The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-03-23
Good REFORM.

AGOOD REFon"'
A, .mendment to the civil appropriation
hill that was adopted, is good reform in the
-. oc ,o,,eochment as far as il goes. II is
- c,,,ows. viz I: Nor shall any executive
oH.s, other than the heads Of departments,
.opIy more than thirt;- dollars annually, out Of
me contingent fund under his control, to pay
for newspapers, pamphlets, periodicals, or
other books or prints, not necessary for the
business Of his Office"
On looking over the official reports of the
disbursement Of the contingent fund Of the
various departments for the year ending the
3oth September, 1888, we find that there was
maid BY the First Comptroller, out Of the con-
tingent fund appropriated BY Congress for his
department, for newspapers and periodicals
only. the sum Of one hundred and twenty-one
dollars and eighty-four cents; and by the Sc
cond Comptroller, for the same, one hundred
and nineteen dollars and forty-one CENTS
We have not examined into the disburse-
ments of the other bureaus for those of a
similar character. which will be curtaied here
after by the provision ofthe law above quoted,
with the exception Of the Solicitor Of the
Treasury Besides, about three hundred dol
lars paid by that officer for law books, binding
public documents, &c. and about sixty dollars
for newspapers, periodicals., charts, maps, &c;
we find there was paid forl. ! set American
Diplomatic Code, vols."-for Washing
tons Writings, IL vols."-and for :" 23 vols.
Gales & Seaton's Debates, &c., the aggre-
gate sum Of one hundred and twenty-seven
dollars. Neither OF these works, we should
suppose, we're " necessary for the business of
his (the Solicitor's) Office"
In looking over the disbursements to obtain
the above facts, our attention was fixed on
some other items contained in the report Of
the Solicitor, which struck US as somewhat
curious. One is, paid Bust Of Forsyth &c."
Another, paid " State Department large easy
chair s24." Now, as to the purchase of the
bust ofthe Secretary of State 10 embellish the
office Of the Solicitor of the Treasury with, it
may be all right and useful as "hcldng the
mirror up to nature !" and as to the large easy
chair, if it was no longer necessary for the
State Department, and was absolutely SO for
the Solicitors Department, it was well that
the purchase was made, for what went out of
one contingent fund, went into the other, and
was, in fact, no tax upon the people.
But we think the .heads Of departments"
should have been restricted also. We find
that during the year ending the 30th Of Sep
tember, 1888, the Secretary of the Treasury
paid for newspapers and periodicals 1899 So;
and the Secretary Of War 1901 90, exclusive
of other payments for books. Four copies of
the Globe for each, at $40! and Of the Secre-
tary Of the Treasury's expenditure, more than
80 dollars was for English newspapers. What
the expenditures by the other departments of
like character have been, we have not exa-
mined to see. We can hardly believe the
people will be made to think such expenditures
of their money, by the heads Of departments,
for political newspapers, necessary to aid in
the discharge Of their official duties.
We believe that every department and every
bureau under each, takes the DEMOCRATIC
REVIEW and every bureau, one copy each Of
the Globe, in addition to the four copies which
the chief departments each take. 1t is thus
the demagogue who edits the official organ,
and the conductors Of the Review are sup
ported out of the peoples, money.