The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-23

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thought of" And so goes on the work of |
reconstruction in Louisiana. General Han
cocks recent order, subordinating the mill |
tary to the civil authorities and the laws (and |
which has resulted in his nomination for the |
succession by President JOhnson), has evil |
IDENTIFY taken something of the conceit out of
the ultra radicals, and given some hope to |
the conservatives of fair play. To get rid of
him as soon as possible, the radical convention
will doubtless make haste with the work before
them and get under the wing Of Congress as a
full-blown reconstructed State.
In the Georgia Convention an ordinance has
been adopted-which, it is understood, Gene
raj Pope will enforce, in the absence of stay
law-to suspend all legal proceedings in the
collection of private debts until the Conven-
tion can act further. That this will prove a
popular measure we cannot doubt, inasmuch
as before the organization Of the Convention,
Mr.. Campbell (black man) moved 'that all
gentlemen who have aspirations for the Presi-
dency of this Convention be requested to de-
fine their position on the relief question"
Among the latest proceedings Of the Conven-
tion is a resolution requesting General Pope to
remove the obnoxious Governor Jenkins and
to put certain Mr.. Bullock in his place, a
request which General Pope will probably
find requires a good deal of nice considera-
ton. Under the spur of this new bill in Con-
gress we may expect, however, that these
little side issues will be dropped, and that the
Convention will follow the example of Ala
bama in pushing through their new constitu-
tion. Oh yes. "The work goes bravely on"
The Question of saving-HOw Much is
PracttcabIeg
From the ". y Times.
The demand for retrenchment as the ac-
compartment of reduced taxation, will be
strong only so far as it is governed by intelli-
gence. The necessities of the country must
be considered not less than the convenience
or interest of the people. Before fixing posi-
lively the maximum income of the Govern
ment, we should understand the probable
minimum of its expenditure.
The national gathering of manufacturers at
Cleveland has affirmed the feasibility of saving
$50, 600 on the basis of the present income
and outgo though precisely how this may be
done does not appear. The same statement
had previously received the Endorsement of the
st. Louis Board of Trade, whose Finance Com
mittee furnishes an estimate which seems to
indicate the data relied upon for the calcula-
ton. The initial point in the Committees
argument is the assumption that, with the
war closed, the cost of the military and naval
establishments may be reduced to the standard
which suficed in the former days of peace.
Eight years ago, it is computed these branches
of the public service cost sum in gold equal
to less than fifty millions in currency at pre-
sent rates; and we are told that sit is difficult
| to see why our navy should be much
| larger or more expensive now than it
was then; or why, upon peace estab-
| lishment, with the country tranquil and
the people contented, the army should exceed
| by more than one-half its force at that time. -
| II. A..
| thirty thousand men, at cost of SAG, ,OO0, 900,
and the navy to its old standard at cost of
say $40, 100000 Ninety millions are put
down as enough for all other expenditures,
making the total charge upon the Government
something near $l60,000,000. Deducting
these figures from the aggregate internal re-
venue of 1866, which amounted to nearly
$3l1 ZOO, 900, the Committee arrive at the
conclusion that an annual saving is practica-
BILE to the extent of $3.50, 900 900. And this
is the view now promulgated by the Cleveland
Convention.
1t is evident, however that the calculation
needs revision. Its primary hypothesis in re-
gard to the army and navy is a little in advance
of the time. If the whole country were tran
quill, and the whole people contented, it would
probably not be far removed from accuracy.
But the population of ten States cannot be
said to be contented. A strong undercurrent
of discomfort runs through all Of them, and
the tranquility they exhibit is in a large
degree due to the presence of the military
power. When reconstruction shall have been
liberalized and perfected, we may hope fol-
peace without the presence of soldiers; but in
the meantime nothing is gained by ignoring
existing and very ugly facts. On this point
we attach more weight to the opinion o.
General Grant than to the computations of the
st. Louis fnanciers. General Grant has proved
himself an economist of the first water; nc
officer of the Government has evinced the apti
tude er determination which he has shown in
cutting down expenditures. And his plans
after close revision, embrace a military force
of 45, 600 available men-being 10 900 more
than the Western economists calculate upoI
in their statement of expenditures.
Besides, the other side of the account also
presupposes a state of things that does
not exist. The internal revenue of the cur
rent year will not reach the income from tha
source in 1866. The available margin will bt
much smaller than the estimate we are con
sidering requires. As, therefore, the un
avoidable expenditure exceeds the sum put
forward by the gentlemen whose view the
Cleveland Convention appears to have
adopted, while the actual income from the
sources they have named is less than they
have supposed, we fear that the proposed
saving of $50, 900, 900 is for the present un
| attainable.
Probably Mr.. Hooper's view of the cas-
more truly represents the saving which i
feasible. The limitation to $500, 1000, ,00t
which he proposes for the total nationa
expenditure, would exhibit a saving o
about $1l7, 900 on the estimates of tn
current fiscal year. and of $Sl, 900 900 Ol
those of 1869. The retrenchment tina
shall make either of these amounts avail
Lii L. A.