Against the Profit Motive

In America today, a public officials lawful income consists of a salary. But until a century ago, the law frequently provided for officials to make money on a profit-seeking basis. Prosecutors won a fee for each defendant convicted. Tax collectors received a percentage of each evasion uncovered. Naval officers took a reward for each ship sunk. Numerous other officers were likewise paid for performance. This book is the first to document the American governments for-profit past, to discover how profit-seeking defined officialdoms relationship to the citizenry, and to explain how lawmakersby ultimately banishing the profit motive in favor of the salarytransformed that relationship forever.