Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 March 1907 — “SALARY GRABS” AND SUCH [ARTICLE]

“SALARY GRABS” AND SUCH

This is the last week of the legislature —the week of the deluge. The fish and game commissioner reports that the expense of his office during the last two years were $41,572. He believes that the laws should not be changed. If this be madness, then surely there is method in it. The banking firm of Kuhn, Loeb & Co. admitted before the interstate commerce commission that it had made over seven million dollars out of two of Harriman’s railroad deals. Harriman and his associates have made tens of millions. And it is only the people who pay the freight. That was a mighty wise statement that Representative Kimmel of Ligonier made in the house the other day, w hen he said that if the people would vote the Democratic ticket and put Democrats in office they would not have to appeal to the legislature so often for protection from the acts of their public servants, For the pleasure of having 10,000,000 of subjects in the Philippines the people of the United States have paid out about a billion dollars. Furthermore, because we have those islands, the Roosevelt administration has felt it necessary to show’ the white feather to Japan. Surely our imperial policy is bearing fruit.

Among the curiosities in the Republican state platform is the declaration that “the present state administration from its inception has stood for the wise enactment of laws.” And yet every law which “the present state administration” that is, Governor Hanley—urged upon his party brethren in the legislature has either been cut to pieces or kicked out of doors In 1860, when the Republican party was four years old, Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania failed in his attempt to get the presidential nomination through the use of his money. Other rich men have since repeated the Cameron experiment. What will happen in 1908, with the Republican party on its last legs, the Hon. Charles W. Fairbanks hopes will be different. The “billion-dollar congress”— and it was, of course, a Republican congress —aroused the indignation of the people and led to the overthrow of the party in power. And the “billion dollar congress” was so called because it spent a billion dollars in two years. The congress i

which has just expired—and which is also Republican by a big majority—has spent, in round numbers, two billion dollars in two years. Do the people like that sort of thing any better than they used to? If not, what are they going to do about it? Governor Hughes, of New York, nod a few other frightened Republicans in different parts of the country are warning their party that it must mend its ways or suffer defeat. But it has been warned before and has not mended its ways. It knows only one way And that is the way it has been going and is going now. Nothing lets than a complete overthrow will teach the Republican party as now led that ours should be a government for the people and not for the trusts and other special interests. When William J. Bryan is elected president he will clear the air and bring the government back to the people, to whom it belongs. Melville E.J Jlngalls, former president of the Big Four railroad system, in an address before the Economic club of Boston a few days ago, said he was not in favor of taxing for destruction,but there were too many millionaires for the good of the republic. "I believe,” he said, “that one of the greatest causes of the production of large and illegal fortunes is your tariff.” Mr. Ingalls went on to tell the Bostonese about the necessity for reforming the tariff, and he also spoke in favor of an income tax. Those Massachusetts people_Jike to be told about the iniquities of the tariff, and they are very fond of talking loudly about those iniquities themselves. Perhaps some day they will vote to do away with them.

Just what sort of a ditch bill will be passed finally by the legislature no one knows. And there is no way to find out until the measure has been completed and subjected to close scrutiny. Satisfactory bills have been presented bj’ Democrats in both the house and senate, but the Republican majority will pass no ditch bill that has a Democrat’s name attached to it, however good it may be. The majority may take all or a part of a Democratic bill and relabel it with the name of a Republican, but in perpetrating this legislative larceny they are likely to mix enough things of their own invention to spoil the whole enactment. The exclusively Republican ditch law of two years ago was declared by its authors and sponsors to be the acme of wisdom, but it was in reality a rank outrage on the farmers of the state.

Among the papers that talk a great deal about republican extravagance and yet persistently support the republican party and strive to keep it in power, is the Indianapolis News. After declaring that the expenditures of the congress which has just died, unhom red if not unwept or unsung, are “beyond all reason," it says this about the salary grab: This congress has increased the salaries of members and senators to take effect at the beginning of the next congress, and a large number of the present members will share in the increase. A curious thing about this is that it has hardly elicited a protest from press or people. The celebrated "salary grab" of 1878 caused a tremendous protest, resulted in relegating many members who voted for it to private life, and caused an excitement that forced congress to repeal the act at the next session. And then the News asks if the people have “abandoned the fight for economy in public affairs.” Surely they have not. All signs indicate that the “two billion dollar congress” will cuta large figure in the next campaign along with subsidy grafts, tariff thievery and official rottenness.