The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-04-28
Spccimeu Economy.

There is no theme so fruitful in SELF
glorihcation for the Radical press as that
of the reduction of expenses In the ad.
ministration Of public affairs. One
would suppose after reading these effu-
sions that GRANTS administration was
reallya model of economy and retrench-
ment. But when the matter is exam
ined critically it is found to be nothing
more than electioneering bosh. The
actual state of the c1se is about this:
The expenses of Congress during the
past year are more than one million dol.
lars in excess of what they were during
either of the two previous years.
1t cost two hundred and seyenty.two
thousand dollars more to collect the
revenues from customs, than 1t did last
year.
The miscellaneous expenses, which
includes buildings, have increased one
million of dollars.
The expenses of the United States
Courts are one million three hundred
thousand dollars in excess of what they
were during the fiscal year of 1868.
There has been an advance of eight
hundred thousand dollars in the expen-
ses of the Interior Department under
the reformer DELANo.
Tie increase in the Pension Burea u
amounts in round numbers to eleven
million of dollars.
The Postoffice Department costs eight
hundred thousand dollars more than it
did two years ago.
Here we have an aggregate increase
of expenses during thespast fiscal year
amounting to sixteen million one hun
dred and seventy-two thousand dollars,
and this does not include the various
items that will be dovetailed into the
Deficiency Appropriation bill, and
which will bring the increase of expen-
ditures fully up to thirty millions OF
dollars.
Now what is there to Offset this? The
principal item is reduction of two
million two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars in the expense of collecting the
internal revenue. But the falling of
of receipts and the innumerable deial
cations of collectors more that counter
balances this reduction, which has beer
brought about by the consolidation OF
revenue districts and the reduction o
the number of officials.
There is fictitious claim set p,whicl
| by comparison with the expenses fol
the same item during the last two year!
of President JouNsoN's term, it i.
sought to turn into political capital. We
refer to the expenses of the army ant
navy. BY comparison it will be seer
that the aggregate expenses of the arm!
are one hundred and twenty-five mil
lions less, than they We're during eithe
of the last two years of JoHNsoN's ad
saving of expenses in this. The arm.
has simply been reduced. During JOHN
SONS term the Radical Congress wa
repeatedly asked to reduce the miitar,
and naval forces but 1t was refused, con
sequently, while the standing army wa
large, it, necessitated large eXpendi
ture of money. But by comparison /
is found that it costs large per cent
more now to subsist and pay thous
and soldiers and their officers than i
did in 1865, so that there has beef
no reduction in expenses, but in tn
number of men. Add to this that dur
ing the years mentioned, more than
hundred million dollars of debts con
tracted during the war were paid b.
and charged to the expenses of the Wa
Department, and we find this boastet
claim of one hundred and twenty-five
millions of dollars reduction is pure fic
ton
The war claims paid by the War De
partment, and the extra expenses for tn
unnecessarily large standing army dur
ing 1868, is almost equal to what il
claimed as a reduction of the publ,
debt in 1901, and the increase of eX
penses, as shown above, during the lat
ter period indicate that instead of a re
duction of expenses, there has been al
increase of not less than twenty.fiv
millions of dollars.
The collections of the government
from the people in the shape of take
aggregate about five hundred million
annually, and as the reduction of tn
, public debt-so claimed, from April l s.
1870, to April 1st, 1871, amounts to onl
about one hundred millions of dollar:
the people would like to know whs
has become of the other four hundre
, millions ofdollars, which have not onl
, been spent, but other demands created
r which can only be met by the Deilcienc
Appropriation bill.
, The claim that the administration {
/ GRANT has been an economical OF
! and has saved money for the people,
not sustained by the facts. When "
| take the amounts collected during Il
, last fiscal years of JoHNsoN's ar
GRANTS administrations and dedu
i. from them respectively the war CLAIM
+ paid in 1S67.S, and the alleged redu
[ tion of the public debt in 1S70.7l, v
8 huu iHut uuliHS tHc idltSi Seai thS
was fully one hundred millions more
excluding the items deducted-disbu,
ed by GRANTS than by JoHNsoN's q
= ministration for the same period Of tim
-PHtSJurg Post.
y WE learn that Hor. GEORGE
o PENDLEToN has finally declined to pc
t NIT his name to be used as candida
n for Governor before the approachil
l. Democratic Convention in Ohio. III
O. decision has been reached after mu
y deliberation, and is understood to ha
Of been made for reasons wholly persons
ot The impression now seems to obta
ID that Hon. GEORGE MCCooK, W
re known as an able and faithful advoca
nf napnnnrot Ia min i,la Nd nIu 10