Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-01-27
ECONOMY IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
Mr.. WaShburne on the Duty Of the
New Administrator.

Mr.. Washburne, of Illinois, in tn,
course of a speech in the House YES
terday, said, after alluding to the elec.
ton of Gen. Grant:
1t is time that the representatives OF
the people were admOnished that they
are the servants of the people, and are
paid by the people; that their con-
! stituents have cOnfided to them the
great trust of guarding their rights
and protecting their interests; that
that their position and their power
are to be used for the benefit of the
people whom they represent, and not
for their own benefit and the benefit
of the lobbyists and the gamblers and
spectators who have come to Wash
ington to make a raid upon the Treas
ury. The time has also come, in nv
Judgment, when public men are to be
held to more strict accountability, to
a more strict discharge of their duty,
and when their actions will be scanned
by a more critical eye. Much is expect
ed of the new administration, and the
| public expectation will not be disap-
! pointed, but as much as Gen. Grant
can do, and as much as he will do in
his own sphere of action, it is idle to
| suppose that he can do everything
| that the country requires to be done
TO secure those reforms in the public
| service which are so imperativeiy de-
manded. As President, Gen. Grant
must have the earnest and cordial sup
| port of the other branches of the Gov
erIfment, particularly of the legisla-
tive branch. The responsibility of
! Congress, so far as the next admins
tratiOn is concerned, Is complete.
The great masses of our constituents,
the bone and sinew of our country
the men who have no schemes of
plunder, and who desire only an hon.
est administration of the Government;
the men who fought the battles of the
Republic, and poured out their blood
in its defense, require of us q decrease
of our expenditures and a reduction
of taxation. Regardless of the mys-
teries of finance, they say that our
credit can be improved, the public
faith Yindicated, a return to specie
payments made certain, a reduction
of the interest on the public debt Sc
cured, by keeping down the eXpendi-
lures of the Government to the lowest
possible point, and by the honest col
lection of the revenues. 1t is for Con-
gress to keep down the expenditures,
and it is for the President to see that
the laws are faithfully executed, and
that the revenues are collected;
but it is for Congress to see, also, that
they do not keep the fetters upon the
limbs of the President, so as to render
il impossible for him to faithfully eX-
ecute the laws.
A .-fo -, hn
expenses of the last four years, and
the estimates of the Secretary of the
Treasury for the next fiscal year, Mr..
Washburne proceeded to the consider
alton of the question of what this
Congress will be called upon to apprO-
pirate for DEFICIENCIES for the present
fiscal year, ending June 80, 1869, and
to carry on the Government for the
next fiscal year, ending June 80, 1870.
First, as to the estimates made by
the Secretary of the Treasury of the
additional appropriations required to
complete the service of the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1869, and previous
years. Ii is for Congress to inquire
rigidly into the necessity and proprie-
ty of voting these deficiencies, which
the Secretary estimates at the enOr-
nous sum of S21 100000. OF this
amount S14 100000 are for the army,
necessitated, in a great measure, by
consuming Indian war, which is en-
failing extraordinary expenses on the
Government. The next current
amount is the estimated deficiency for
the Post Office Department of over 81
10000, incurred by extravagant con-
tracts for unjustifiable extended mail |
service. Then there is the scandalous |
estimate of nearly $685., 900 for deficien-
cies for public buildings, when we were |
promised that the large amounts weap- |
propriated last year should finish the |
buildings. Add this amount Of $685.
900 demanded as Deficiency for this |
fiscal year, TO the amount demanded I
for the same purpose for the next fis- !
cal year, of s., 434, 600, makes s, ,099-
600 which we are asked to vote for I
public buildings at this session of Con-
gress and in the present state of the 1
TreasuTy-Or, indeed, in any state of
the Treasury,I feel bound to denOunce
it as the most eXtravagant, unjustifi
able and prOfiigate expenditure of the
public money ever asked of Congress.
There are other deficiencies which
have been made, and which we are
called upon to make up, and which
are without justification, if it be con-
sidered that Congress has any power
over the Treasury. In view of the
state of our finances, and deeming it
indispensibly necessary to reduce our
expenditures for the present year in
every way possible, and in full light
of all the facts, Congress appropriated
n given amount, which was Stj0, 900,
for the coast survey this year. In con-
tempt of the action of Congress, a de-
in that appropriation of Sl6O-
900 is now demanded, not one dollar
of which, trust, will be voted. The
Columbia Institute for the deaf and
dumb, q private institution, in this
District, which has obtained nearly
half million of dollars out of the Gov
eminent, was given $3.50 for this
fiscal year, for instruction, &c, which
was deemed ample, and even gener-
Gus; but with familiarity with the
whole action of Congress on this sub
ject, the President of this private cor
poratiOn, with unparalleled effront-
cry, arTaigns Congress for its action,
and demands of us SlT, 200 more as q
for this year. There are
other deficiencies estimated for, which
will be scrutiniZed by the ApprOpria-
ton Committee before it reports any
bill. But one thing is clear. If Con-
greSs cannot control the expenditures
of the Government; if it cannot curb
the executive officers of the Govern
ment in spending the public money,
and ifsuch officers are to be left, practi-
cally, to determine the appropriations,
then say let Congress abdicate, andlet
the people be saved the expense of
keeping this expensive and somewhat
institution. Mr.. w. then
gave the items of the Secretary of the
estimates for the next fis-
cal year, and said at will thus be
seen that S303, 900, 600 is the amount
asked for, and it is for Congress to de-
termine how much of that sum is alb
necessary to appropriate to
carry on the Government. How
much will it be? / will let the perma-
nent appropriations stand as in the
estimate, though l believe
the amount of interest on the public
debt is Overstated 100000 That
amount is S12S, ,69O,076, which we
must regard as fixed and definite.
Then there is the other amount of
SIS, ,O14, oil "A, made up of the items
as set out in the estimate. The ques-
recurs, how much can this amount be
reduced without detriment to the pub
lie service? 1t is now impossible for
me to state how much the first item