The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-02-09

= go = =
and it had fallen to his lot to give ut
terance to those reasons. He had
been made the spokesman of the Com
mittee on appropriations, and as such
had made aspeech that was the oc<
casion for the speech of his colleague,
and he submitted to the iudgmentsof
the Hohse whether it was a propero c-
casion for it: 1t had seemed SO plain
a path of duty 10 him that it had never
occurred to him that anybody would
ever intimate that he had seized an
improper occasion for submitting the
remarks which he did. But far moro
important than that was the other in
curry, whether what he said upon that
occasion was true, and stood to day,
after more than a week since its de-
livery, to submit to the judgment of
This. peers that not only was it a fit sea-
som for the deli rery Of the speech, but
that what he uttered was in all essen
tials and important particulars the
truth.
Mr.. Dawes then proceeded, with the
book OF estimates in his hands, to refer
to item after item of the estimates of
the various departments, and to show
that his original. statement in regard
to the Excess Of estimates for appro-
priations for the last year were in .ey:
cry .respectzorreet.@-Passing on from
the figures: he. said;.- Ishould rejoice
as much as any man at any develop,
ment .going-.t to show how. much the
people Of this country. have been re
IIieved of the burden of taxa'icn by a
reduction of the expenditures since
Andrew johnson left the Presidential
chair but the question that I was in
yestigatins, and the inquiry that I was
putting TO- the country, was whether
as Between this year and next year
the tendency Of expenditures was up
ward or downward, and I feel it a du-
ty for me to contribute what was in
my power, if ! thought I saw that ten
dency was upward, to induce those
who are responsible in these halls in
the administration Of the government
to so manage public affairs that the
tendency should be downward, not up
ward,
Now, sir, figures may be piled upon
figures, 'Ossa upon Pelion,'' mountains
high, to show the difference between
Andrew Johnson's administration in
that regard and the first year of our
administration, but they do not rest
upon my shoulders. -Broadsides may
he fired from. that p int Of view, but
the missiles will fall harmless at my
feet, for there is nothing in all that 1
said that had any reference whatever
to the estimates or Andrew Johnson's
administration of the appropriations
and expenditures in his administra.
tion.--we have been told that the es-
Inmates for last year were made by
Mr.. Johnson's administration in a
spirit of hostility to the incoming ad-
ministration-not what Mr.. johnson
would carry onthe administration for,
but. what General Grant should carry
it on tor; and that in such a ft of ecoB-
ony the'estimates were cut down so
as to embarrass the incoming admin
.istration, and that vas said by one
who IA himself a party in Commit
tee on Appropriations further to en-
barrnss this administration by cutting
down these estimates $40, 900.
Laughter /. The truth about that
statement is, that nobody ever heard
of il untilyesterday; If anything is a
test as to whether the tendency of ex.'
penditureis upwardT1r' d 5~ iii the
departments, it will be found in the
two items for salaries and contingent
expenditures, and TASK the Commit.
tee to listen and say whether the sal
aries and contingent expenses ms asked
Tor in this book of estimates are up
ward or downward, as compared with
the expenses for the present year.
The excess of estimates over 'appro-
priations for the present year for sal
aries and contingent expenses are as
State Department, $50, $50;
Department proper, $780,
0J0; Treasury Department, s259, 09O;
department of the Interior, $S8, 1858;
Department. of War, $3.50 less;;,Na-
Wy, Department, $50, $40; Agricultural
S64, $50; ;Postofice De-
$50, 300. The total excess
of the estimates for salaries and con-
tingentexpenses for those departments,
ever appropriations of this year, are
s528,468. .E.s
> Take another illustration. Take
the navy yard at Washington, and
imagine how many officers Of the Ma
Wy, independent of.civil officers, it re-
to take care of it. Here Mr..
Dawes read a list of the officers en-
in the Washington Navy Yard,
that the number was twenty,
and that the amount of their. salaries
was S42, $50. Besides these, the sal
aries 'of the civil officers who helped
them take care .,of the Navy Yard
amounted to S4S ,946, making . grand
total of salaries for the Navy Yard at
Washington of $91 ,635.-He ,sug-
whether 5000 or. .S10,O00f
proper distributed in a private yard
would not be more effective for; the
purposes efthe Navy Speakingiof the
yachts, he asserted Il at they !
cost; each of them, $1,000 a day.. IF
this 81, 500 a. day were taken and nsed
tor subsisting the mercantile marine OF
the country, it would tend to encour-
age trade and enterprise and com
ncrce, instead Of being a mere waste
and useless fummery.
Referring to the suggestions made
the day before by Mr.. Butler, that he
Dawes should have gone to the de-
to enquire into any sup
posed errors, he was compelled to say
Just what had transpired, and the