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Supervising the remuneration of elected representatives seems essential to cleanse democracy of its imperfections and abuses. But what about authoritarian regimes that can use this political watchword to control the stability of the established order? The counterexample of the Second French Empire (1852-1870) questions this daily debate and contradicts the novelty of this public problem. The use of a discourse making “ethical conduct” the “right” course of action for a deputy, and its implementation through the short-lived abolition, lasting eleven months, of payment for parliamentarians (Article 37 of the Constitution of January 14, 1852), were tools of delegitimization of elected representatives that made it possible to renew Parliament. The study of parliamentary speeches and the writings of contemporary social agents on the moralization of political life, prefectural recommendations, and the minutes of informal meetings allows us to examine an important moment in the remuneration of elected representatives and its political consequences. This historical case makes it possible to understand the genesis of an antiparliamentary watchword, the moralization of political life, and the mechanisms for controlling the remuneration of elected representatives and, with it, the imperial political order.