The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-11-20
Ma tional Retrenchment-


We anticipate that among the most i'm,
portant measures Of the next Congress
will be that of rctrcnchmcnt. The warn.
ings given to the predominant party will
not fail to stimulate them to some decided
step in the way of diminishing the public
expenditures. 1t will be q severe trial
1t will be hard to detach many of the sy
phons which drain tho public fsc-tht
lccchcs will not Let 90 readily but it mus
be done. The Radical Congressman have
TO 20 before the people next year, ana
they must do 50 with some means Of DC
fence against the many charges that VIII
he brought against them. That they have
s,bordinated the intelligent and educated
whites of the South 10 negroes and white
"scallawars" will be bad enough, but
this matter OF public extravaganza, and the
oncrous burthcns Of taxation, which, like
the frogs OF Egypt, find their way to every
corner of the houses Of The people, ana sct
into their very kncading- troughs, cannot
he shirkcd. II must be met fully and
fairly: and if the national legislators have
no defence, if they cannot show that they
have made some effort to retrench puDiic
cvncnditures and diminish the burthens OF
the people, they will be damned in that
way most painful to poiticians-they Will
he turned out of Office, and to them that
is hardly second to being turned away
from heaven.
So It may be anticipated that there will
be serious efforts al retrcnchmcnt. Gene
raj HOWARD has helped the Congress to
good sipc in the way Of economy-the
abolition Of the Frccdmcn's Bureau; which
kind prefer, it is to be dcroutiy hoped,
they will avail themselves Of. 1t will d.
minish the number Of recently imported
impudcnt and oilicious incompetents who
are rendering tIeir services to make our
constitutions and our laws. 1t is to be
hoped the Secretary Of War will offer
other modes Of rctrcnchment, if not
equally grateful 10 the public, at least as
efficient as means Of reducing the public
disbursements and the public taxes. Then,
there are the questions Of further econo-
my by diminishing the interest on the
public debt by redceming the bonds due
with legal tenders. We suspect Congress
will be prepared to take some step in this
respect not altogether agreeable to the
bondholdcrS.
However it may be done, it is certain
that retrcnchmcnt must be accomplished
in some way. The burthcns Of the Ameri-
can people arc heavier than those borne
by any other people on earth. In the csti-
mate it is proper that we should consider
not only the national tax, but the taxes to
support State and municipal governments.
We believe that a contemporary which
estimates the national expenditure in this
way at not less than thousand millions Of
dollars per annum, is not fer wrong. APP
portioning this amongst thirty millions Of
people, we should have a tax OF some thirty
dollars for every man, woman, and child
in tho nation! This sort Of imposition
cannot be maintained in a country where
the people who pay the tax have the
selection Of the men who impose it.
The effort at rctrenchmcnt, so far as it
concerns the reduction OF the interest on
the public debt, will bring about contest
between the capitalists ard the people.
The struggle will be earnest and powerful {;
but if We suppose politician values pub
lie honors and the chances ct the public
crib SO highly that the bondholder Will
hardly bid high enough to induce him tc
abandon them, We must conclude that the
popular side will triumph and the burthcns
OF taxation be, consequently, reduced.