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Show THE SALARIES OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS. The Argonaut reviews the resignation of Senator Sena-tor Spooner, and notes the statement that he resigns to improve his financial status, and then goes on to declare that in "Washington the influential men have never been the very rich men. At least, not on account ac-count of their money. It cities the cases of Senator Hearst and Senator Stanford, as men who were Senators without making any special mark. That neither of them compared j with Senator White, "who lived without a penny to bless himself," and Senator Sargent, who lived always al-ways on the most modest standard. It cites the case of Senator Hoar "whose influence influ-ence upon the legislation of the country, during the past twenty years, has been as large as that of any other man, who was never rich enough to maintain a house in "Washington." It cites the. case of John Sherman, who although rich always lived simply. It tells how when Mr. Cleveland tendered the Secretaryship of the Treasury to Mr. Carlisle, the latter was disposed to decline on Ihe ground that he lacked the means to live in the style becoming to a Cabinet Minister. "Whereupon Mr. Cleveland said to him : "I shall be none the less pleased if you will ad just your living to your salary." All these things are true, but they do not reach the point. Senator Stanford and Senator Hearst bought their Senatorship and neither had within him the native elements to make an able. Senator. At least Hearst had not. and Stanford had outlived his talents when elected. Senator Sherman made his best fame when he was poor. When he became the chief agent to demonetize silver, and for a reward was made immensely rich, he had before him all the time the knowledge that for money he had given up the Presidency of the United States, because be-cause except for his work in demonetizing silver he would have been nominated for the Presidency easily. Senator Hoar had that intellectual and patriotic pride which made him desire to leave as an inheritance inheri-tance to his family his record as Senator. The incident inci-dent of Mr. Cleveland and Mr. Carlisle may be true, but our belief is that Mr. Cleveland added the further fur-ther inducement that it was possible for a Cabinet officer to make more money than his mere salary." Mr. Cleveland wanted him because he had been a statinch silver man for years and Mr. Cleveland's contract was to smash silver while he was President. As for White and Sargent of California Ihey were both patriotic souls. The fact that a railroad was built from Omaha to Sacramento was more due to the efforts of Senator A. A. Sargent than any other man. We have the word of Mark Hopkins for that assertion. But that does not alter the case that Senators of the United States should be paid better salaries. Senator Spooner served sixteen years in the Senate. We presume he would have held on except that he knew his fame was at its meridian, and he saw as politics were going that he would have no chance to be nominated for President next year. He could not make very much more fame in the Senate and he needed money for his family. We think he did right in resigning and that his resignation ought to be a notice to this country that if it wants the best work of its people it should pay them! Great Britain is as prudent a nation as exists, but it in the long ago found out this fact that a man who proves himself to be a great soldier, or a great statesman, or-a great judge, ought to be paid so much, salary that he would have no care for the daily troubles of life and have no temptation to steal from the Government. ' |