The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-02-22
National E2cfrenchtagr

). ). Pike, one OF the New York Tribun
editorial staff, is corresponding for that pape
IRON Washington. He argues that there will b
no retrenchment in government expenditure
until an administration is elected on that issue
vi the present Congress and Executive he saws
lhey DO not want to abridge expenditure
lhey do not want TO cut down appropriations
They DO not want to economist. They piete
spending; they prefer liberal, lavish, and ever
prodigal courses. These are easiest aud mos
agreeable. Everybody curses economical men
and everybody praises lavish men, The people
are at a distance, and they are a very nebulau.
BODY. Save millions for them, ard who know.
and who applauds the act? who feels the richer
I Tor II? Spend wastefully, unnecessarily, mil
/ hons ct the peoples money, and who knows
that, among the distant busy mutitudes of thar
same nebu!ous mass But this spending makes
fortunes, and it makes friends, aud it creates
combinations, aud combinations create cireQm.
sahces, ana circumstances combine to sustain
and advance the fortunes Of spend r IT..
There Is not an atom of the true spirit OF re-
uenchment or economy in either traLch Of this
government to-day. \
To illustrate the same thing in tie Executive
branch, | will take a single trans utiou in the
Post Office Department, which will stand Tor
many OF the same sort in that as v Ill as in the
other departments.
Congress at the last session, struck blow at
ocean steam mail trans portation, by passing a
law combining the compensation TO the receipts
on such lines. But another equally important
branch OF the service is left unr e. trained by
law. This is the California service. Observe
this, and see an example OF Erecutise economy
and discretion.
There WIS, when this administration came
into power, regular mail line to California. via
kfS III
OF secen hundred AID .ftty thousand dollar.
was paid annually, OF which not more Than
third part was returned in pcstages This would
seem to be a tolerably fair allowance, out Of
the public treasury, to be paid on any one maj.
route. But the last Congress undertook The
extra liberal Office OF sending semi-wpekly
mail overland 10 California, at the additional
cost Of si1 hundred thousand dollars per pnnn,n.
getting almost nothing in return by way Of
hostages. In these two lines was over d million
and third OF dollars expended for the mail
service to Caliiornia, and not one dollar in four
ever returned by way OF hostages. Things were
Just thus when Governor Brown, OF Tennessee,
the present Postmaster General, deliberately
entered into yet another contract to carry vet 4
third mail to California. lie made fresh bar. |
gain last year to send mail from New Orleans |
20 Acapulco and thence TO San francisco. via |
Inc lehuantepec route, for which he paws oper /
no hundred and ffty thousand dollars per an.
lum. we are paying, therefore, at this mo-
nent, out OF the Treasury, for Transporting the
nails to and from California direct. The enor-
nous sum OF one million fue hundred aud e;alt,
'ght thousand t'oo hundred and ftty dollars Tor
which the government receives back in the way
y hostages from quarter to third Of a mil |
ION dollars. Now, can any government or anv
department. OF any government 20 on for an:
fhgth OF time on scale OF expenditure like
nat running through Its civil and military ser
nee Yet the Postmaster General deliberately
dded the last quarter of million that poes
Q make up the vast aggregate in virtue al hi
ascretion as an executive officer
This may be taken as q sample OF tho Exec,-
We action Of this government, BY which. with
ther causes, our national expenditures have
solien to over xs50o0,00 per annum. IL IA ,
le way IN which, to great extent, the esnen- !
lures Of the Post Office Department have aona ,
. TIL they exceed IRE millions Of dollars aver :
: revenues.
II is the Erec,tire Government. then r.,.., !
at must be reached and corrected. bs;ora anr !
al progress can be made in ret.enchinp ~
lormous expenditures Of the Federal Govern. !
ent.
It is we'll enough, perhaps, to drill away on n
appropriation bill, 40 the House Of Repre- Q
natives u now doing, cutting of a shaving i
re ana shaving there, II you please; bu, the '
lole thing becomes ludicrous 10 view Of M q
= that this same House, by an immense ma. \
Fity' at an early period Of the session, made Ii
: haste to take ten millions year out OF the V
easury' without stopping hardly to offer ! /,
lsOn for il!
Inc machinery By which our expenditures are !,
20 reduced y hardly yet conceived-far from h,
ng conceived, and most certainly not wheel T.
i 10 motion. The piddling measures Of Con- b,
~ pretending TO look towards this resul, a.
g nothing. and are not designed for any n
e 0at 70 throw dust in the eyes Of the peo. a