The Lincoln County herald., 1870-02-03
Our Cheap Administration AGAIN.


In the United States House of Repre-.
sentstives, on the 26th ult, Butler, in
q speech that 6lled eleven volumns of the
Congressional Globe, attempted TO reply
to the stunning speech Of Hon. Henry l..
Dawes, who came out so boldly the week
previous against the extravaganza of the
Washington oligarchy.
A goodly portion Of Butlar's speech,
says the Republicans Washington special
was q personal attack on MIR. Dawes,
charging him with an attempt to furnish
the Democratic party with capital to di.
vide the Republican party and weaken
the Administration. He also charged
him with misrepresensing the estimates
fof the appropriations asked by the Ad
ministration, though it appeared that
Buffers own figures made the excess Of
the present over the last administration
seme $50, 900, 900, being SIS, ,O0O, 900 less
than the excess claimed BY Dawes. In
the course of his speech, Butler said that
tho members Of this administration (mean.
ing the President and Cabinet) felt that
Mr.. Dawes speech was a blow struck at
them in the interests of political oppo.
nents. Dawes made brief reply, and
said at future day he should answer all
portions of Buffers speech, except his
personalities, and that he should adhere
to the truth Of his charges of extrava-
gance, and maintain the feasibility of the
policy Of economy he had stated hereto
fore. He briefly reviewed his record Of
fourteen years in the House, and said
that while he had been virtually read out
of the Republican party by Forney's
newspaper, he did not propose to 90 at
the bidding Of a man who was always
ready to lick the hand who was open to
purchase, for censure or that fed him, and
praise Of public measures, no matt r
wethcr he was paid for it in greenbacks
or gold. This latter reference was to the
payment Of coin made by the Russians to
Forney for his support of the Alaska
treaty. During Dawes's speech the en-
tire Democratic side went over into the
Republican side of the House and filed
the aisles and vacant chairs. The issue
of extravaganza, thus made up, promises
to widen in the Republican ranks. Mr..
Dawes, however, has carried his first point
by securing the defeat to day of the bill
to establish a new navy yard at League
Island.
TIE day following, Mr.. Dawes made a
reply more at length, and in defence of
what he said week ago in exposure of
the excessive estimate Of the adminstra
ton. lie maintained the truth Of all be
had said then, and took up in detail the
estimates, first, asking members to follow
him with their printed book of estimates
and make their comparisons themselves,
and showed just the exact difference be-
tween the estimates made last year by
Andrew Johnson's administration and
those submitted this year by the Cabinet
of President Grant In citing this differ
ence he illustrated that Secretary Robson
asked s3,6OO,OOO for navy yards this
year, while Mr.. Wells enly required less
than half million last year. These com.
parisons, made seriaten,, footed up nearly
forty millions Of dollars, and Dawes ap.
pealed to the candid judgment of the
House il he had not sustained his asser.
tions. He then addressed himself to a
defence of the propriety and the occasion
of his first speech, rs a Republican mem
Der, occupying position wherein he was
responsible for extravagant appropria-
tions.