The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-01-22
Retrencbn,enf.

uhcation about the disparity between
the receipts and expenditures "a mys-
tifcation which, it is hardly Necessary
to explain, is almost entirely in the
interest of the jobbery of CONGRESS
and the red tape of the departments.
Secretary Richardson has discovered
that by the estimates our expenses are
likely to be 100000 in excess of our
receipts, and in great funk he pro-
poses that Congress shall lay on taxes
TO cover the deficit. Congress, de-
termined not to increase taxes, is hung
like Mahomet's coffin, between the
uncertain policy of new loan and
the cruel depriEations of course of
retrenchment, the responsibility of
eluding which it is trying to shir6 by
calling upon the departments to indi-
cate where fetrenchment is practical
BILE. Ia word, jobbery turns to red
tape and says: you must retrench,
for we cannot AnS the answer of
red-tape to jobbery will doubtless be:
& You must retrench, for we cannot"
Nothing is easier, however, than to
show that a retrenchment of 10000
600 can be effected in theexpendit0res
of Government without cfipDling or
obstructing the legitimate operations
of any branch of the public service, if
Congress will only hold its hand from
jobbery, and the departments cease
from wrapping themselves, ike mum
mics, in the infinite intricacies of red
tape. Indeed, Congress and the de-
partInents can be made to confess as
much from their own official records
The debates upon the appropriation
bills which took place at the last ses-
sion of the last Congress, hurried and
restricted as they were, are full of in
telligence for this end. Thus, in dis
cussing the salaries of officers of the
executive department, Mr.. Garfield
showed that the total amount of
:: salaries of officers of this Govern
ment iu the several executive de-
& partments here in Washington in
" 1860, was $50, 1854 81, The war, so
!" greatly increased GUS civil service
e that now, in the year just closed, in
g the calendar year 1872, the total for
/" the same classes of salaries, with the
+" increase of bureaus that have been
!" put on the various departments. was
g $3,598, ,978.35 !; being an increase of
g S2,7S9, ,ll3.6S.v That is to say, these
salaries were more than four times as
great as they were twelve, years ago,
yet Congress increased them still
more last session. Allowing all
that the census comedies for Increased
cost of living and increase in clerical
force in proportion toincrease of pop
ulatlon, and an augmentation of 100
per cent. greater than they were in
1850, showing that they can be rcut
down without detriment to the pub
lie service, and in spite Of General
SpinneR's aphorisms that an honest
clerk is the noblest work of high eal-
aries. When it is understood that the
civil and diplomatic service of the
country, including the collection of
revenues, cost in the neighborhood of
SAC, 100000 per annum, principally
for salary and wages, it will be seen
that the margin for retrenchment if
Congress be really SO inclined, is very
wide. - ss9elIas .gs,iii
Turn now to the Navy Department,
which we have just seen sueing Sss
foTpla l1altperfs at the doors of Con-
gress und receiving dole, for imme-
diate expenses. of $4,O00Q0O it is not
too much to say that, if the Navy De- |
partment were merely to retrench so
far as to cut ont the red tape Injected |
into its administration for political |
and partisan purposes, its efficiency |
would be promoted, while it would |
save more than S4,000,O00 per annum. |
For instance, Mr.. Hale, of the House |
Naval Committee, in discussing the |
Naval Appropriation bill, showed |
that the navy yards employed PIP |
clerks whose services were absolutely |
since their duties could |
be performed by nOn-commissioned |
officers and enlisted men, and that |
these clerks received over $500, 1000 per |
annpm. This is only one case in re- |
gard TO this Department. There are |
fifty others equally enormous. In |
fact, the Navy department is eaten up |
by sinecnres; 1t is, as Mr.. Hale said, |
''top-heaYy and weak in the legs.1 /
One reason why we are only able to |
hayea few rotten ships at sea is that I
the revenues are consumed by an ex-
pensiye and leaky ngshore s.ablish-
ment, made up OF dummies, figure |
heads, and political apparatus. Re- |
III this case, is necessary /
to efficiency, and economy must go |
for retrenchment, which we print. got |
q lurid light from the speech of Mr.. /
Archer of Maryland preceding it. |
WHICH SAOWC0s l1dJ.. lAlC 1bSDuDAlCA0
party has both swept our commercial /
marine from the seas, and squandered /
colossal sums upon q navy which to- I
day could not defend a single harbor
on cur coast. The history of the /
world shows no other such Instance /
of INDUSTRIOUS misgovernmenf, ineom- +
potency. and corruption.
Ii. the. river and harbori bills could /
be completely stricken outaof the an
nails of Congress, the annual expenses
would be several millions less, good |
many well meaning Congressmen /
woald be much freer from the uneasy /
of completely in jobery |
and the ceuHtry at large would be /
none the worse of. The river and |
harbor billof the last Congress was |
most shamefully interlarded with jobs. |
An amendment was offered appropri. |
atiDg $4,000 for improving the w hite |
and St. Francis rivers, in Arkansas. |
IiRWas7 shown that this money was not |
asked for or needed that the book of |
estimates did not recommend any |
such appropriation. The amendment I
was adopted all the same. Tho Cow |
ernment was constrained to take pos
session of AMI complete the Ohio |
Hult6t Odllplg at -14ONt4oNAl was
ordered that it should I
settle the private claims of aic0ntract-
or. and take nD some 81, 100000 of |
bonded debt created by indiFidaals In
the past construction of this canal. |
Why not, in the next river and harbor
bill, compel us to assume control and |
the debts afthe Hoosac tuns
nel9 s1eH ali1 = s3 1.. A
In fact 1t was admitted by Congress
that this river and harbof bill was a
reeking mass of contemplate jobbery
but mem bers excused themselves for
it by saying that the civil appropria-
ton bill was still worse. Mr.. Brad
ford n. Stevens, of Tiskilwa, ILL.,, who
wanted $4,000 of the peoples money
TO 90 for cleaning the m0ssel shells
and old hats and hoop-skirts out of
i Il =