National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-23
THE HOUSE APPROPRIATION
COMMITTEE.

The Hon. Mr.. Garfield and the members
Of the House Appropriation Committee
have been working industriously for some
days past preparing the appropriation bills
for the coming session of Congress. The
gratifying intelligence is sent out every
evening from the committee room that rapid
progress is being made, that the amounts
reported for the different Departments of
the Government for the next fiscal year will
not be increased; that in the whole matter
judicious anxiety is manifested to protect
the interests Of the taxpayers-all of which
the taxpayers will, it is fervently hoped,
duly appreciate.
The story comes to us, on pretty good
authority, that Mr. Garfield, TO whom we
had occasion to refer some weeks ago, is
not altogether pleased with THE NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN and with the structures we
made upon him Immediately before the
November elections. We exceedingly re-
greet this, and trust it may not be true. We
have very great respect for the successor
of Mr.. Stevens in the House, and are sorry
that we should have even temporarily ruff
fed his tranquility and peace of mind. We
really meant to be kind and generous to-
ward him, because we love and admire
him and recognize the great services he has
done for the party in one way or another.
What we wished to impress upon Mr.. Gar
field s mind was that, as one of the princi-
pal leaders in the House, he should come
up, and bring his party up, to higher
plane Of thought and action than he has yet
done. We did not object to his cutting
down expenses and looping off of useless
branches Of the service, because that is only
right. But we strove to point out to him
that the party expects something more at
his hands, and that as leader he must 90
to the country with something larger and
greater than a reduction of a hundred poor
girls in the printing bureau of the Treasury
Department. That is not the sole work for
Mr.. Garfield TO do, and he has made great
mistake in supposing that that was the only
duty devolving upon him.
In tie remaining three months of the
Forty-Third Congress he has an Opportu-
nifty TO retrieve some of the errors and
blundcrs he has made and bring himself up
to the rank Of his predecessors as a party
manager and leader. The detail work to
which we have alluded belongs to his lieu
tenants and staff officers. As was said, we
have high regard and esteem for him, but
our esteem and affection do not blind us to
his shortcomings and his failures in the
higher field Of usefulness and endeavor in
which we would have him work and strive.
Last winter, very early in the session, we
told him that he permitted Mr.. Beck to be
the real leader of the House. He must not
make this mistake this year if he would re-
tain his position in the party and in the
organization Of the party. Above all, he
must not quarrel with THE NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN and become angry be-
cause we have seen fit to criticise him
and point out his errors. This will be a
greater mistake than he has yet made, and
will do him no good whatever. We have
rendered him the most important service
newspaper could render him, and we
promise to continue to serve him in the
same way in the future notwithstanding his
seeming ingratitude and want of apprecia-
ton ofour efforts in his behalf.