The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-12-29
Keep the Party Pledge.

Two cabinet officers, Messrs. Bristow and
Jewell, are doing their utmost to reduce the
expenditures of their respective depart
ments, the Treasury and the Postal. If let
alone, they will accomplish great reform
and save the Taxpayers several millions an
nualy. Should they receive the cooperation
of Congress, the expenditures of the govern
ment might be reduced several millions more.
If they fail in the accomplishment of their
plans, it will be because Republican Con-
gressmen and politicians combine to oppose
them. Already there comes the report that
Secretary Bristow is meeting with great
deal of opposition in his efforts to reform the
administration of the custom houses. He
has, however, succeeded in having hundred
and twenty useless officials removed from the
New York custom house. At Philadelphia
where forty useless officials are reported, he
has not been so successful, the discharge
having been postponed by the persistent in
terposition Of Congressman from that local
ity, whose henchmen the unnecessary forty
undoubtedly are.
The people who are demanding these re-
forms have been led to believe that General
Brstow is not of that order of cabinet Off
GERS who are reached by ''infuences which it
is difficult to withstand when these infu-
ences are the requests of senators to retain
their worthless henchmen. They believe
that Gen. Bristow does not recognize that
the maintenance of useless officers is any one
of the purposes for which the government
was established. They have reason to be-
lieve that he believes that the affairs of the
government. should be managed on strict
business principles, that custom houses and
navy yards and government works are not
asylums for the care of any class of depend
ents, but places in which there should be
efficient and honest men employed, suffi.
cient in number to transact the public busi-
ness by working the same number of hours
each day as men outside in private business.
The observing people believe that the Secre-
tary of the Treasury regards the paying of
salaries to senatorial or other henchmen vino
render the government no service, or even
inadequate service,as only a roundabout kind
of dishonesty, and little better in fact than
direct robbery by those who directly or indi-
rectly participate in it. Consequently the
people are looking to him and Postmaster
General Jewell to carry out the reforms they
have begun.
1t is difficult TO conceive how the average
Congressman can be so blind to passing
events and so deaf TO the warnings of the re-
4I,ot ;Dta
est lies in obstructing the work which Secre-
tary Bristow and others have begun. Does
he forget that the people are more numer-
Gus than sinecurists retained at the public
expense? Does he forget tie pledges the
party has made to the country to conduct its
business with economy? Does he not see
in the elections of last November the evil
dences that the people are tired of promises
of reform and economy which are only half
kept or not at all? Admit that the Repub-
lican Congresses have abolished offices by the
thousand since the war, and reduced the ex.
penses of the government, there is yet great
work to do in the direction of economy.
Nor is it any excuse to urge that the Democ
racy would not have done so well. The fact
is, the Republican party is better organiza-
ton than thatof their opponents, and its
action in any respect should not be judged by
the standard of party whose inspiring mot
to is, "To the victors belong the spoils."
Let us hope for the good of the country,
for the future welfare of the Republican par
ty, that our Maine Congressman will unite
with Messrs Bristow and Jewell in putting
the service of the federal government in
Maine on an efficient and economical footing.
By so doing they will merit and receive the
appreciation of the people so that when the
time for reelection comes round they will not
need henchmen or be obliged to send federal
officials to stake care" of this or that caucus
or summon them to assemble at Augusta, to
"infuence" the representatives of the people
to re-elect the senatorial aspirant who gives
them bread at the expense of the nation.