The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-07-16

[ONDAY, JULY 10, 1868.
be content with the burlesques upon the drama
which belong properly to the circus and the
| travelling mountebank exhibitions, they must
be convinced Of their error by the slim houses,
which are the best verdict the public can pro-
pounce.
The theatres, Is places Of Intellectual enjoy
msnt and sources Of profit, are gone to the
dogs. As for Italian opera, there Is but
slight chance Of Its restoration for q year or
more. There Is no likelihood Of the old Aca-
denny being rebuilt for . long time to come.
An effort to reconstruct italian opera at the
Winter Garden Is talked Of; but a. that house
is altogether unfit for the purpose there will
necessarily be failure, ~ there Was q few
years ago when opera was attempted under
the same management The prospects Of
dramatic and operatic entertainments, there:
fore, look exceedingly dim at present.
Retrsnehmsnt Proposed BY Cengress.
A resolution has been adopted by the Senate
at Washington to appoint joint committee Of
both houses, with authority to cit during the
recess Of Congress, to examine into the subject
OF retrenchment and report at the next session.
1t is proposed, furthermore, that the committee
shall inquire into the expedisncy Of so changing
the method Of appointments to civil service as
to put them beyond the power Of being used
for party purposes and providing for the reten-
ton Of appointees during good behavior.
This Is all very well, so far a. it goes. We
are glad to find that Congress is awaking to
sense Of the Importance Of retrenchment in
any department Of the government There is
ample room for it in every branch Of the
public service civil, military and naval. The
huge machinery for assessing and collecting
the public revenue, internal as well as by
impOsts, demands radical retrenchment. As
now conducted the expense Of collecting the
national revenue, with the necessary extensive
establishment, absorbs very large proper
ton Of the receipts, and it should be greatly
curtailed II can be done without detr;-
ment to the public interest, no one suffer-
ing thereby except hordes Of small politi-
clans, who are but the drones in the
hive Of our national prosperity. But while
Congress Is indulging in this ut Of
retrenchment in the other departments of the
government, why does it not look to itselff
Why does 1t not take heed Of the beam In It's
own eye before it speaks Of the mote in the eye
Of Its neighbour The reckless squandering Of
the public treasure by acts of the present Con-
gross furnishes text on the topic Of retrench-
ment that can be sought for in vain In the fnan-
c!al transactions Of any other branch of the
government Look at the enormous Congress
sional jobs, in every one ofwhich the ear-marks
Of q private Or partisan plundering scheme are
discernible. Take the Freedmen's Bureau job,
with its seven millions expenditure; take the
useless extravaganza Of, the national bank
system, whereby the government loses thirty
millions Of dollars year; take the Mexi-
can loan, with Its grab Of thirty or Afsy
millions upon the m ionsl treasure; take the
Montana scheme, intended to flch from tho
national domain vast tract Of valuable gold
and silver mining territory; take the project for
consolidating the public debt through which
financial monopolists and political empyrics can
realize thirty-6vs or forty milions, under the
color OF commissions; take the Mississippi and
YazoO rivers project, which will cost the govern
ment forty, perhaps my Millions II carried out;
take the proposed tariff law, which, although
once shelved, has been revived in new and
unique shape, with its atrocious exact.ons,
pilfering some thirty or forty millions from the
pockets OF the people; take the vast grants Of
public lands to the Pacific and other railroad
corporations in short, take the general action
Of the present Congress wherever the national
treasure and national domain are concerned.
and what Is to be seens Nothing but wanton,
reckless and abominable scheme, or series OF
schemes, TO dcvour the national wealth. Two
hundred and fifty millions of dollars have in
this manner been extracted from the resources
OF the nation, the property of . people who are
being crushed under the weight Of direct and
indirect taxation. Here Is grand field for
retrenchment Here Congress can do some
good to The country, and make reputation for
ITSELF Here can our radical Legislators save
themselves from disgrace and contum,ly. Let
Congress wipe out these jobblng schemes, dis
card the jobbers, and II may yet earn char
actcr that will save il from eternal reproach.
The fall elections are approaching, and n6msn
should be sent to Congress who will not pledge
himself TO set his face steadfastly against the
corrupt jobs Of Vie present body. Let the
work Of retrenchmcnt 60 on, and commence
with the people in casting their votes tor men,
bers TO the next Congress.
INDEMNITY TO STATES roR EXPENSES INCURRED
DUNNO TEE REBEIIIos.-A bill smendatory to
the several acts TO Indemnify the States for ex-
penses incurred by them in defence Of the
United States during tho rebellion has been
introduced into the Senate by the Finance Com
mittee. Il ID not materially essential how
these claims shall be paid, but Il ID clear the