Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-10-10
THE COST OF THE GOVERNMENT.
Misrepresentation of the ssIndepend-
ent'' Press.

It is well known that eoncealment of the con-
1ition of public affairs is no part of the policy
Of the Republican administration. The Presi-
dent and his Cabinet and the Congress of the
United States have always invited rigid scru-
tiny of their official transactions. 1t is, there
fore, all the more criminal on the part of the
opposition and so-called independent" press to
distort the figures in reference to public expen-
ditures, and misrepresent the acts and policy of
the Administration. A fair and honest criti-
eism is always productive of good results, while
, perversion of facts invariably in the end
defeats the unworthy objects sought to be OBJ
tanned.
That ably-written journal, the New York
Tribune under the title of ''The Cost Of the Gov
ernment" published, on the l4th of August last,
q series Of tables protesting to exhibit an impair
tial view of the disbursements of the different
departments of the Government; but, which,
without the explanations that should have &C
eompapied them are calculated to lead the
reader to drs w false conclusions in reference to
the public EXPENDITURES Even the predatory re-
marks by which the tables are introduced are
not true and are calculated to leave an erroneous
impression on the public mind. The writer
Tays:
s'The information given by the Government on the
eubiect what It should some
Oieals act as though the public had right to any
knowledge whatever how their money is disposed OF
These officials appear 10 regard themselves IN the Light
Of guardians appointed TO take charge OF the eneets Of
persons incapacitated-"
It is the more remarkable that the Tribune
should permit such charge as this to be con-
veyed 70 the public through its columns when
its own correspondents in. Washington have
free access to all the departments of the Gov
ernment and are afforded every facility by the
Ill
inform the public mind as to the aggregate
cost of the Government as well as the items in
detail Of the expenditures and the uses to which
the public money is applied. If the writer had
turned to the second page of the Tribune Of June
26, 1874, he could have found COM
plete tables under the head of
isThe cost of Observation-Disclosures
Tor Four Years-A Comparative Statement
The Expenses of the Present Year Less than
those Of its Immediate Predecessor followed
by statement of the fact that those tables are
from the forthcoming volume of Mr.. McPher-
sons Political Manual" Now it is well known
that this Manual is a semi-oficial publication,
and that it Is published regularly for general cir
culatlon. Such being the facts, II the Govern
ment did not wish to give the fullest publicity
20 the details of its expenditures, IS it probable
that the Manual of Mr.. Mcpherson. Clerk ofAthe
Lower House of Congress would, through sue
eessiVe years. be authorized to give TO the world
the facts and figures in detail which the Tribune
charges the officials with q desire to suppress
from public inspection2 The Tribune can not
find peg in any one of the departments of the
Government on which to hang its charges and
the public are fully aware of the fact
Now let US look at the Tribune's figures and
The statements accompanying them.
CIVIL AND MISCELLANEOUS ExPEEDITURs
Under this head the writer has the following:
I The expenditures of the Government
elassed under the head of Civil and Miscella-
neous have been as follows for the last six fiscal
years.