New-York tribune., 1874-03-06
WASHINGTON.
THE PROGRESS OF RErRENcHMENT.

THE PROGRESS OF RErRENCHMENT.
AN ELABORATE SPEECH BY GEN. GARFIEID-IIE
ESTIMATES A REDUCTION OF S34,OOO,O00 IN THE
APPROPRIATToNs-A PLAN or ECoNONY-THE
SPEECH CONSIDERED COMPLETE REPLY &c
Mr.. DAwEs's CHARGES.
[BY TELEGRAPH THE ThIBusE.l
WASHINGTON March 5.-Gen. Garfield delivered
an elaborate speech the finances toay, confninR
himself mainly to the subject OF Government ex-
penditures theme upon which he showed himself
to be 80 thoroughly informed that his statements
and statistics were accepted by most of his hearers
authority that could not be disputed His we'll
known habit of painstaking research and accurate
statement gave to his speech especial importance
and az il dealt for the most part in figures which
Republicans at least regard az trustworthy, and did
not go much into theorzing or specuations 1T will
be likely to furnish good deal of the groundwork
for future financial discussion.
About the only theory that Mr.. Garfield advanced
was that in appropriations Congress should not,
Mr. Dawes said cut its coat according to it's cloth, but
should provide cloth enough to cut garment Of
sufficient size TO the giant that was to be
clothed Beyond certain point retrenchment could
not 90 without cutting into vital and necessary
functions of the Government. He spoke of a work
ing surplus in the Treasury as essential to ITS
healthy condition, and said that when such sur
plus was wanting it "a sure sign of bad le9isla-
tion OF bad administration. Ho agreed with Mr.
Dawes that deficit an indication that the dry
rot had struck the party in power, aud gave an in
teresting history of the causes that led to the
deficits that occurred in 1871 and 1857, the only
occasions when the Treasury had been without
surplus in time of peace In both cases the surplus
disappeared, not by extravagant expenditure, bCt
by too great reduction in the revenue, and if we
were threatened with deficit now, it was from the
same cause Since 1868 taxes that produced $3l9,-
100000 annually had been repealed At the same
time there had been a constant reduction In the eX-
penditures the appropriations of the last fiscal year
being $3.50, 600 less than those of 1866
The most important part of the speech, so far rs
its political bearing was concerned. was that de-
voted TO showing the errors of Mr.. Dawes IN the
figures he gave TO prove that the annual appropra-
tions were increasing from year to year. Mr.. Gar
leld stated positively that when the annual de-
fciency sppropriations were charged to the fiscal
year for which they were made the total approprla-
tiops for every year since 1865 would be found to be
less than for the year before The process OF reduc
ton bad been going steadily on without a single IN
terrupton He believed it could be carried still FUR
ther before the the normal peace
level of expenditure III the House sustained hls
Committee, he hoped to bring down the appropria-
Tor the next iSCal year iOuVOOV
Of the Sinking Fund. The present condition Of the
Treasury was he claimed, solely owing to the fact
that since 1870 Congress had repealed taxes which
produced Sl46OO0OOO annually. In the Summer OF
1870 with a surplus of Sl000O0,000, $Sl,5o000O Of
revenue was dispensed with by reductions in the
tariff and in internal taxes and IN 1872 IN spite OF
the warnings of the Treasury that reduction OF
more than S5S,OOO.OOO would be dangerous, reduc-
ton of 600 had been made. ii was this egis
lation which destroyed the surplus and not eXraya
CANT appropriations.
As sample of the economy his Committee and
the House were praccing, he sad that in the three
appropration bills already passed, total reduction
from the estimates of $1,5000O0 had been effected
and he put the probable grand total Of reduction in
all the bills at SA0O0000 classification of the
appropriations into three groups which he had
made showed that "a per cent of the whole were for
expenditures directly resulting from the war, in
cluding interest on the debt B per cent for the
support of the army and navy and % per cent for all
other purposes. Mr.. Garficlds plan of economy was,
first, to dispense entirely with all unnecessary ex
penses; and second, to postpone all expenditures
that could be put Oh without injury TO the interests
of the Government
The speech which occupied nearly two holrs in
its delivery is spoken of all hands "A very able
effort Most of the Republicans regard 1T as a com
plete reply to Mr. Dawes's charges of extravagance
Mr.. Beck will reply on behalf Of tie Democrats az
soon a. lac can get the floor.