Milford chronicle., 1931-08-21

Moralists in George Washington's
day were not embarrassed by the
fact that there were corporation eX-
ecutiVes, movie stars, base ball pit
chers, home run clouters and others,
who received a higher salary than
that of the President, there were no
large corporation, no prize fights, no
base ball heroes, no movie stars and
while business men of the time may
have had higher commercial in
comes, probably no man received a
higher actual salary than that of
the President.
The Division of Information and
Publication of the United States
George Washington Bicentennial
Commission reminds us that Wash
ington's salary was fixed by the
First Congress of the United States
at $25,OOO, which was by far higher
than any other Government salary
of the time. Just to give us a line
on the difference, the United States
George Washington Bicentennial
Commission has taken the trouble
to learn the precise salaries they
paid to all Government officials. Ev
identity, to judge by this difference,
Congress thought Washington well
worth whatever the Government
could afford to pay him.
This $4,000 was made the fixed
salary of President Washington by
the Act of September "a, 1889, later
confirmed as permanent legislation
by an Act of February 18, 1893, and
for eighty years $25,0O0 remained
the fixed salary of the Presidents. At
the end of that time, in 1873, Presi-
dents of the United States received
something of a salary boost when
the Act of March 8, doubled their
pay to $4,000 year. There was no
delay about it, either. The raise was
made effective on the following day,
March 4.
The next pay increase was a little
less long in coming. After thirty-six
years Congress lifted the Presidents
salary to its present status at $751;
900, with the Act of March 4, 1909,
making William Howard Taft the
first President to benefit by the
timely aid.
Curiously, the Office of Vice Pres
ident seems always to have appear
ed worth to Congress about one-fifth
that of the Presidency, from sal
ary standpoint. The same Act of
Congress that fixed George Wash
ingtOn's salary at $25,O0O, made that
of John Adams, as Vice President,
$4,000 Today the Vice President re-
ceives $4,000 a year, against the
Presidents ,OOO-still the one
fifth ratio.
In 1858, however, Congress be-
came more generous and raised the
Vice Presidents salary to $4,000, |
while still leaving the Presidential
salary at $4,000. In 1873, when the
pay was doubled to $780,
900, the Vice President was raised !
to $4,000, the old ratio of one-fifth |
again. But in 1907 the Vice Presi-
dent beat his chief to the next and |
last salary-raise when Congress
awarded him $4,000. The Presiden-
tial raise to $4,000, in 1909, left the !
Vice President at a pay ratio Of less
than one-sixth, but in 1925 Cnngress |
corrected this and increased the !
Vice President to his present rate
of $4,000.
Cabinet officers were, from the
beginning, let in on the ground |
floor. 1t seems odd to look back and |
learn that a Secretary of State of
the United States once received a
salary that in these days might be
shifted at by the sub-assistant to the
creditor manager of q department !
store. Yet Thomas jefferson, our
first Secretary of State, was paid !
precisely $3,5OO So was the first
man to hold tn office now filled by
Andrew w. Mellon. The great Alex
ander Hamilton drew down his 49,
500. and no more. AS Cor Washing
toms Secretary of War, General
Knox, he was let down with a mere