Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-05-06
How tho Money Goes.

/ "Whdf Costs ~ ne GOpcfHea.
The following matter is not alluded to in
that pamphlet:
BROOKLYN NAVY YARD.
The patronage Of this yard is systemati-
callv divided among the Democratic members
/ of Congress from New York. The master
caulker represented Mr.. Cochrane: the mas
ter-block maker, &c, MIR. Sickles: the master
! painter, Mr.. Soaring the master-blacksmlth,
&c, MIR. Maclay. Sc, &c.
/ The navy yard is mere political machine.
Thus, the Hon. John Cochrane, OF New York
/ city, Oh June Is. 1857, writes to Dir. Co
! hane, Mr.. llaskin's nlaster-carpenter, rs fol-
lows:
'Mr. Cohane: Mr.. Cullen tells men that
you ''are to take men on, Tuesday, now, l
ask you Ia take him on. and the others have
asked YOU to take on. will have my pro-
portion of men under you. II you do not
gre them, / mW lodge charges agaimst you."
On the Goth July 1888, the !Scretary OF TIE
! Nary, writes to Commodore kearnoy, tho
Commandment of the Navy Yard, telling him
that Mr.. Sicklcs had complained Of the mas
ter joiner for not employing under him, u
single person from his Sickies) district
This Secretary directs the Commodore fine
business for the highest rank in the Navy
''to inquire into and report upon the matter"
The Commodore sends letter from the
joiner saying, that lin nine cases out OF
ten the men recommended are very indif-
terent hands, many of whom cannot OBJ
tain employment from private employers"
DO the people desire the workmen at the
navy yards to build ships to talk poll
ties: to attend to their business-or be main
tanned ~ set of hreling voters! Can any
| Navy flourish under such system as thisy-
An old Commodore detailed To find out
whether any rascals from Sickles's district
were employed by the master,joiner! The
Hon. John Cochrane writing. that, "he will
have his proportion ot men.
The grossest abuses were shown to exist in
the Department OF the Navy Agent and the
Naval Store Keeper.
We have eiyht of these navy yards, with
our - or 10 ships and most of them worth
less England with her splendid fleets
of some 500 to 1000 vessels, has but twO
yards.
How long will the indignation Of the
Democracy slumber::" Why are the peo-
pie so patient" But we pass on: Let us see
HOW THE POSTMASTER GENERAL MAKES THE
MONEY FLY.
In 1923, the expenditures Of the Depart
mrnt were s., 9S2OU in 1878 they were
ST., 3D., 900; the estimates of lSjS-9 Are Sl4,-
10000 and for lS59-6O, the enormous sum
ST. 100000. The recei pts in 1923 were
ST. uO0,OOo, (round uumbers;) in 1878 they
were 81. 10000; the deficit in lSj9-G0 will be
some - 100000.
10 tb,t ha "A, ,ut 10
rs much rs the War Department. Yet MEM
beers Of Congress will not give up their frank
ing privilege estimated to cost 1900. 900.
But they wish to raise tie posture. Every
letter in England costs two cents: ours costs
three-and they want to make it flee.
Says the Postmaster General, in his last
report, "ln times of national, ~ well as
State elections, the post office conyeyances
are literally loaded down with partizan doc
uments.'
'ln u single instance" he says. 1.-The trans
mission of hooks, &c, of one member, from
Utah, has cost the Department six or seven
thousand dollars"
Senator Toombs Congressional Globe,
1859, page 1904 said:
"'l'he whole postal bill is $9,O00.0OO. and
that is 81 600, UOO. more than it ought to DO.
T~o millions Of this goes Tor carrying the
mail to one town west OF the Rocky Noun
tains," There being .to,r different routes
1t is stated that one of those California;
mails, requiring twenty days and costing
ST 900 per tri p, brought THREE ietfers' Sena-
tor Mason said, 'it cost the Government
about $40 to take II letter upon this route"
There must. therefore, be 100 letters. Well
may Roger Pryor cry out. Prom the high
WAYS and byways of Government, the rotten
ness of corruption sends up III insuberabie
sirnch.' Why are the people SO PATIENT
Why do real Y honest, right meaning men,
imprril con,.tiy for party feeling, Sirty dol
ia,s to carry Istter-Sl25 for musket-S5
per bushel for oats-SlT 900 year for q
writing paper to each membership, snuff,
saddlehorses- does anybody wonder how
the SS0, Oo0.oW gors..!
Senator Hunter said, there were many
moral and political reasons for reform in the
post office"
Mr. Douglas stated in the Senate, that
'5O,00O copies Of his speeches had been
suppressed by Government agents in Hi
mons.
HOW Mr. MISCELLANEOUS MAKES THE MONEY 90. |
We pass from the post-othre. There is an
other grave Department of Government. on
titled miscellaneous" sort of Public Gut
ter into which all the refuse Items that can't |
be disposed of in the regular departments are
indiscriminntely thrown 1t carries them otf
to the handsome tune Of $lS,0OO.OOO. This
respectable Gutter has been dcepened and |
widened 100 per cent in the last six years, rs
the following will show:
Average depth and width under
Mr.. Fillmore, S9.0O000O
Ditto in 1878, 1900 600 |
1t isl regular race between the War Sec
rotary, Post master, aud Mr.. Miscellaneous,
~ to which shall have the biggest gutter. -
The old war horse ain to be sneezed Ut; and |
the head Of the Post Office is pretty fast
coach; but they say "Miscellaneous" is
"Ionng ImeTica' great and growing!
But thore is another large outlet through |
which the Public Blood is flowing like tor
rent. We refer to the Custonl- House system |
ot the United States
In nothing has the unparalleled prodgal
Ity ct the American government boon 50 OK
hlbited as in the enormous expenditures up
on the
CUSTOM HOUSES.
The system says the Hon. j. Clancy
Jones, the present Minister to Austria, and
who Congressional Report says. took per
cent commission, against law and decency, to