Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-10-21
Facts and Promises.

Facts and Promises.
TIE result of the elections in Maine
and Vermont shows that the Intelligent
people of the country are not yet disposed
to prefer the smooth promises of the Dem
ocratic party to the imposing and Crafty
ing facts of Republican administration
Immediate interest in politics is undoubt-
edly concentrated upon the financial ques,
ton. Is the Administration OF General
Grant honest, efficient, and economical
IF that question can be satisfactorily an.
swered. it is enough. The "splendor'. OF
administration, indeed, which was antici-
pated by some persons, may not appear
In the faithful and steady care OF the pup
lie interest which has thus far distln.
guished the Presidency OF Grant. Bus
there is something better than splendor.
An elaborate article in the North Amers-
can Reu;eso for July arraigns the Admins
tration as substantially failure. But the
article, although pointedly and effectively
written, is exactly not what is assumes TO
bean impartial review of the Admins
tration. It brilliantly emphasizes some OF
its mistakes and failures, but it carefully
cmits any allusion to the considerations
which entitle it to public confidence.
The article of which we speak elabo.
rately criticises, for instance, the financial
management oftbe Administration. With
much that it says we are disposed to
agree. It is, perhaps, to be regretted that
the sole aim of the Secretary of the Ireas'
ury seems to have been to pay Oft the ma
tionaI debt Immediately, and without srf-
ficient regard for other considerations and
the whole situation of affairs. But, on
the other hand, an Administration which
can show such financial results as those
contained in the statement of the 9th OF
September from Acting Secretary Rich
ardson. merits other mention than the in
discriminate censure which the article
lavishes. The speech of Vice President
Colfax at South Bend may also be dill
gently and probably studied in illustra-
ton of the silent but most significant good
work of the administration.
In brief, it appears officially that the
net increase in the receipts Of the gov,
eminent during the eighteen months
from the list of March, 1869, to September
1, 1870, over those of the next preceding
eighteen months was more than $S7 000,
600. The comparative decrease OF ex
penditures during the same time, was
nearly $83,000,000. The whole amour
gained by the increase of receipts and de-
crease of expenditures was thus more thar
$17O,0O0,000. During the same time th'
interest account shows net decrease o
more than $17000,000, while in th'
eighteen months of the Grant Administra
ton the public debt has been reduced
nearly sl7o,00o,0O0. AL this has beer
effected, it will be remembered, by no in
crease of the rate Of taxation nor of tht
articles taxed, but while Congress has
been steadily reducing taxation, abou
$90,000,000 having been thrown OFF at the
last session alone. It is evident, from
this statement. not only that the debt and
taxation have both been reduced, but that
the public money is both collected and
distributed more honestly and economi
cally.
The force of such facts, which every in
telligent voter in the country can under
stand, il not destroyed by the assertion
that the tariff is clumsy and unequal; MOI
is party which has produced such re
= suits likely to be displaced by the alleged
unsoundness of the theories of a Score
tary. A party is not judged ideally. Tit
practical question in politics is not one o
abstract excellence, but of comparative
efficiency. This State and the country
have not now to decide whether they vii
frame q perfect system OF taxation, t(
be administered by infallible hands; bu
whether, taking all the facts together, the
Democratic party is more likely to give
us an honest and economical administers
ton than the Republican. The alterpa
tive is very simple. If the Republicans
90 out, the Democrats come in. And We
have no doubt whatever that nine-tenthi
of the intelligent people of this country
would consider such result q dire nation.
al misfortune.
It is not because the Administration Of
General Grant is what may be called
"splendid," a word which ia often ap.
piled to policy of the most injurious ma
tional tendency, nor because it has not
made mistakes, nor because all those who
support it are wise or honorable men, mol
because there has not been much disap-
pointment of many kinds, that it really
has the confidence of the country; but
because there is a universal and profound
mpression-which, as we believe, the
facts justify-that it has sought with
staunch fidelity the public welfare, that it
has aimed at an honest management of
public affairs, and that it has been able to
prove its economy and efficiency in those
very directions in which there is the most
popular concern. No truly patriotic or
thoughtful citizen is likely to carry his
criticism of certain details of Republican
administration to the point of conniying
at the success of a party identified with
electoral frauds, with the mad extrava-
gance of New York municipal govern
ment, which denies the validity of the
new constitutional amendments, and
would tear open every question which
Z the war ought finally to have settled.
The elections in Maine and Vermont
prove that the public judgment OF the
two parties is virtually unchanged.
per's Weekly.
Capitalization.