VOL. XXV.
H INDIANAPOLIS, IND., JULY 12, 1890.
NO. 28
Written tor the Indiana Farmer.
Taxes and Salaries—No. 8.
BY JOHN _. STAHL.
We have considered the evil of salaries
too large; salaries too small may be none
the less an evil. If the compensation
offered is insullicient, we can have only
poor service. If the compensation offered
is inadequate, very often the best man for
the place cannot take it and it goes to those
of such wealth that they can live independent of the salary, or to those so unscrupulous that they will take money or
something else of value for their votes.
If either class hold the position, the interests of the rich are bound to be considered
rather than the rights of tbe people.
The best lawyers easily have an annual
. income of $50,000. There are a score of
lawyers that have a much larger annual
income. The best lawyer is none too good
forour United States Supreme Court bench.
Yet we pay those judges but a small
fraction of what the best lawyers derive
from their practice. Clearly we cannot
expect to get the highest legal ability and
learning for ourjhighest judicial tribunal,
and yet we should have the best legal talent on the United States Supreme Court
bench. What is true of our United States
Supreme Court is true of most of our
State Supreme Courts. Under the circumstances it is not strange that the people
usually get the worst of a case with the
rich or with powerful corporations before
these judges. For the rich and the powerful get the best legal talent, the shrewdest, the most eloquent, the most learned
lawyers. A rich corporation has frequently paid its attorney in a single case a fee
as large as the annual salary of any of the
Supreme justices or of the Attorney
General. The people pay for only second
rate legal talent and usually get it; the
corporations pay for the very best, and
get it, and it is no wonder that their side,
being the most adroitly and ably presented
is the winner. Some, while acknowledging that the people's attorney should be as
good as the best, think that a salary much
less than the annual income of the best
lawyers is sufficient to secure judges good
enough. They say that the lawyers of
largest income are not those most deeply
and solidly learned in the law, but those
shrewdest. This is largely true, yet it is
not a good reason why we should not have
the highest priced legal ability on our
judicial benches. We want these the
shrewdest as well as the most learned lawyers, that when a rich corporation brings
its attorney of equal attainments, his
adroit presentation of his case may not
mislead the judge. Very often, too, the
judges must decide matters that are really
matters of fact, and facts that are involved,
intricate, and likely obscured by attorneys, must be well understood by them if
justice is done, hence for judge we need
not only a deep and studious man, but a
bright, sharp,shrewd, quick man. In other
words, we want the best rounded out lawyer, and to get him we must pay far more
than-we do. . "'**
We may prate about patriotism, but in
administering government we must consider human nature as it is, not as we would
like it to be, and therefore we can not sensibly proceed on the supposition that men
will leave an income of $50,000 per year for
one of $5,000. And it may be the highest
patriotism that leads a man to refuse the
small salary, for it is a man's first dutj_o
the State to provide for the wants of himself and family, that they may not become a burden to society.
It may be objected that increasing these
salaries will add to the burden of Government, already heavy enough. But we
woxild better have paid our judges big salaries than to have had justice miscarried
in one of many notable cases.   And   even
granting that there would not be great
gain by having able judges, tho expense
would be comparatively small, for there
are only a very few of thesehigher ollicials.
There are not several for every county,
but only several for each State or for the
whole country. Of the county ollicials,
and the lesser State and Gational officials
there are very many; a little saving in the
salary or clerk hire of each of these would
equal the amount needed to increase the
pay of the higher officials to an adequate
figure.
It must be remembered, also, that the
higher the official the greater tho expenso
of living required of him by his position.
Much that is said about the needlessly extravagant living of our high officials, and
about our Government officers drifting
away from republican simplicity, is purely the buncumb of the demagogue. This
thing of wearing clothes when the temperature does not make them necessary to
life, may be a foolish fashion, but it is one
that the civilized world will not so regard.
Civilized society requires that men shall
wear clothes; and by as good a right it requires that our notable public officers shall
do, because of their positions, some things
that are very expensive; and this must be
considered in fixing salaries.
