Portland Gazette, And Maine Advertiser

"Never more Prosperous."

I noticed an extract in your last paper from the United States Treasury Report relating to the emolument of the Custom-house officers.— The emolument of the Collector of this port for 1815 was $826 dollars: this to be sure may be considered as a very moderate sum for one year's salary by the party, which, before it came into power, were constantly preaching up democratic economy, and crying out against federal extravagance. But what will the democratic sticklers for economy say when they read that the emoluments of the modest Josiah Hook, Collector of Castine for one year, (1815) was $17,949. This is a pretty round republican salary. It would read well in the red letter book of George the 3d or Louis the 18th. If the system that pours into the lap of an individual in one year, such an enormous sum, does not oppress the many for the benefit of a few, it would be singular indeed. This, however, is the system of a party which makes great pretensions to "liberty and equality;" and, in the opinion of disinterested democrats, can do no wrong.