The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-04-09

the Government. The Government there
fore had no right to repudiate the debt un
less the award had been procured fraudu
lently, and if there was fraud in the mat
ter (as everybody believes was the case
Congress had ample means to investigate
the whole transaction, and was bound to dc
so. Under the previous policy it had beer
the custom for a few gentlemen like Mr.
E. b. WaShburne and Mr.. Dawes to econo
mize in Congress by opposing a widow:
pension or the increase of an under-paiC
officers salary, and get thanked for theil
vigilance by political conventions anC
eulOgiZed by newpaper correspondents as
watch-dogs of the Treasury" But the
Watchdog policy manitestly did not reach
this case, and it seemed altogether toe
puerile to divert the attention of the coun.
try from the serious losses which it was
suffering. Accordingly, much was prom
ised in the way of investigation and re-
form. But, Notwithstanding all the as.
surance that the country received from
Congressional candidates in the cam.
paign of 1872. the ChOrpenning claim has
not been investigated. Mr.. Cresswell has
not been impeached or censured. Mr.
Cessna (who, it was alleged, was ol
Congressman the only rogue in the busi-
messy has been placed on two of the most
responsible committees of the House.
As might have been expected, we now
have in the SanbOrn contract a repetition
of the Chorpenning affair, but on a cOlos-
sal scale. The Chorpenning claim was
merely raid upon the Treasury to the
extent of four or five hundred thousand
dollars, but the Sanborn contracts were
measured by many millions. The Choir
penning claim simply affected the Trea-
sury, but the Sanborn scheme affects every
man with sufficient industry to leave
some property to his children. 1t also has
been potent instrumentality to debase
every revenue officer; for what man on a
small salary can be expected to work with
zeal and fidelity when he sees another
paid by the hundred thousand for precisely
the same service?
So far as political responsibility is con-
cerned, the country is probably beginning
to see that it is not sufficient for political
managers to shift the responsibility of such
a matter upon three or four individuals,
and then leave it there. So long as the
country is governed by political maiOri-
ties. they, if we would have any Govern
ment at all, must be held amenable, TO a
reasonable extent, for their errors and
faults. Especially must this be the case
where they simply seek to cover up a
wrong and leave it uninvestigated and un-
punished. Ii cannot be expected that any
party or any legislature can go on for ever
without mistakes !: but it can be expected,
and must be insisted upon, that they shall
90 on with reasonable care, and that, when
led into positive frauds or crimes by MEM
bers of their own party. they shall do
pUaryf liDO in fhpIr tO
and punish the perpetrators. This San
born amendment was an enactment sus-
piciOus upon its face. 1t was carried with
out word of debate through a Republi-
can Senate. All the cOnferees of the Sen
ate who ''made extraordinary statements" D."
and were Il unit upon the subject" and
''wOuld not give way" nOtwithstand-
ing the remOnstrances Of the House,
belong to the responsible majority.
The Secretary of the Treasury, who has
carried the scheme into operation, and
the ASsiStant-Secretary, who is now
charged with a nefarious knowledge of it
from its inception, are members of the
same party. "What is the responsible
party in Congress going to do about it?''
is question which the public may not
only ask now, but may reasonably demand
shall be answered before the coming Con-
gressional election. In the ChOrpenning
case, the excitement of a Presidential elcc-
ton enabled Congress and the head of an
executive department to play shallow
game of battledOre and shuttlecOck in
tossing the responsibility from one to the
other In the next election, the public
may be calm enough to perceive the gravi-
ty of these OffenSes, and feel free to deal
deciSively with the party that uphOlds or
cOndOnes them. Finally, we would say to
General Garfield and other well-meaning
gentlemen, whose sincerity we do not
question, that it is about time that the
great work of :" saving appropriation Bills
by winking at "salary grabs and "San-
born contracts should cease. The coun-
try at last perceives-and it has paid well
for the knowledge-that appropriations
and general legislation are distinct and in
congruOus things, and that it is necessary
to hold Congress to a proper accountable
ty for each. Hereafter, let us hope there
will be no more excuses Cf voting for the
one "tO save" the other, and that, if there
be, they will be deemed an aggravatiOn OF
tho OffnDSp -TUS N1fj0D March 10