New-York daily tribune., 1861-08-13
NATIONAL NORTHUMBERLAND.

NATIONAL RETysENCNmENT.
The sore trials Of Advcrsty are not without
tteir consultations. If they seattle, they also pu-
rify. We shall inevitably emerge frcm our pre-.
sent pcrs poorer but at the same time less
prodigal and more frugslly governed people than
hitherto. One of the best signs of the times IL
the following act, which passed Congress at its
late Session with little or no opposition:
IAN ACT providirg zee TO examine and reror a. to
the compensation Of all officers Of the Government ana 'r
"Be H eaacied Gy he Scncte and Hmse cf RePre-
seniatiocs ot hc Us,ied StotS Of Amerc0 an Com
gress assembled, Th't for the purpose of sealing,
equalizng, ind reducing the conn ensation 81 the va
ri,u. officers Of the Government, Board OF ComIns-
oners is hereby organized 10 be composed IA io'"s
OF two members OF tie Senate, to he aionted by me
presiding ccer of the Sena,c; three member. ~ the
iIonse OF Representatives, to lie appointed ~ The
SreaEcr OF tue Onse officer OF the navy ana one
officer OF the army, TO re appointed by the fIesuc
That said Board shall examine and report, 40 soon T
practirable FIrst "a fair and Just compensation iOr
each oi0.er of the GoyeInueut SECOND, such pIoFs-
ions If law will regulate the eXTe'ctnIe oi al H.
definite and cohiinleit appropniIi1hs iEslnoipg ,no
for tie Courts OF tie United sta e.; third, iesul's
for the more economical collection OF Tie ltN,hue
fourth What Officers or employm,nts, IL any, may be
us,cIf,d with without detTimeut to The ruoii, service
"Stc.2 Ind dieH Jur'h,T caarfcg, ntd '+Il cOii,i'-
sion have leave 10 report bill or t!s OF oro'ueiNie
"a each Icnse az the next session o. tongtess, and
hs, leave ~ employ clerk at conp,n-Ii,n not TO
exceed four collars Per day iof the the actually
needed.
Approved, July 81, 1861"
1t world be rash to speak of a reform iDitiat-
od "a if it were accomplished, but there II cer-
tnnly good beginning. The whole field OF Pub
lie Expenditure is brought under review, end
Commission provided that ought to he competent
10 DO insice to the yast Interests involved IN lts
proper exploration. That some good must result
from, ,uch a scrutipy is inevitable; that saving
Of at least Ten Millions per annun mny BE- effect
cd. If the Commission should be composed cf
men at once capable aud heart! IN tie gOIh,
there eau BE- no doubt.
The public mind is riPening if lot already ripe
Cor thorough Reform. 70 extract thoU ands
from the Federal Treasury WibDut rendering tie
pubic any equivalent therefor Is n", reasoned
hall 50 good a ], kc as It wac cv,a one year SSo.
Tic neat Floyd that gets he Lead and shc'llcrs
into the Glib viii not hd II nearly 20 oIsy 10
draw them cut az sin as John g. did. lie VII
not have time q loved him ior tie commission Oi
any large amount OF treason thereafter. Font
Seedlings " III not be sold nor Wel.s Points
bought on terms SO advantageous t. g., opera.
tors. official and unofficial, ia the famous cases
un record. To charge the Government sorie
hundreds and even Thousands OF dollars for an
imaginary journey home from Washington to
Texas or Oregon and back again H. Washington
between The evening OF March }d nud the morn
ing of slarch 4.b, viii be este, med sharp pr,c.
t,e, and will prove Father profitable than popu
lar IL short the day Of "big things in con-
Gecton with tho FEDERAL service Is we'll uigh
over, and financial genius must Iiud other are.
nas Tor il. moco brilliant feats than tLe well
cleaned fields Of contracting aud odice-bodiug.
How this COuuiss on hns been cJnstiuicd-if |
j. already has b. en-we are not apprsed but /
ge trust it las been or vii be made up Of rncn |
at once able ana wiling to DO jus,.cc TO the /
country. Rcrenchmcnt must be had, and the I
fret attempt sLoul be 20 Thorough and impair /
tal rs 10 leave no excuse iOr q second. Scysn 4
good men on this Boatd can render the country 1
an immense service by faithfully fearle,sy re.
porting every Office that may be abolished, !
every salary that Will bear reduction, every al- I
lowance that may be cut of or diminished, every !
abuse that may c corrected. Let ~ trust that /
the right men have been or vii. Os chosen, aud /
that ,Eeir work " Il be well done.
AMI it is by 10 means an cnyablc rcsoonsi- /.
blit, that has been laid upon them. Ii they do /
simply ilcr duty, they will be mere widely |,
hated than any other seven meG ia the pubic /
service. Every useless Place they may cause to |
be abolished will suply them with at least one
bitter, implacable eneDy-prObably more than I
one. They must not expect 10 make any pace
man see why his salary should be cut down or
his comfortable perqusltes cut oil. TEe more |
money be gets, the less work h. does, the greater
will be his aversion TO the change 30 rude'y ~ I
augurated. "What 4 mean, pnltIy business 70 |
" be picking away poor mans beggarly living !
's why not cut down tue Presidents, or the Gao
" NETS, or the Foreign Ministers prncey al- |
% lowanccs 2" Cut these down too, and you will /
By 40 means reconcile the subordinate to his |
personal pri5ation; he viii clamor the louder
against the whole scheme as unsparn. and
ruinonsly unjust. And yet the work must go on,
whoever may shriei; aud because iE must there
IS a strong presumption that it will.