The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-01-28
Gen. Buffers Reply to MIR. Dawes

THE HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS INDICATED
Gen. Buffers long expected speech in reply
to MIR. Dawes of Massachusetts, Chairman of
the Committee on Appropriations, is quite
forcible, if we except the personalities We
quote the more important part of the speech,
as we have already given Mr.. Dawes side of
the case:
Mr.. Butler passing on proceeded to read
from his manuscript, while Dawes, who was
separated from him only by the width of the
aisle, quietly took notes OF the speech. The OBJ
lect, he said, of the speech OF his colleague was
TO show to the unthinking and unrefecting
that the first year OF President Grants admin.
istration called for the appropriation of S49,-
6o2,377 more than was required for the expen-
dltures OF the last year OF Johnson's admins.
tralion. Because OF the corruptions and ex-
travagant expenditures of that administration
The people drove IL from power. This was what
had gone 10 the country, because the carefully
concealed fact that $49, 000 900 in large degree
only appeared in the typographical errors and
blundels OF the clerk in the book of estimates
never had gone to the country. The estimates
OF 1903 000 900 made by Andrew johnson and
his Secretaries we've not for what he would car.
~ on the government but for what Gen. Grant
should carry it on Tor. OF course the tempta-
ton OF those outgoing Secretaries was to make
show OF economy by abandoning all public
works and by cutting under every -posSihle ex-
pend tpreS1ffanu cause it TO bring in a large
deficiency bill upon which the Democrats
might ground charge ofextravagance against
the Republican party But in their widest
ImagI nation they would Lot have dreamed that
the Republican chairman of the Committee on
Appropriations would be the willing instlu-
ments of their designs; still more fatal mis-
conception OF the truth by the chairman of the
Committee on Appropriations and the still
greater deception on the country, whether in
tended or not, was in overlooking the fact that
the estimates of Andrew johnson were based
on large unexpended balances; the balance for
the navy then being $685. 100000 and that for
the quartermaster's department of the army
$4,000, 000 These balances were now expepd-
ed, and substantially every dollar available for
the future would have to be appropriated from
the revenue. 1t is hard to believe that his col.
league did not know that great fact, which an
swered his attack upon the Republican party,
and it was still harder to believe that kuowino
| it he concealed it. Had he been seduced by the
fact that his predecessor, Mr.. Washburne Of
Illinois, by by cutting down the approximations
upon the strength of the unexpended balances
got a reputation for economy and was patted
on the back as the Bull Dog" of the treasury,
was it not possible that his colleague would
sacrifice the interests and success OF his party
to his own self-aggrandisement in this connec.
ton. Mr.. Butler read letter to himself giv-
ing the unexpenJed balances of June, 1865 as
follows: War Department, $104. 633, pol; navy.
S18, 32O632; Indian and pension departments,
$40 027 1888; civil service, $13,444, 63s; total,
$156. 426,450.
A, To Tue Treasury Department, be proceed
ed to show that the excess in the estimates
was caused by the legislation of Congress in
the ordinary erection of public works, such as
the New York and Boston post offices, &c.
which made difference against last wear of
over $6000O00. His colleague had not seen it
to pay his respects particularly to the STATE
Department, perhaps, because The difference
nnlV S3Z 0Q0. bur that rtp H.
all the rest, could stand a true test OF economy
in expenditure. The expenditures in that
Department for the past year was $94 900 less
than in the last year of Mr.. Johnson's admin
istration.
As t. the Interior Department. he tboupht
ne could account for S12 100000 of the excess
of the estimates. The explanation was to he
found in the fact that now for the first time
appropriations were made directly to the Pa
tent Office, instead of being paid ont of the
Patent Office fund; that the Land Office re-
quired $500 additional for land surveys owing
TO the immense immigration, and that there
was ference CT Sill 100000 for pensions,
owing to an unexpepded balance of last year ;
put MS colleague had omitted to mention two
extravagant estimates for Congress N which
there was an excess in estimate of S1627 O0O
He assured the House that he had gone over
them with considerable care and accuracy. He
had estimated the expenditure of the secon
year of General Grants administration. com
pared with the appropriations for last year,
and endeavored to reply, item by item, to the
general charges made by his colleague, He
undertook to show that the amounts not prop
ely chargeable to the excess of expenditures
10 General Grants administration were 49,
800, 900 less than the amounts of the apparent
estimates, and deductipg 1000 which is
charged as excess this year, really more than
SIC, 900 less than the appropriations of last
year. 1t would thus be seen that instead of
TINS administration calling for more than it
had last year to carry on the government, it
asked for, and recommended the appropriation
OF, sum which was in fact over $40 900 900
less than than that of last year, or $50 900 900
less than Andrew Johnson's estimates, show
ing that the professions of economy which
General Grant put forward in his message, and
which every one of his Secretaries recommend
ed and enforced in their reports, were not, as
the chairman of the committee on appropria-
tions stated, false professions and not intended
TO be carried out in fact.