The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-09-14

The number of members of Con-
gress is substantially the same now
that it was in 1860. There were then
233 members there are now 243, with
one vacancy, leaving actually242. The
expense of this body in 1860 were but
S26l9, ,529 per annum. In 1868 they
even fell to 50, 252,511 per annum.-
This was owing to the absence of the
Southern members. They rose to
over $4,000,000 per annum in subse-
quent years yet by the end. of Mr..
Jehnson's administration they fell to
S3,041 ,939. But no sooner does the
extravagant Grant administration as
sumo power than they are at once in
creased to over SIX MILLION DOLLARS
PER ANNUM: while this, year they are
so frightfully large that the Adminis-
tration has not yet dared to specify
them, but has hidden them under the;
unmeaning recapitulation of "Other
miscellaneous expenses - executive,
judicial, legislative" /" etc. =
Now, there can be no pretense con-
cerning any of the Civil expenditures
that the wal has swollen them, and,
least of all, concerning the salaries,
mileage, clerical services, stationery.
tooshpieks, gilt-edged note paper,
Wostenholm's pocket cutlery, ivory
fans, scented soaps, gold pencil cases,
and other petty pickings of Congress-
men. Yet here we find these expenses
multiplied during the first year of
Grants Administration to three times
that of any former year, before, dur
lug or since the war. Amy man, who
after reading these plain and irrefuta-
BILE facts, votes for the Republican
ticket, either in a general or State
election, votes in favor of public plum
dering, official extravaganza, and Ma
tional debauchery. He may as well
vote to put Jack Sheppard in the ex-
ecutive chair, as to retain so corrupt
and neglectful a. President as Grant
has discovered himself to be in this
simple matter of the expenditures of
Congress. SIX MILLIONS, TWO HUM
DRED AND EIGHTEEN THOUSAND, TWO
HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS
for one years expenses of 242 men
That is to say, nearly TwENTY-sIx
THOUSAND DOLLARS PER MAN. And
this does not include either the..frank-
ing or other extraordinary perqu1sites
of office-merely the " ordinary ex-
penses of Congress for one year. If
you doubt the sum, turn to Mr.. Bout
wells Finance Report, 1870, page
xviii, and there you will find it, on the
18th line from the top of the page
8. Congress, $6,218,221 IA" and Mr..
George S. BoutwelPs name. attached
to the statement to officially certify its
correctness. s-isf ~ !
Lack of space forbids us from fur
ther pursuing this inquiry at the pres
ent time. We may, perhaps continue
it in future; and meanwhile we can
advise the people of Ohio that as.
owing to the New Departure of the
Democratic party, the issues now be-
fore the country are simply those re-
lating to the finances, to the revenue,
and to. the currency reform, economy
and retrenchment, it is every mans
duty to examine these statements care
fully for himself. If he finds in either
party disposition to conceal or dis
tort the facts, it is his duty to turn his
back upon it. If he finds, on the
other hand, a desire to ascertain and
expose the truth, particularly if it be
coupled with sentiments of thrift.
conservatism and reform, it is his du-
ty to support it. No nation can long
continue to stand the tremendous
pressure of taxation that now afflicts
the United States. And unless we
wish to transmit to our children an
heritage of bankruptcy and poverty,
similar to that of 1887, we must take
sides at once on this all-absorbing
question of Financial Reform and
National observation-disclosures.