Author, U: As You Were! A Word of Advice to Straight-Haired

Excerpt from As You Were! A Word of Advice to Straight-Haired Folks: Addressed to the Freemen of Connecticut, by One of Their Number

This measure is also exceptionable, as giving a'permanent salary to a description of persons whose continuance in office is limited to a short period, and whose services cannot be from their nature ascertained. They may employ the representative six weeks, or, six months in the year. In the one case the compensation would be reasonable, in the oth er extravagant. A per diem allowance of sufficient amount, would, after the services have been rendered, and are ascertained, do justice to both parties. This has ever been the rule of compensation in the United States, and in the several States, as far as I am informed and it is be lieved that no precedent exists, where the members of a Legislative body elected for a shorter period than their natural lives, and whose services are uncertain and incapable of limitation, have voted to themselves an an nual salary. But this law deserves more serious consideration, as altor ding alarming evidence of the prevalence of selfish and avaricious mo tives in the members of the National Legislature. When we calculate the immense sum of money annually collected from the people, and dis~ tributedamong the multitude of persons, who, under different pretexts are in the pay of the government, we almost doubt the truth of a fun damental article in our political creed, which we once thought self-evi dent, that government is instituted for the benefit of the people So far are our heads turned by the strange perversion of political Opinion which prevails at the present day and so far are our judgments intlnen~ ced by the Operation 'of selfish motives, and the force of example, that we are almost prepared to assent to the contrary position; and to pronounce that correct in principle, which we know to be true in fact, that the people were made, and are used for the benefit of the government. The extravagance of the public expenditure, in the army and navy, and in ev ery branch ofthe executive department, has for some years past excited considerable attention. Indeed, some faint attempts have been at different times made by Congress to remedy the evil. But the investigations have been languid, and the remedies superficial. The mound which confined the waters is broken, and the deluge is rapidly over¿owing the country.

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