The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-11-23
THE RETRENCHMENT COMMITTEE.


The abuses In Government Expendl.
ture which they have Discovered.
Special WdGhtrigton Dispdtoh to ne Neto York
Tribune.
The Retrenchment Committee have
been hard at work during portion of
the vacation period, and is now, be-
lieve, in session in New York city.
There are several important items that
seem to me to invite its attention right
here in the city of Washington, and
that ought not to be overlooked, though
very apt to be. One is the item of Gov
eminent advertising in the Washing
ton city papers. Exactly how much is
expended for this purpose cannot easi-
~ be ascertained, except by search of
the records of the department., which
are not always open for public inspec-
ton. 1t certainly amounts to several
thousand dollars month, or enough
at any rate to support these so-called
organs of the Administration, not one
of which could exist without the Gov
ernment subsidy. That the money ex-
pended for this purpose on the cor
gRnS" to which refer is thrown aWaY
Is tolerably clear from the fact that OF
the three papers to which refer, but
one Is either known or ever heard of
beyond the city limits of Washington
and Georgetown; and even there 1t
will puzzle many readers of the TTi-
6une to name the other two s.journals."
Now, advertising is a matter of bust
ness with the Government, as with in
dividuals. II a merchant wants to buy
or sell goods he seeks publicity for his
wants or desires through the columns
OF a newspaper which he believes has
circulation among the class OF persons
whom he wishes 10 reach. He does
not pay fifty cents line for an adver-
IT, al
Is never seen by those whom he wants
for customers-still less q journal that
hasn't a hundred readers of any class or
denomination. Yet, here In Washing
ton, the Government is made to paw
thousands of dollars every month on
exactly this kind or an investment.
The advertisements are such as should
reach all sections of the country, con-
sisting for the most part of invitations
for contracts, bids, &c, yet it is fair to
presume they are rarely heard of out
side of Washington City. They are paid
for at full rates, and constitute, as
have before said, the main pecuniary
reliance of the Journals referred to. At
the last session of Congress law was
passed, restricting Government a0yer-
Using In this city to the two papers
having the largest bona ride circulation,
This would have confined it to the Star
and Chronicle. Two evening papers,
klo SONtas4tstNN4Fle NttN04t anu kLAG 4NNtGon
Immediately contrived way of evad-
ing the law and retaining the patronage
by changing, or pretending to change,
their publication offices from Washing
ton to Georgetown. The IateLligeneer
continued, and still continues, despite
the law, to publish the advertisements,
and receive pay for them as before. It's
prOpnetors also put In a bill last SUM
mer for $1,000 for publishing a report
of the trial of the assassins of Mr., Lin
coln-something that the New York
press thought proper to print and pay
for telegraphing as matter of news.
Mr.. johnson ordered the account to be
paid, and the probability Is that his or
der has been compiled with long ere
this. It is to be hoped that the Com
mittee on RetrenGhment will at least
look into this subject OF department. adj
verttsing, and so change the laws as to
make It a matter of business for the
Government.