The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-08-06

Is SoibS Oh fa All tn0 -0theF branches OF
official business) upon the ground of
the acknowledged stupidity Of the real
"oficials." Upon this point l express
no opinion; but it is safe to affirm that
the gross amount these amateur officers
receive annually equals at least the
nominal amount set down,in the "Blue
Book" and other official expositions, as
to the full expenditure on account of
the legitimate civil list. But it is, in
the matter of. registering the "salary"
(or lncome) of Recognized officials that
tue public is most grossly deceived by
these "books;% the nominal pay of these
men Legislators and executive officers)
is not drop in the bucket of what they
really receive; ana herein by no means
allude toythe vulgar charge OF down
right pilfering. There is hardly a
member of Congress who is not, at this
moment, taking money out OF Uncle
Sans pocket {beyond his $4,000 per an
num), and at the same time enjoyln
at the expense of the government. all
the luxnries within the grasp OF million
aires. Schenck, as head of e."Ways
and Means" committee, secured, by
solemn vote of the House, ten thousand
dollars to defray. the cost of tour
down and across the continent" which,
by the way, he never performed.
mention his case simply as similar to
numberless others, and not as ignomini-
ously isolated. The public is sufficient
ly aware of the Wholesale cutting up of
Congress into travelling committees,
by its orders before adjourn
ment. A pecimen Of another sort of
financiering in An economical way, is
the conversion of Congressman (durins
vacation) into quasi Foreign Ministers,
even where we have Ministers resident.
Senator Ramsey, of Minnesota, has just
been despatched to France to negotiate
a postal treaty, Other cases, "tOo num-
ersus to MENTION" of like character, oc-
cur to my mind. Who will ever know
what amount .such men, for such ser
vice, will abstract from the public cof-
fersi This phase in the financial man
agement ofpublic affairs by the legisla-
tive branch of the governmentis equiv.
ocal enough, but not comparable to
what is observed in the Executive.
Heads of Departments and heads of Bu-
feaus are entitled to receive, By law,
and 80 are put down in the NBluel
Book" for three to eight Thousand dol.
lars per annum each, according to
grade. They are many ways of hood
winking the dear people. l suppose it
is innocently thought that this "per
annum," is all that, in these "fast
days." such patriots can "legitimately"
claim. Egregious folly! Take a mod.
crate example-and select the case OF
the most honest and honorable Of all the
recent prominent appointees-that OF
Commissioner DelanO, of the Internal
Revenue Bureau. This gentleman has
Been much "on the wing" He has since
his brief term, "traveled much," and
consequently, "knows something"
don't know how many miles he has
made-ke does. But / do know that
the government allows twenty
cents a mile, and that there is
not a rvilroad in the country that
charges known prominent Federal
officer dime for journey, if it should
extend from Dan to Bersheba. But let
all that pass, and let us attempt to get
at something like a practical view OF
the "inner life" of our expenditures, by
descending to small matters. The sala-
ry of the President, as prescribed by
law, is S25, 900 per annum. His "per-
quisitesss" beyond mansion, furniture,
most spacious garden, and pasture
enough for all the cattle of the Duke of
Devonshire, and for all the fine horses
of the Duke of Newcastle, are-servants
ad Ebitun,, clerks and employees to the
extent of depletion of the army-and
presents of all kinds from his fellow
citizens" at home and abroad. Two
orders of his, since be has been rpsti-
eating at Long Branch, tell significant
story. That to the Secretary of the In
terror is laconic. 1t is simply to see
that his two favorite nags are properly
"shod" and sent on. Upon inquiry
find that the mere "shoeing" of couple
of horses should not cost more than a
ten dollar greenback; but the word
"shod," like Littleton's "&c.," in Coke's
is made to mean by the
sycophantic Secretary, great deal. In
short, this business of "shoeing". and
ascending on" these animals, will cost
the United States more than three thou
sand dollars, as per calculation at the
Department of the Interior, although
Secretary Cox certifes that he "carried
them with his own hand"