Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-11-13
CONGRESSIONAL REFORM

There are indications on all sides that
the next session Of Congress will be
closely watched by the people. Many
Of the most devoted Of the Republican
journals are giving notice that unless
there is a genuine spirit of reform de-
veloped there will be trouble. Thus the
Cleveland Leader, one Of the trusted or
gans Of the Ohio Republicans, says:
.The time has come for a general reform
in the manner Of doing the public business.
There has been not only too much corrupt
legislation and too much stealing, but too
general lOoSeness. The people are now
fully aware Of this and demand that ii shall
cease. The eyes of their constituents will
closely watch members of the coming Con-
gress. Woe unto them if they are found
wanting
The Cincinnati Times, equally as
loyal" as its Cleveland contemporary,
is not a whit less emphatic in telling
the Republican majority in Congress
what must be done, else the Republi-
can party goes to the wall. We give
from its issue of Nov. 6, its text and
comment as follows:
Treasurer Spinner his thirteenth annual
report says the falling off in the receipts for
the past year from customs, amounts to
S2S,2S0,S 64, and from internal revenue,
SIG, 81, 500 lrdiJe lie expenditures are
largely IN erceSS Of those Of the precious
gear Yesterdays Dispatches.
The expenditures are largely in excess
Of those Of the previous YEAR. What can
Republican organs say to this? Did not
the Republicans carry the election last
year by securing the confidence of the peO-
pie that their pledges Of economy and re-
trenchment would be redeemed? And
what can We say when confronted by this
official statement Of our own officer, the
United States Treasurer? Nothing, except
that the Republican majority in the last
Congress wantOnly violated these pledges
by lavish and uncalled-fOr expenditures.
This is notably the case with the increase
Of salaries, for one thing. For another, we
have the notorious fact that the appropria-
lions for the several Departments exceed by
several millions what the heads of Depart
ments estimated that they would require.
Another item is the money voted for cor
rupt jObberS and unworthy claimants; and
yet another, the loose outlay for public
buildings and improvements. Hence, it
has happened that, with largely diminished
revenues, the public debt, for the first time
since the Inauguration of President Grant
,rOs increased by millions during the last
month.
This was not the fault of the Administra-
ton, but of Congress. Hence we say, and
shall continue TO Tepeat-and all the Re-
publican press should keep on reiterating:
Reform must begin 1cjjb Congress. The
first step, after thoroughly reforming the or
ganization, should be the complete and I'M
conditional repeal of that stencil in the
public nostrils, the salary increase. No
shred Of that eminently disastrous measure
should be left remaining. No quarter
should be shown to a single one of those
Congessmen-Republican or Democratic
who refuse to refund every dollar of the
salary-grab. whether backward or forward.
That is a direct test Of the honest fidelity of
members which nobody can fail to under
stand. So much to begin with. Thenmust
rigid economy and retrenchment be intro
duced into every branch of the public ser
vice. This will be the great work of the
next session of Congress, in which the Re
publicans have a large majority. On that
majority the responsibility will rest. On
the well or ill-doing of this hangs the fate
OF the Republican party in the immediate
future