Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-02-12
Reform Retrenphn.enf.

Reform Retrenehment.
Our correspondent . i. X e has given. in
Il communication upon the outside Of this
paper, some valuable hints respecting reform
and retrenchment in the management Of
public affairs and he is quite right in. sup
posing that the FREEuAx will he ready Mt all
times to aid in the work Of creating and en-
forcing public opinion that shall compel
legislators and all in authority t. cut down
expenditure OF all sorts t. the minimum
amount consonant with the Importance ANA
dignity Of government The financial prob
lens Of the present time are as important AZ.
# not more important than, any other. One
of the most forcible objections urged against
Congressional reconstruction is its cost. many
Democrats and not Z few conservatives -n1t
particularly ardent friends Of economy IN
other pects-insisting that the nation c.;If
not now afford to be just If we lat "a,
national debt, and gold was the only awful
currency OF the country, timid fnanoiers
even might sec that righteousness might
better be done now, if it did cost some mil
lions more than unrightcousness. rs it l..
however. with the government making itself
unpIeasantly felt every day and every hour
in taxation, and with the national burden
Increasing instead Of diminishing. it i be
coming apparent that, to make reconstruc-
ton a success, the financial problems now
pressing for a solution must be met and
mastered. Many men love justice, but they
love their money still better, and, rather than
part with their cash, they may let justice
slide
We welcome, as q sign OF some promise,
the practical manner IN which Congress is
beginning the work 81 retrenehment III
though we confess to some misgivings when
we find them Jealous in rctrcnchnsent where
it does not come out Of their own pockets, but
rather slow to give up their own perquisites
in order to diminish the current expenses Of
the government. Senator Patterson has been
urging upon the attention Of the Senate
bill prohibiting the practice, which has grown
up in the departments during the war. Of ar-
pointing special agents Unauthorized bv
law-to do any work which the department
had fancy to order done. The departments,
and members of Congress, have found the
practice exceedingly convenient, as silent
method of paying political debts. and thcy
invent a great many ingenious reasons-and
some not so ingcnious-ior continuing this
leak in the treasury. Many agents appoint
ed under this practice have been nothing JH5
secret political em:ssaries Of the departments
or Of the President, others have have hu,I
no business Of any consequence others stIl
are men Of such wretched character thai
they would be disgrace to the government
if their official position We're known, and
those sponsible for their appointment would
be visited with immediate and forcible *
pressions of popular Indignation and all o
them belong to that easy kind Of service, a..
which the pay Is large and the work trifiing-
No sooner, however, was this bill before
Congress than every department demonstrate
against its passage. because, it was urged
these private and secret agents We're Of ser
vice to the government, and ono after another
of the senators expressed desire that thi,
department might be allowed its seere
agents, and that department might be per
nitted to send out few emissaries. and the
other department might not have its ire
sponsibIe patronage curtailed until it APP
peared as though every man having place
at the public crib bad friend in the SENATE
10 represent him Senator Patterson's bill
has passed the Senate. after considerable
notifications in the interest OF Office holders,
and it now goes to the House where we hope
it viii be speedily concurred in. If the
officers recognized by law are not enough for
the serviee Of the government, the law should
increase the force, and provide adequate sal
aries but it Is high time these secret eInis-
saries and private benefciaries Of the gov
ernment were at work at some business in
which they need not be ashamed of the light
1t is not long since Congress raised the
salaries Of its members. fixing them at S5O0f
per annum, land the mileage is so fixed tina
the members living at distance from Wash
ington receive many times over the cost 0
getting to Washington from their homes
how many votes in Congress would 4 propo
sition to cut down the salary of Congress
men TO $4,000, and reduce their mileage t
the actual travelling expenses Of each mem
Der in going to and from Washington, receive
Such plan of retrenchment, If adopted
would be sermon on economy in public ex
penditures better than a thousand speeches.
The serious mischief in the mana gemen
Of public affairs is, that most officials loo
upon Office not only means of living, bu
as road to wealth. They do not serv
their country to make their country what
should be, but to make themselves what the
want TO be- Office is something to be use
for selfish ends first, and the welfare of tn
public is secondary consideration. Tn
result is that instead of craftsmanship, W