In concluding this article, I wish to say
briefly but but emphatically that reforms
must begin at home. We cannot expect
to reform State or National taxation until
we have reformed township and municipal taxation; we cannot expect to put at
the right figures the salaries of State or
National officials before we have adjusted
the salaries of county officials. We cannot
reform from the top toward the bottom,
the distance towards us. We must begin
with the little things near by and < when
wo have them right we will have skill and
power to deal with weightier matters.
Quincy, 111.
 a   a>    a
Our Washing-ton Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.
Mr. Harrison is very fond of children. -I
saw him spend an hour late yesterday afternoon in going from one group of laughing, shouting youngsters in Lafayette
Park to another, and chatting as freely and
easily as if he had been a near relative of
the children. His private Secretary, Mr.
Halford, who was with him, is equally
fond of children, and perhaps this similarity of taste accounts for the close personal
relations between the two men.
Ex -Speaker Carlisle is one of the first
Senators that visitors to the Senate gallery ask to have pointed out to them. He
has acquired no additional dignity in
carriage since becoming a member of the
Senate; [in fact, it would be impossible to
add anything to his dignity. He represents, in his appearance, the ideal statesman, closely shaven, seldom smiling, and
no matter what the condition of the
weather always dressed in a long double-
breasted closely buttoned black frock coat
—the statesman's garment—and dark
trousers. And yet, with all his dignity
Senator Carlisle is one of the most popular
men, personally, who ever sat in either
house of Congress.
Speaking of dignity of appearance. It is
very scarce on the floor of the House of
Representatives. The comfortable sack
and cutaway coats have nearly driven the
long-tailed frock out of the place, and the
insidious flannel neglige shirt is daily increasing in numbers and prestige, while
stove pipe hats are at a decided discount,
and even the dudish waist scarf or sash
has a, few devotees among the members.
All of this is very comfortable to the
members, but all the same it looks queer
to see a member stand up and make a long
speech attired in a light colored suit with
a sack coat and flannel shirt. There is no
denying the fact that a black suit with
long closely buttoned frock coat adds to
the impressiveness of a publio speech, no
matter who the orator is. Mr. Reed looks,
and doubtless feels very comfortable presiding over the House in a gray suit of
clothes and a flannel shirt, but he does not
look dignified.
The big social stars are slowly but surely
leaving us and wending their way towards
mountain or sea side, and a trip through
the fashionable part of the city is
almost as depressing, owing to the tightly
closed, gloomy looking houses, as attending a funeral. Mrs. Blaine was about tho
last representative of tho social end of tho
administration to go, but this week she
and the entire family, including the Secretary, go to Maine to remain until October. CJen: Grcely having failed to get the
Weather Bureau intheproper condition to
furnish cool weather, has taken his family
and gone to the Maino sea shore, where he
knows he will find it.
Tho number _ot stars on tho United
Statos flag will again be increased in the
near future, the Senate having signified
its approval of an increase by passing the
House bills to admit as States, Wyoming
and Idaho. Tho President has promised
to sign both bills to-morrow at Cape May.
Things look queer around the main corridor of the capitol building this week,
owing to the absence of tho numerous
lunch, cigar, news and bric-a-brac stands
which have so long disfigured one of the
the finest buildings in the world. The innovation is tho work of Speaker Reed, who
gave the keepers of these stands notice
some time ago that they would have to
get out on or about July 1st. One of the
displaced dealars is a French woman who
has had a bric-a-brac stand in tho Capitol
since the days when Henry Clay was a
power in Congress.
July 2, 1890.
Hon. I. D. G. Nelson Passes his Eightieth
Birthday.
Yesterday was the eightieth birthday
anniversary of Hon. I. D. G. Nelson, one
of the honored and pioneer residents of
this city, and a number^ of friends called
at his home to congratulate him in honor
of the occasion.
Mr. Nelson came to this city in 18._ and
has ever cut a conspicuous figure in
its history. He was the editor and proprietor of the Sentinel in 1840 and was the
first representative from Allen county,
under the new constitution, introduced
the measure under which the railroads of
the State are incorporated, and was one of
incorporators of the Wabash railroad. He
was also a State-house commissioner and
has filled various positions of public trust
with honor to himself and credit to the
people whom he served.
