Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-30
HOW THE OLE THING WORKS.

1t was only after he had secured by
lobbying, his own double salary of
$4,000, that President Grant could
afford to begin preaching retrench-
ment to Congress in his last message.
In publishing his recommendations, we
expressed our fears that Radical econ
omy would go no further than the
Nashville customhouse and such other
enterprises. A few days before the
adjournment for the holidays, Congress
man Garfield was challenged, by some
blind partisan Of the Administration, to
specify any item wherein the estimates
could be cut down, and in reply the first
item Of retrenchment he mentionedwas
the stoppageof work onpubhc buildings
throughout the country. either project
ed or in process of erection. The I'M
willingness of a Congress already
smarting under popular Indignation, to
intensity the odium against them by
levy Of additional taxes, has induced
the Radical majority TO impeach their
own Administration Of extravaganza
bv demanding revision Of the depart
ment estimates. The only response so
far. is the seni-official statement last
week that the War Department would
cut down its estimates for the improve
mept of harbors and rivers and fortifi-
cations from twenty million dollars to
three millions. The improvement of
harbors and rivers is a crying need of
commerce. and the universal demand
for cheap transportation shows that the
people atlarge appreciate theneed. The
lac threat of war with Spain elicitedthe
confession from official sources that the
fertilization Of our sea-coast cities, par
ticularly on the South Atlantic and the
! Gulf were not commensurate with safe
ty. This fact was recognized in the
President message, in referring to the
safety of our cities" And so of Gus
tom houses. etc, at various points
throughout the Countrywide needs OF
the public service demand the erection
of such buildings here in Nashville and
elsewhere. Another serious objection
to this style Of retrenchment IS that 1t
will throw thousands Of honest work
inemcn out Of the means Of livelihood
in the midst Of a money panic and the
inclemencies of winter. 1t is not wise
in the Government to furnish fresh
fuel for the Communistic fires already
breaking forth at intervals in the
Northern hives Of industry.
But why is all this unwise and UNI
timely retrenchment deemed necessary;
Why has the Federal treasury become
insoltent, and already gone in debt
over twentv-one millions, unlawfully,
because without consent of Congress?
The pickings and stealings, populations
and plunderings Of Radical officials are
the sole cause. Commerce and the I'M
movement of rivers and harbOrs must
suffer. that the wives and families of
Cabinet and bureau officers may sport
in landaulets at Government expense.
The safety of our cities must be ex-
posed for want Of Notifications, to fur
nish them with drivers and domestic
servants at the public expense. The
DuhTc service must be conducted at
great inconvenience in buildings rented
from political favorites at an enormous
annual cost. in order that horses and hay
may be furnished gratis for the private
Use Of public functionaries. Thou
sands of honest wOrkmen must walk
the streets in mid winter without en-
plovment or bread, to keep up govern
ment stables and government grooms
for the Plutonian aristocracy Of Wash
ington. We utterly condemn this one
sided economy. We emphatically pro-
test against the Nashville customhousC
being left mythical contingency
merely to squander in Washington
cor,uption the funds that would bullC
if We denounce any delay in The
needed improvements of the Cumber'
, land and Tennessee rivers, to support
the denominations Of the Radical Baby
Ion. Let AL Tennesseeans demand
that the Augean stables of corrup
ton be cleansed, and the Fedora
l Treasury viii be amply able
I H.. -, 4;,,,,.,. 4 800. .-.l II ,,1oI