| Show E DIT 0 it IA LS amendments to the seem to possess a great attraction to som some beof of our federal legislators and other obber public men or men who take a large interest in public ann aff affairs airs so much so that thal of late years if some of the amanders had their way the original docu doeu document mint would be much more amendment than anything else a thing of shreds and patches something corresponding to josephs coat of many colors or the indescribable outer apparel of the beelzebub of an old english morris dancing company this thib rage for amendment f should not be permitted to go too far the old constitution with the earlier amend indents was sufficient to cover an amount of freedom in some respects if not in all greater than that enjoyed in any other nation the fact is in this country as in some others the constitution that is the fundamental theory of the government has bas has been ever over better that the practice of the people and now if the citizens of this great union would carry out in their daily conduct the principles of the constitution in the true spirit thereof but little further amendment would ever be necessary and even the laws need be but few and those few could besl bebi be mple simple perspicuous and easily comprehended by all ail so that in our view it la Is the citizen rather than the constitution that is the proper subject for amendment the amendments coming most prominently forward just now are those relating to the presidency of the union it is proposed to limit the occupancy of the presidential chair to one term to make that term six years instead of of four and anti to materially increase the sal sai ary of the incumbent in regard to increasing the term of limiting the occupancy we do not see any special reason for amendment only in regard to the former proposition excepting the expense the fuss the excitement and the rancor of a 40 residential campaign if the nation aas S as the good fortune to secure a good and capable president there does not seem much wisdom in a rule to prevent him filling that high position longer than one term on the other hand it the nation has the bad fortune to obtain a bad president the present term of four years is long enough to endure him again the history of the union shows that owing to the cares and perplexities of office or the changing choice of the people or some other sufficient cause there has not been one instance of a three term occupancy and the instances of even a two term occupancy have been very few therefore there seems little danger to be apprehended on that score now as to the matter of ef increasing the salary of the president it Is urged that the present sum annually is ridiculously and meanly email for the executive of such a mighty and prosperous nation as the united states there is something in that argument in the first place while abad a bad incapable unfaithful ber ser servant is dear at any price a good capable faithful servant whether in public or private station never can be remunerated too highly so far as the establishment can reasonably afford it that is without detriment to its welfare and prosperity but there are many other things to be considered the nation is deeply in debt the taxes are high and the plea may be urged why not get out of debt and lighten the taxes before we unnecessarily increase our financial responsibilities that is a question worthy of serious consideration again public officers besides thir stipulated salary have opportunities and without intending any invidious personal reflection we may say that it is in well understood that as a rule these opportunities are embraced with the most vigorous affection fec tion so much so that public office holding has come to be considered synonymous with fortune making and the official who during his term of office does not comfortably feather his nest is considered an old fogy of no account indeed nothing more nor less than thau an honest fool whose conscientiousness is his hib financial ruin it may be urged that if officials were better paid legitimately they would have leks temptation to steal and if they did steal they woula would be the lees excusable true but there is in this setoff set off to that idea they have been so BO long accustomed to steal and that kind hind of business has become such a firmly established part of the official pro gramme that most public officers seem to consider it a sacred duty to acle nole make all ail bli bil th they ey c ean can mn yin th at way so that no matter how high thigh their salary they would still steal aa eis long as there was anything atea lable the thing that Is really needed la is the education of the official mind to a fair degree greb gree e of honesty so that the official ben sentiment ciment shall be that the countr country ex every officer to do bib hib real duty y faith falth faithfully fullY and keep his hands handa from picking a and aud n d stealing there is another thing to be considered if the presidents salary were to be increased so must the salaries of the vice president and of the various secretaries ret aries nor would the matter stop there for assistant secretaries judges clerks of various kinds and all sorts of pub odb public lic ilc officials civil and military would naturally enough expect the increase amendment to be virtually extended to them so that there would be a pretty increase of salary elephant on the hands bands of the nation it is in proposed to give the president instead of annually this is a heavy rise it is only quadrupling the present payment if the vice vide president the secretaries the assistant secretaries the judges the clerks and all other public officials shoula should also have their salaries quadrupled the bill would be such a formidable one that we should no longer hear of paying the pat national ional lonal debt by the million monthly but the first thing needed would bea material increase of taxation Is thle the nation ready for that besides even with quad quadrupled salaries al arles aries it is by no means certain that official al stealing would cease or become beautifully less leks jye vye ve do not wish it to be understood that we oppose the increase of the presidents si salary the sum he be now receives is doubtless little enough for the expenses of his hib station but would it not be better instead of quadrupling his salary to rest content with doubling it and see how things worked then that perhaps would be better for an experiment peri perl ment it would be much easier to vote his salary at 50 than to vote it back to if it 9 should ouid be ba att Aft orward olward deemed adv advisable Wable bable one word more in regard to amendments if any amendment is necessary to enable women to exercise the franchise il it is to be hoped oon Con congress giess will be gallant enough t to 6 pub pus it at an early day there is no cause to be afraid of the votes of the women they would honor the right of suffrage quite as much as the men do besides it would be in unison with true r republicanism and with the agency divinely bestowed upon intelligent beings that to woman as an well as to man should bd ba accorded the privilege to 41 choose ye this day whom ye will serve 11 MRS MINNIE MYRTLE MILLER in a recent lecture at sacramento said man with rare nate exceptions is a tyrant a slave I 1 or a sool fool and in either casero case cabe woman is bis his victim nevertheless said minnie with all the bins bima and follies of man mau we must thad that behave wed wel jha lbs ve some serifim sentiment ent edt of regard tor ron him very veny kind of minnie to condescend so far |
