The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1872-01-13
gablit Sftairs.
From The Rsw York World.
EXtravaganceof Grants Administration


We propose, in what we have now to
say, to rest our case entirely upon Off.
cial figures. The force OF this article.
so far as il may be deemed to have any
force, will result from comparison Of
the late report of Secretary Boutwell,
with the last report made BY Mr.. Bu.
chlnan's Secretary Of the Treasury. II
is comparison between the expenses Of
the federal government in 1871 aud It's
expenses in the year 1860.
Before we begin, lot US be INDUCED
10 ono preliminary remark The most
damaging proofs Of the corruption of
General Grants administration do not
rest upon official statements Of what il
paid iuto aud what is paid out Of, the
national treasury. When bribed Gus
tom House officers conDive at smuggling,
noue OF the money with which they line
their pockets appears in the national
accounts. The same remark applies TO
the swindles of the internal revenue as.
SCISSORS and collectors, and also the rob
berries perpetrated by the managers Of
the scaadalous bonded warehouses. La
all these swindles, money is diverted
from the treasury into the pockets of
official thieves, and the robberies eau
not be traced in the figures Of the
Treasury Department. The community
is robbed Of ten dollars in this way for
every dollar squludered by payments
out of the Treasury. Let it be under
stood, therefore that we are dealing ouly
with the lesser branch of government
corruption
We begiu by presenting the total
annual expenditures az stated in the
official documents:
Total IN 1871, ss22, IN. lss
Total in 1850, 77,4G2. lO2
The one being about six times as
great as the other We concede that
this naked, unexplained statemen. would
do great injustice to the present admin
istration We will deal fairly, and
make all proper Attachments, which
candor obliges US to confess, are very
large in amount. Under the head Of
expenditures are included the interest
on the public debt, the payments of the
public debt made within the year, and
the pensions, amounting in the aegre.
gate TO 40 enormous sum. 1t is right
to lay these quite out Of the case but
apart from these there is no good reason
why the federal expenses should be very
much greater now than they were ia
1860. There has, to be sure, been an
Increase OF about 70 per cent 10 our
population; but the expenses Of gov.
ernment ought not to increase iu the
ratio Of population The one President
and one Vice President, the Cabinet,
the Congress, the foreign missions, with
no increase OF numbers or salaries, are
as adequate as they were 10 1860.
Population has increased, but thero has
been no corresponding multiplication Of
federal officers. But the federal OK.
penses have increased, not only to the
full ratio of the population, but are ten
times greater than the increase Of pop
ul"tion. What We propose is simply
the ordinary expenses Of the govern
ment, apart from the bardeus entailed
by the public debt aud the pension list.
We therefore begin by making the
necessary deductions on these heads
There were paid out ofthe public treas.
ury, in the years we are comparing, the
following sums under these respective
heads.
Iu 1871:
| Payments OF public debt, sIs6, ,7s5, Ia
Interest on public debt, l25, ,576 ,5s5
| Pensions, 81. .4d3 sgi
Total under these heals $3.50, o,5SS, ,GoG
In 1860
| Payments Of public debt, Sl4.4sgsl4
Interest on public debt, 3.l7T,sil
| Pensions, Og2 72I
Total under the three heads SIS, ,7O5 So;
! There would be no fairness in arraing.
ing tire present administration for the
great excess in this class Of expenses
But these necessary expenditures are
used to screen a corresponding and in.
dcten-ible Increase in the ordinary cost
of the government; and this is the fal.
lacy which we have undertaken to ex
pose Let us deduct this class Of ex
peuses, in both years, from the iota
expenditures Of those years, and We
can then make a fair comparison between
the ordinary working expenses Of the
government in 1871 aud 1860.
In 1871:
Total expenditures, s422.ll7. IL,
Debt, interest and pensions, $50. T55 Gee
Balance, sI3i. sci 81.
In 1860:
Total expenditures, SIT 7,as2, 10.
Debt interest and pensions, 1906, ,35.
Balance, $500, 7l1
Let Us here pause moment and look
at the result thus far reached. Having
laid out Of the case everything but the
ordinary current expenses Of admins
tering the government. We find that
these expenses have more than doubled
since 1860. We now proceed to show
that there is no possible justification
for so enormous an increase. We have
already met aud disposed of the argu
ment or apology founded on the war,
by deducting all expenses Of this kind,
aud exhibiting tho simple, naked ex
pcnses administering the government
Having taken from the champions of
the administration their stock excuse.
se eail on thain 10 show any valid
reason why the ordinary expenses Of
the government should have more THAI
doubled since 1860. Without waiting