The Grange advance., 1874-03-04
Can 10 Rotfonch ?

We clip the following from the Chi
eagosS FasA It shows clearly q whsfein
great srsersnc hlaasht !; III public expendis
,tures d mnay Be made Bit after all this is
! not the seat of thsI di@oulty. The opy
portanities for rettenc I'm d NE legion,
but the desire ofs,de etsrmiiua to yre-
trench onsthe part of ofhciahis very
weak, or most expends itselfin words
and wind. Artemus Ward ,vouched
tor his patriotism by declaring that he
was willing to sacrifice allhis first wives
relations for the salvation Of his be-
loved country. Our statesmen and pol
iticians may not be candid enough to
confess it, but it is sufficiently plain
that their patriotism too generally con-
sists in perfect willingness to make
every man retrench except number one
Retrenchment, like charity, should be-
gin at home:
Congress seems to be very much troubled,
IN discussing the subject of retrenchment, to
know where to begin. Each head of de-
partment when questioned is fully of opin-
ion that no cutting down can be tolerated
In his jurisdiction, and all unite in an Oil
YER Twist like clamor for - more.'' COM
parison Of the expenses Of our government
with those of Great Britain shows that we
might begin to cut down almost anywhere
to advantage. The army appropriation
Will illustrate the point as well as any 9TH
er.
The United States has an army of 30
600; Great Britain an army Of l2S,OOO In
round numbers, the effective establishment
OF the latter country is four times that Of
our own. But the cost does not appear to
be in any thing like the same ratio The
appropriation made at the third session of
the Forty-third Congress for "pay Of army
and allowances to otficers,' was $12,3OO,-
OOO, while the corresponding amount ap-
propriated by the British Parliament was
$24,37l, $50.
In the matter of clothing for the army,
our appropriation averaged about $50 per
man and that of England $27. For subsis-
tence Of our 80, 600 men we pay So, 500, 900,
while the British taxpayer is let off with
81, 600, 900 for 128, 900 men.
Passing from comparison Of army esti-
mates to the naval service, and selecting
similar items, it appears that the British
navy comprises 398 vessels, with about 800
in commission, and costs $49, 1865, ,625 per
annum, while the American navy includes
178 vessels, As in commission, and costs
per annum $23, 788, $50. For public works
and buildings the republic requires $12,-
341, 944 England gets along some way with
half that amount.
1t is proper to add that, in spite of this
showing in its favor, the Gladstone govern
ment has been thoroughly whipped on an
appeal to the people, who considered it far
too extravagant. 1t is tolerably certain
that Congress, instead of setting u trap to
catch the '' one female clerk' that some de-
partment thought it might spare, had best
plunge into the expenditures where they
are thickest and cut right and left. until it
comes out on the other side. The tax-rid-
den masses expect to see radical economy
introduced, and they will be satisfied with
nothing less. Nor will the expedient of in
tlation, if adopted, with its consequent fe-
verish, temporary, and deceptive prosperi-
ty, blind the people to the fact that nation
al prosperity is not possible outside of rig
id economy, and that individual prosperity
is simply another name for national pros
perity.