Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-09-16

party tried to prevent it by an
amendment to an appropriation bill.
but . Democratic Senate refused.
and Congress was held until late in
September on this issue. Finally
the bill passed without the proviso,
but with no appropriation at all for
the Kansas Legislature. Then fs
was that Pieroe's administration, in
plain disregard Of law, transferred
other finds aud used them to pay
Achison's horde Of Missourians.
This called my attention to this sub
ject. and found it was Q common
practice to lap over and transfer
appropriations from one object to
anotqer, and thus entirely defeat
the constitutional power of Con-
gress over appropriations. I tried
over and over again to correct these
abuses, but q Democratic Senate
stood in the way. During the war
it was essential to continue this
mower as to the army and navy, but
Congress limited the power to these
two departments. Since the war,
upon my motion, and mainly In con-
sequence of Welles' order, the trans
fer of appropriations was prohibited
in all cases-and it was by this pro-
vision of law inserted in 1868, that
Admiral Porter was brought up
with short turn last year, when he
undertook by the transfer of appro.
pristions to improvise Q new navy.
We were asked last winter by the
Secretary of the navy to authorise
the transfer, but this was refused
by Congress.
There is another mode in which
the power of Congress to limit ex-
penditures has been evsded time out
of mind, and that is by using unex-
pended balances Of 'old appropria-
tions. This is tapping game. The
routine officers of the Departments
always insisted that they could not
get along without this practice,
though it led to scandalous abuses.
Well, at the last session, Congress
on my my motion, prohibited ap-
preparation made for one year to be
used in any subsequent year, except
to pay old expenses actually con-
tracted but not paid. This and the
law of 1868 cuts up at the roots
these abuses, and leaves the Execu-
tive Departments to expend only
the actual sums appropriated for
specific purposes and within q given
year. Now this important reform
has been made without the aid Of
Gen. Morgan or his associates, and
has been applied by q Republican
Administration. Why coald not
Gen. Morgan inform you of this
when he talked of order No. 752 II
he is in earnest about reform he will
be gratified to know that this reform
is an accomplished fact.
The balance of Gen. Aorgan's
speech is the old arraignment OF
New England. 1t contains some
truths and many errors. 1t is true
that Massachusetts, is careful of her
local interest. 1t is true that che
stuck to her fishing bounties until .
Republican Congress repealed them.
1t is true she has q ready facility to.
gather up old claims and get them
paid. Gen. Morgan is very unfor-
tunate in citing this as an instance
of Massachusetts greediness Ac-
cording to his own showing two of
these claims we're paid by Demo-
cratic Congresses, and the only op-
position to the last in the Senate
was made by the Republican Sena-
tors. 1t was q claim for interest
for advances made to the United
States during the war of 1919, and
it was settled on the precise rule ap-
piled to every other State. I
thought the rule a wrong one, but
not . single Democratic Senator
agreed with me, and but few Repub-
licans. General Morgan is now
rather late in coming to the rescue.
1t passed the House of Representa-
tives several times. They did not
hear from him there. Why did he
not there bring out the opposition
of Gen. Strong to the war Of 1919.
and the apocryphal blue lights of
Connecticut, the only Democratic
New England State7
But it is not true that Massachu-
sets is unlike any other state in at
tending to her local interests. Ohio
protects her local interests with as
much industry and ability as any
other state, and perhaps may say
is not less influential in the Govern
ment of the Nation than any other
state. 1t is nottrue that the Tariffor
Revenue laws in any respect favor
the interest of New England to the
detriment OF other states, or that
her voice is more potent than other
sections. This is the stale residum
of old politics, when there were no
powers but South Carolina and
He forgets that it
is near forty years since Webster
and Hayne debated all this. No
longer need the mighty West, with
its increasing power, whine about
the influence of other sections. She
has but to streth forth her hand to
take, to dictate, and to govern.
Gen. Morgan and are both Wes-
tern men. and ought not to grumbls
when We have the power in our own
hands. The empire of this nation
'ests now firm in the Mississippi
Valley.
Again: He says we in Ohio have
% pay more than our own share Of
axes, because in Ohio there is col
ected e16,0s2, ,<97 Internal taxes,
Ind nearly all on whiskey. If this
easoaipR be true, then We nav