted for or even
accepted any part of this appropria-
ton. If they did or If they didn't,
it does not change or alter our opin-
ion Of the act one whit.
What are we coming to, when men
elected to the high and exalted POI
sition Of representative in the gem
eral assembly of the State Of Tonnes
see deliberately put their hands into
the public treasury and appropriate
unto themselves so vast sum as
$3.50 in addition to the amount al
lowed them by the constitution
While it is admitted that our Iegis-
lators are poorly paid and should
have more. we hold they have no
right to vote themselves more salary
than the constitution provides. They
an make the race for the place know
ing what the salary is and are morally
OBLIGATED tn their constituents to ac-
cent that amount and no more.
When acts cf this character are
committed and when lawmakers are
arrested at the state capitol the
public naturally, wonders what will
happen next. Dresden Enterprise.
Now that the legislature has adj
iourned, some of it's bungling work is
being revealed. One of the most impor-
tant laws passed, that creating a tax
commission and naming A. ".
Louthan as chief tax commissioner,
is likely to be nullified by errors and
omission in engrossing the bill. 1t
has been discovered that one entire
section and parts Of others were
omitted from the bill which was acted
upon by the senate and signed by
the governor. 1t cost the state $751;
900 to pay engrossing clerks for the
late session, and it looks now like it
may cost a good many more thous-
and dollars to correct some Of their
errors and blunders.- McMinnville
Standard.
If ever there was a time when a
new birth of patriotic interest was
needed in Tennessee, that time Is
now. Men of courage and conscience,
a press uncorrupted and unafraid, are
needed as they never were before, to
speak OUT Doidly III CONCENTRATION Ol
such public waste and personal
grating as the record Of the late
legislature indicates. That man or
newspaper too cowardly or incompe-
tent to see and take stand against
such wrong and for a better civic
standard is worth nothing TO any
community, and the whole country
would be better off without them.
Lawrence Democrat.