The Grange advance., 1874-01-21

by encouraging such enterprises.
Where the Money Goes.
The New Haven Union of the 18th
inst, gives the following notice of the
result of the investigation of the Com
mittee of Ways and Means We think,
says the Industrial Age, there are but
few readers of any party that will not
condemn the luxurious extravaganza to
which things are tending at Washing
ton. 1t takes large amount of corn at
20 cents a bushel to pay for the useless
squandering of money about any one of
the Government Departments. Is it
any wonder that when such things are
brought to light, the people should be
impressed that the record of the old po-
litlcal parties Of this country is such as
to forfeit their confidence and respect;
and that they are absolved from all al
lesiance to them, and should act no long
er with them. Such is the resolve of
the Farmers Convention at Decatur,
and it must receive the sanction of the
great laboring interests of the country:
''They have taken it upon themselves
to investigate a little, and we are not at
all surprised at the result. They find
that the regular appropriations for
1884 summed up $500, 600, 900, and
the extras, not included in the above, at
least $20,00O,OOO, which makes the
enormous total Of 26,000,0O0. The
contingent fund Of the treasury depart
ment for the past few years is also being
overhauled, and some curious, not to
say extraordinary, features are exposed
and will have to be explained. For in
stance in single year $4,000 were ex-
pended for carpets, over 5000 for ice
at cent a pound, amounting to nearly
1000 pounds day, and gas $4,000.
1t is alleged that private ice and gas
bills of officers of the departments are
charged to the Government account;
that is, no bills are sent to certain off,
GERS. An estimate of the amount con-
sumed taking a fair average, indicates
that there is leak somewhere. A still
more perplexing matter to the commit
tee are the accounts respecting the
Treasury horses. 1t is presumed that
four horses and two express wagons
will meet all the requirements of the
department for official business In this
connection, however, some inexplicable
accounts are rendered for a single year.
The care Of these horses cost $4,000;
their grain, $2500; their hay, 5000,
and their shoeing, over $500. The cost
OF repairs of the two express wagons for
the year was $4,000, there being one
item of repairs amounting to 5000, and
another 500. The repair of carriages
amounted to $500, and repair of harness
1000, one item of repair amounting to
1884, and another $251. There are
accounts of the purchase of one pair of
horses for $500 and carriage for 500.
The expenses of four horses and two
wagons accounted for, show an outlay
of over $11, 500.
The average cost Of keeping horse,
not at the expense of the Government,
is $500 a year. The amount expended
was $4,000, or an amount sufficient for
the maintenance of twenty horses. 1t
would appear that the contingent funds
Of the department were mainly consum-
ed in furnishing horses and carriages
for officials and favorite clerks at the
expense of the Government. It is a
notorious fact in Washington, that the
finest turnouts in the city are those of
the Government. The treasury is not
the only department given to this abuse.
Under the convenient cover of mail
wagon, splendid establishments, used ex-
clusively by the families of officials,
are purchased and maintained out of
the public treasury. The committee
will give this matter their serious con-
sideration."
Farmers Storing their own Grain.