Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-08-07
RETKENCHMExT OF PUBLIC ExPEy.
DITURE.


on the 2Sth inst, for the purpose of organ
izing and arranging preliminaries FOR future
action. The committee consists Of Senators
EDIoNDs, Of Vermont WILLIAMS, of Ore
gon, and BUcKALEw, Of Pennsylvania; and
Messrs. ROBERT S. HALE Of New York:
RoBERr ScHENCK, Of Ohio; Thomas A.
JENCKEs, Of Rhode Island; SAMUEL J.
RANDALL, Of Pennsylvania, and JOHN L.
THOMAS, Of Maryland, on the part Of the
House Of Representatives. The duties en-
/ trusted to this committee are Of an exceed
ingly important character, among which are
the following: They reconstructed to inquire
into the mode Of collecting, and the DISPOSE
ton made Of captured and abandoned pro-
perry Of the States lately in rebellion, by
officers, agents and employees Of the Urea
sury Department; and they are invested
with full power to send for persons and pa
pers for that and other purposes: The COM
mittee are also instructed to inquire into the
| expenditures in all the branches Of the civil
service Of the United States, and to report
whether any and what offices ought to be
abolished; whether any and what salaries or
allowances ought to be reduced; what are the
methods Of procuring accountability to
public officers or agents in the care and dis
bursements Of public moneys; whether
moneys have been paid out illegally
whether any officers or agents, or other per-
sons are employed in the public service
without authority Of law or unnecessarily,
and generally how and to what extent the
expenses Of the civil service Of the country
may and ought to be curtailed. They are
also instructed to consider the expediency of
so amending the laws under which appoint
ments to the public service are now made as
10 provide for the selection of subordinate
officers, after due examination by proper
boards, their continuance in Office during
specified terms, unless dismissed upon
charges preferred and sustained before tri-
bunals designated for that purpose, and for
Withdrawing the public service from being
used as an instrument Of political or party
patronage; and to inquire into the accounts
or statements in reference to the Govern
ment debt and the management thereof and
the mode Of depositing and keeping public
money, and all accounts relating thereto.
The committee is authorized to sit during
the recess Of Congress, and to report by bill
or otherwise.
If the Committee does its work faithfully,
there viii be exhibited to the world an APP
Palling amount of official peculation, and a
degree Of criminal Indifference to the hon
est and economical transaction of public
business on the part of public servants,
which will leave Us a character in this re-
spect no whit better than the corrupt mon
arches Of the old world against whom we
have been accustomed to make trailing
accusations" and denouhce as monstrous
structures Of extravaganza built upon the
backs Of a taxed and toiling people. 1t is
not too much to say that within the past five
years there has been money enough wasted
in useless expenditures lost by the negli-
gence and connivance ofpublic officials, and
absolutely stolen by those in the employ of
the Government, to liquidate the present
public debt, and remunerate every citizen
for his losses during the war. The amount
of property taken from the Southern people
and wrongfully appropriated to private use
would, if its value could be placed in the
National treasury, relieve the country Of
half the burdens of its present taxation.
We have no hope that this Congressional
Committee, or any other body Of men, viii
be able, even if they had the will, to dis
cover and expose 1.-THE Of the fraud which
has been perpetrated against the Govern
meat. Much Of it was done by men whom
it will not be considered polite to bring to
account; much Of it by those who can pur-
chase silence in various modes; and much Of
it. like water spilled upon the sand, can
never be traced. This Committee, however,
can well employ their time in ferreting out !
this yillainy, and will do their country a
service if they will make an honest report |
Of all they discover, and state their candid !
impressions as to the extent Of the losses |
by the people in the various
modes Of peculation which have been
practiced. If it were announced that
some infallible plan had been devised |
10 make public all the stealage Of officials,
and those who have had access to the pub
lie property, there would be thousands Of |
tossing and restless heads on the succeeding
night Perhaps it is wisely ordered that
his cannot be; but if the people could be
made to know by startling report, based
lpon facts, the unfaithfulness Of their officers
and how much it costs to support such es-
it would promote that reform
IN government which must come five would
i've and flourish. The public mind has
become so accustomed to note instances of
lfficial corruption that thepublic conscience
has grown callous, and many appear to re-
gard il as a matter of course, and to have
ost sight Of the fact attested by historic eI-
nipple, that it was as much through the slow
of venality and official dis
honesty, as by the Earring ambition Of lead
rs that republics have been destroyed.
The Committee can also do an efficient
public service by framing a stringent law
or the cartailmentof useless salaries and ex-
,cnses, and guarding against the employ
ncnt in the government work Of incompe-
cnt and unreliable men, placed there as a
'eward for partizan iobbery. This system
IS crying evil and needs reforming
altogether" The government cannot have
lprightnoss aud honesty in the administra-
ion of its functions until il returns to the
le0ersonian standard Of qualification: is
he honest Is he faithful. Is he capable"
THE article which We copy from the n.
Y. Times shows, with startling distinctness,
hat the New Orleans riots were the result Of
scheme concocted by the Radicals at Wash
ngton to overthrow the State Government
md to invest the negro with political power
md the white revolutionists with the offices
Il H., Scot, TYLs. T,,,.sst,,tss,., -, ,4 I'll