Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1858-09-08
Democratic Economy,

1he ocl'ioNidtlc p:lrtN claims 10 De
tie economical party--the party devot-
ed to retrenchment and REFORM
ECONOMY and Retrenchment' has
been one of its most prominent battle
cries. According to its declarations,
the government, when administered by
any othe,' party has been ''recklessly
extravagant." Democratic journals in
the various sections of the union-Dem-
ocratlc stumpers in their addresses to
the people-Democratic Members in
the House Of Representatives-Demo-
cratic Senators in their Congressional
speeches, and Democratic President in
their messages, have all labored to i'm
press the people with the idea that the
Democratic party policy was a model
Of economy. Well, SO it is, of GER
tain kind Of economy. We have heard
of ''expensive and reckless economy"
and nothing better illustrates this kind
of economy than the financial manage
ment of a Democratic administration.
Sen. Trumbull, Of Illinois, in a late
speech at Chicago, in referring to the
public expenditures under the present
"economical' administration in collect
ing customs, said:
II have the official report here, and
| will state a few cases to show YOU
how the government expends money.
At Wilmington, Delaware, there was
collected in 1857, s2,OO4,95. How
many men do you suppose it took to
collect that amount, and how much do
you suppose they got for it? 1t took
eight men, and the expense Of collect
ing was $l5, S4S,3S! At Annapolis, in
Maryland, there was collected the same
year $374,25. How many men do
you suppose it took to collect that? 1t
took four men, and they were paid for
their services, $685. At Ocracoke,
in North Carolina, $S2,55 were collect
ed in 1857. Uaughter.) 1t took sew
Ell men to do it. Renewed Laugh
ter And an economical government,
under a Democratic Administration,
priding itself on its economy, paid sew
en- men to collect this ss2, So, the sum
of 2,301,52. Uaughter.) At Port
Oxford, Oregon Territory-now you
would expect something extravagant
over thefc-there was collected S., IS,
and 1t took two men to collect it, and
they were paid for collecting it 2, 723,-
O3. (Great Laughter) Can any of
you make the calculation of the per-
centage that was paid to collect So
50? | believe it was about five hun
dred to one. Don't you think the GOV
eminent ought to get rich? At Mon
terey, California, the amount collect
ed i'll 1857, was s45,2s. Three men
were employed to collect it, and paid
for doing it, s7,05O,95. At Buffalo
there was collected, in 1857, s1O,l4O,-
50. There were ten men employed in
It's collection, and they were paid sl6,-
S95,5l. | will not weary you by read
ING this report further. 1t is the Off
cal report Of the Secretary of the
Treasury, in answer to resolution of
the Senate, calling upon him to know
how many employees he had at the
different Custom-houses; what he paid
them; how much was collected, Sc,
and here is the official report from
every collection district in the United
States. I have singled out part of
them as examples.
There is a fair, truthful and complete
illustration of Democratic government
al economy. Is it a matter of wonder
that under such a system of economy
the National treasury is exhausted and
the national credit strained to meet the
demands of the ''Democratic econom-
icaF' government? And yet in the
very face Of these damaging fact, Dem
ocrats 2rW and do have the impudence
to claim that theirs is the economical
party, and that all others are corrupt.
reckless and extravaganza. How long
will the people be deceived by these
false pretcndcrs?