His mind retains its old time vigor and
Mr. Nelson is still a contributor to several
metropolitan and agricultural papers, being an able and pleasing writer. The
Sentinel extends to Mr. Nelson its warmest congratulations and wishes for him
many more years of a life which has ever
been a useful one. Such men as Hon. I,
D. G. Nelson are an honor to any community.—Ft. Wayne Sentinel of July 3rd.
—Mr. Nelson was for many years an active and useful member of the State
Board of Agriculture and also of the State
Horticultural Society, and has always
taken a deep interest in both. We unite
in congratulating him on his attainment
to a ripe and honored old age.—Eds.
Curing: Clover Hay With Lime.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
My plan is to cut after the dew has dried
off, let it wilt four or five hours, rake in
windrows the same day. Next day haul in
mow and put fine air slaked lime on each
load, making the hay look white. Put on
a little salt to toughen the hay. Take a
shingle and throw the lime up so it will
settle evenly over the hay. Clover hay
treated in this  way will come out  bright,
and tho blossoms and leaves will remain
on the stem.
I have put up my hay with lime on it
for over 20 years, and would not make
clover hay any other way. Horses fed or
limed hay will not cough and it is good
for horses with heaves.     L. II. Brown.
Logansport.
 s    sis    s	
Written for the Indiana Farmer.
Sundry Reflections.
BY MIELLO.
Whon the portrait of John _. Stahl appeared in a recent issue of the Farmkii, I
was very much surprised to learn he was
so young. Having read his able articles to
the press for a number of years I thought
of him as verging on his threo score and
ten, it is such an uncommon thing for
young men to write so philosophically as
Mr.^Stahl and always so sensibly.
I see the news paper reports of the late
meeting of farmers at Indianapolis seem
to have been doctored a little, probably to
suit party prejudices one way oranother.
Just at this timo the farmers are tho recipients of much attention by most every
class and profession, especially the politician. Then the all -holiday -sty le"fellows fed
uneasy for their future welfare, not of tho
world to come, but in this little lump of
leaven and light.
Began cutting grass to-day (July 1st) and
while I sit upon the mower as round-upon
round is made, watching the gliding motion of the sickle, as, it razes tho towering
timothy to the ground, my mind naturally goes out to the busy world, where millions of the tillers and toilers separately
and collectively are bending their honorable exertions in accordance with the
scriptural injunction, "in tho sweat of thy
face shalt thou eat bread." Yet, while this
is true of a large majority of the human
race, there are vast numbers that in true
kingfisher stylo sit on the top most perch,
until the timorous Osproy rises from the
foaming billows, with the morsel of food,
taken to sustain its own life, when at one
fell swoop Mr. ^Kingfisher snatches away
the whole of it for himself.
The spoliation system, as S. D. McCormick chooses to term pooling the interest-
in one gigantic combine, which inevitably
absorbs the intrinsic valuo of labor's productions, is one of the monstrous deeds of
infamy perpetrated in our time. He explains how the whole cattle industry is
cowed, which should be branded "Armour's
slave," "Swift's liegeman," "Morris' yal-
ler dog." No longer does competition exist, but the domination of tho pool has
killed off all opposition, so that the price
of cattle is depresed beyond precedence.
The railroads were drawn into the combine so that a wholesale discrimination
favored the Chicago market, and the cattle
receipts has risen from 500,000 in 1878 to
over 1,000,000 in 1888, and in 1880 to 3,146,-
000. Consequently the manipulating of
the railroads secured to them a double-
haul in freighting the live stock to that
market and the dressed beef radiating
from there as the center.
lt soon became a demostrable fact that
an advance in the prices of beef to a very
great extent would result in lessening the
amount of consumption, so they cut down
prices to the producer. Neither would it
do to reduce the price of labor employed
in their establishments, as they belonged
to an organization and would resist any
such attempts. An illustration of that
was tried a few years"|ago, when Armour
finally told his men to go to work, saying,
"We will fix it at another point," and sure
enough he did, for down went the prices
of cattle and they have been kept there
pretty well since.
The quotationsjfor mess pork aro not in
proportion to the selling price of hogs.
But so it goes throughout all the list.
Upland.