Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-03-31
Retrenchment.

BY the bill OF yesterday, sixteen or
eighteen millions year have been
stricken from the tax duplicate. One
would naturally suppose that il the re-
ceipts of the Government are to be dimin-
ished, its expenses ought to be CORE.
spondingly reduced But what are the
facts2 There has been a standing joint
committee on retrenchments in existence
for nearly two years, and what has it
done2 What has it retrenched2 What
Office has it abolished, or wherein has it
benefited the country to the extent of q
single dollar? These are pertinent
questions and the people have right to
an answer to them. The public money
never was more needlessly squandered
than it is to-day. A week ago the House
voted $4,000 to two men who had been
coutesting Kentucky seats, to which they
had no more claim than they had to seats
in the British Parliament. They had
been beaten by majorities of six and eight
thousand respectively; yet they came
here and entered into contest, which
resulted to them more pro6tably than any
business they had ever engaged in. They
will of course 90 home and repeat the
operation-rpn as Republican candi-
dates again-come here and contest the
seats of their opponents, and get $2500
each for it. They can stand that as long
as the Government treasury can. The
thing is to be repeated in the case
of Mr.. Mckee, / suppose, and perhaps
in other cases, A small matter this,
perhaps, but important as an Illus
tration of the way the public money
is squandered. Then look at the ex-
penses the army and navy. In time of
profound peace, when the American flag
floats unchallenged upon every sea, Mr..
Secretary Welles asks, for the support of
the navy for the coming year, an amount
equal to the annual expenses of the gov
ernment ten or twelve years ago; and as
to the army, go to any city you please
and you will find the hotels filled with
"ofticers on leave" and on pay, too.
There are officers enough for an army
that would cost hundred millions a
year. And now Mr.. Sherman proposes,
as a measure of economy, to repeal the
bill granting bounties to the widows of
deceased soldiers. Why not repeal
three-quarters of the law creating that
condition of genteei vagraucy knotn as
the regular army Great veneration is
expressed nowadays for Washington's
Farewell Address, and the lesson it in
culcates. | recollect that one of it's
warnings is against overgrown mill
tary establishments" as dangerous to
liberty as well as burdensome to the peo.
pie. Now if our present military estab-
lishment does not come within the scope
of that warning / don't know what would
an army of officers for the most part,
with no duty to perform except that
which engages the attention of few of
them in brigadiering it over the people,
North and South, for the whole country
is now divided and subdivded into mill
tary districts, from the lakes to the gulf,
and from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Each district has its commander, and
each commander has his staff.
Then again, as another step toward the
promised retrenchment we have bill
to keep the Freedmen's Bureau in opera
ton another year, at a cost of several
millions. No such contradictory and
self-stultifying legislation was ever en-
acted by legislative body as the Recon-
struction and Freedmen's Bureau bills.
The one intrusts the political power, of
ten States to the negro population; the
other declares that negro population in
capable of selfsupport, and establishes
a guardianship over it. In Ohio, man
in need of guardian is disfranohised
in South Carolina the majority of those
invested with political rights are wards
of government bureau. Clearly, either
the reconstruction policy Of Congress is
wrong, or the bureau is unnecessary.
But this subject of retrenchment se-
riously demands attention. The public
have been promise. e.crammed " long
enough-they want something more sub
stantial than Congressmen's speeches
ahout IL MACK