The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-01-24
.42d CONGRESS? y.
WASHINGTON, January 49, 1879.
Lgd lHOUNE. .ll 80 50 I.

II MIR. SARGENT OF the Committee on
Mines reported bill for the develop petnent
] Of the mines OF the country. II declares
that all Government lands, whether sur.
\ lgeyed or not, are Tree and open To- explo.
ration, and the purchase defines certain
rules governing newly discovered mines,
An amendment was agreed TO that the
bill should not affect the rights Of the
proprictors 'm tile sutro tunnel. Btl
passed.
Mr.. PIERCE, from the Committee on
Education aud Labor reported bill to
establish IN educational fund, and 10
apply the proceetls Of the public slandsito
the education Of tic people, and asked
that il I've put upon its passage. The
morning hour expired and the House
went into the committee Of the whole on
Legislative and Executive Appropriation
bill. Mr., WHEELER in the Chair,
I Mr.. GARFIELD, Chairman ol the Com
mitlCG on Appropriations remarked that
the revenues and their expenditure might
be almost said to be the whole
scope 9f the Government Of modern
nations. In looking over the statutes
of England, he had discovered the
curious fact that whenever England
had q war the expenditures Immediately
and naturally leaped up enormously to u
higher level, and tho war ending the eX-
pellditufes graded down rapidly aud at
last struck a level below which they did
not go. That level was always good
deal higher than the level from which the
country had started when the war began,
but what hadstruok him as most remark
able was the length Of time it took after
the war for the nation to get down as far
as.it would goin the reductionof expendi-
lures. Itappcared TO be the law in the
United States that the length of time was
about equal to double the .Aength Of time
that the war lasted. 1t has taken England
twenty years after the Napoleonic wars to
reach her new peace level Of expenditure
He calculated that the United States
wonld reach its lowest peace level in 1876
and he thought the expenditures of the
Government would be about $l25, ,000, 900,
and the interest on. the public debt $685.
O0Oi000 He had divided the Gxpendi.
tures with the government heads and
found the proportions Of this amount
rclerahle to the late war, exclusive of
the interest on the public debt, CO., per
cent; the present army and navy estab.
lishment IA per cent, and all other
departments Of government 35i per cent.
The same heads in the expenditures Of
the English government were 9S4, 33 and
2S4 per cent Coming down TO bill the
itself, he said that 1t appropriated s., 1885,.
coo less than like bill last year, and
$3000O0O less than was asked for in the
estimates. sE4
Mr.. BECK; remarked that he had served
on the Appropriation Committee two
years and that 1t was the stingest COM
mittee he ever knew. 1t had to come
back with deficiency bill, and he pre-
dicted that the present committee would
have to do the same after the presidential
election. Laughter. r..
Mr. WOoD thought Mr.. GARFIELD
should have given n portion Of his time
to the study and explanation Of the Ia.
.daentablG and extraordinary fIct stated in
The civil service report, that the cost of
collecting taxes amounted TO One.iOurth
of the revenue. lie as, chairman OF the,
Committee on Appropriations should have.
proposed some means by which Congress
would curtail those enormous eXpendi-
lures and restrict them within their
legitimate boundaries. H'- 'A-
Mr.. HALE said, as TO the statement quo.
ted by Mr.. WooD from the civil service
report, that no one would claim that It
was horne out by the facts and figures.
On the contrary the cost Of collection was
not more than five or six per cent OF the,
aggregate revenue. r.arst'. o.
Mr.. MAYNARD suggested that the cX-
Pensc of collecting the revenue was only
per cent. TyTa asy INK.
Mr.. HALE explained that what the Civil
Service Commissioners meant to convey
in the remark quoted was not that one.
fourth of thorevenue was stolen, but that
owing 10 the system one fourth Of what
ought 10 be received by tho government
was lost, and that was owing TO the spoils
system handed down from the Demo.
cratic days. ey sae 6 otofI II eDs1rg
Mr.. WooD remarked that the cost OF,
collecting customs ten years ago under
the Democratic party was $30O0,000 q
year, and now II was $4,000, 900. Is'r1
Mr.. KELLOGG remarked that at that
time the amount OF custom house duties
collected was less than one hundred mil
lions, and IL then cost three millions TO
collect, whereas the amount collected last
year was Two hundred and six millions.
Mr.. WoODrenlaried that il Should cost
very little more 10 collect two hundred
million than 1t cost TO collect one hundred
million, because the machinery Of cOllcc.
tion was all the same. d. 5. -igl lis --.i.
The general debate closed and the clerk
proceeded to read the bill by clauses for
amendments. Aftcr progressing through
thirteen pages Of the bill, which contains
Ilfty.six pages, the committee rose. ,. 10.
Mr.. TOWNSEND, Of New York, intro.
duced a bill to authorize mail steamship
service between the United States and
Mexico. Referred. -' 't'a-g''
/ The Senate's amendments to theqbill
authorizing the importation Of machinery
were now concurred in and q committee
of conference ordered. , ~ .i-Sf +. T.. .sr,
Mr.. DAWES mentioned privately that
plate glass machinery had been already
importedand dntSpaid on iI.a'a'y' ias51. i,e :
Adjourned. l.7aa7gssI yga d
=" % t1 SENATE. a.I s=
MIR. NRUNIBULL presented a petition from
tho citizens oil Illinois, Michigan, Iowa
and Wisconsin for the reduction Of tho tar
III and repeal of the dutieso coal, salt and
Ipig iron. Mr.. TRUNrBur1 reported amend
cd apportionmcnt bill and hoped the
bill would receive early consideration. H.