Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-06-03
Speech of Mr.. Sherman..Faots
and EigureS.

We referred on Saturday to the speech
of the Hon. John Sherman, of Ohio. show
ing the lavish expenditures and bad man.
agement of national affairs under the late
and present Administrations. His array
of facts and figures is appalling, and show
tLat the expenses of this year will not fall
short of ss5,O00,OOO, exclusive of River
and Harbor improvements, Forti6caiions
and the Utah War. The amount appro-
priated by the regular army bill is SIG, 400
900. The speech attracted great attention
on both sides of the House, and the facts
and figures presented should be conned and
remembered by the people who will pass
judgment on the acts of their public ser
wants. They are thus condensed in the
telegraph report of Mr.. Sherman's speech
to the N. Y Press:
This was the second loan bill demanded
by the Administration this session. While
he was willing to take all proper measures
to preserve the public faith he would not
vote for this bill. 1t should be accompa-
MED by some radical measure or reform
The expenditures for this fiscal year ex-
ceeded the revenue s37, 100000, and for
next year would exceed the revenue S43,-
100000, or over $50, 600, 900 in two years.
The s2O,OOO,0OO of Treasury notes and
the balance of 100000 in the Treasu-
ry in July last are exhausted. The finan-
cial result of the two first years of this Ad-
ministration would be an empty Treasury
and permanent debt Of s54,OOO,OOO.--
Instead of proposing means of retrench-
ment and reform, they demand loans and
Treasury notes, and defeat every effort of
the opposition to lessen the expenditures.
He then in detail stated the expenses for
this year to be eigbty-three millions, and
estimated them for next year at ninety-two
millions, and contrasted the expenses in
different periods of the Government with
the expenses of the present and the last
Administration. The expenses of Presi-
dent Pierce's Administration were sixty
millions more than the entire expenses of
the Government prior to 1915 exclusive of
payments on the public debt. The first
year of this Administration cost the nation
five millions more than the expenses of the
Government prior to the close of Jefferson's
Administrations period of twenty years.
Already bills had been introduced appro-
priating over 500, 900, 900, and other prop
ositions are pressed upon US requiring many
millions more. While population has in
creased since 1890 seven fold, expenditures
have increased forty-eight fold. From
forty cents an inhabitant, it is now three
dollars, or thirty dollars for each family,
and twenty three for each voter When
the comparison is carried into details it is
found that the great proportion of the in
crease is in contingencies, miscellaneous in
ciden;als, and by an army of useless officers.
The miscellaneous expenses have arisen,
since 1910, from S2,5OO,OoO to sls,Oo0,-
600, covering a multitude of jobs and con
tracts. The thirty-third Congress, famous
for repeating the Missouri Compromise ex-
pendidg over s3,OOO,Ooo for printing or
over $4,000 for each member. The ex-
penses of the Military establishment for
this year are near S26,0OO,OOO. Under
these circumstances, while loan bills may
be necessary to preserve the public faith,
they should be accompanied by proper
measures of retrenchment and reform. The
House alone can apply the remedy by re-
ducing the appropriations. The Constitu-
tion has conferred upon the House full and
exclusive power over The public purse, but
this power has been practically usurped by
tho Executive, by transferring appropria-
tions made for one purpose to different
one, by using money appropriated for one
fiscal year TO another, and by contracts
made in advance of appropriations, thus
compelling the House 10 sanction reck-
lesss expenditure, or violate the public faith
and by direct usurpation. Of each of these
abuses, he gave examples. An earnest ef-
fort to prevent them is met with oppcsi-
ton and denunciation by the friends of this
Administration. We condemned the hab-
it of the Senate loading down the Appro-
priation bill with amendments once reject
ed by the House, and of introducing reve-
nue. bills in violation of the express provis-
ions Of the Constitution. The House has
long enough neglected lis constitutional
powers. 1t has thrown too much on SIM
gle Committee of Ways and Means, which,
by being burdened with too much business
has become mere transcribing clerks of the
We ignore the principle of
grievances before subsidies" and vote
money recklessly, and then do not look
after its expenditure. We have several
Committees on Expenditure, and none of
them ever met. They were entirely ignor-
ed by the Chairman of the Colnmitte of
Ways and Means in the reference of the
Presidents Message. We alse neglect the
power of impeachment. Every violation
of law by an Executive officer shonld be
followed by an impeachment or a bill of
When these reforms are COM
pleted lean bills will be no longer needed,
and expenditures will be reduced within
the revenue. He had no confidence that
Ibis House as now composed would accom-
plish anything. The power and influence
Of the Executive has been too recently felt.
He hoped the next House would be oppos-
I'd to the Administration, and that it will
earn from the examples set by the last
house how thankless task it is to Weld to
he urgent demands for money by an Ad-
An opportunity will then
,e offered TO check the usurpations of the
Executive and Senate, and confne them
within thefr constitutional powers.
Ruffians in Kansas.
The Dayton Journal publishes letter
rom former citizen of that place, dated
dapleton, Bourbon co., X. T., April 27,