The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-01-06

I
good will of the strikers themselves
The various appropriation committees have
been at work diligently during the holidays,
and they begin to see their way ahead
through the appropriations. 1t is announced.
apparently from accurate sources, that the
expenditures will be cut down. Economy
will De carried into various unaccustomed
corners, and the Administration will have a
chance TO show how much frugality it can
bear for the sake of the taxpayers. General
cutting down in the various appropriations
has Topped off over S2O,0oO,OOO, and it is cor
tain that rigid search into the executive
branches of the Government will discover at
least half as much more that can be saved
to the treasury. 1t is now proposed by the
majority to stop the wholesale swindling
going on in the great departments.
wherein horses and carriages are
supplied public functionaries at the public
expense This is considered a great hard.
ship by those superior mortals who were
born to rule and live at the national cost.
II, as the Cabinet officers claim, they may
keep up great establishments at public
expense, why shall not the same rule hold
good with all officials? Why shall not the
Mayor OF the city and the Governor of the
State and all the officials buy and pay for
carriages and horses ut public expense!
a great many public officials Debut then
they discreetly cover their tracks and make
their larcenies seem presents or speculations.
This, however, is pretty small work for such
dignified old buffers as Fish and Richardson
and the Cabinet officers generally. The
President, by some sloyenly construction
of the law, is allowed to draw
$4,000 year as salary, and at the same
time deplete the public purse to the extent
of twice that sum for "expenses" in main
tanning the White House? The ordinary
citizen sees no good reason why the presi-
dent should have his board, and lodging
and extras paid for i'm this lavish way. If a
man can't live on $4,000 year as AIr.
Lincoln did, he has the inefIable privilege of
resigning. There are great many very
honest and capable men who would per-
form the functions OF president for $4,000
year and with considerable more satisfaction
TO the people generally than the present dis
tinguiShed incumbent. For although the
American people are sometimes represented
as coarse and uncultured, there are few who
agree with General Grants singular theory
of official conduct. 1t is well known that
General Grant holds office to be a place be-
slowed by certain combinations known
as parties, for the personal and
peculiar advantage of-irst, the Office
holder, and second, the family, and
third, his friends. 1t is in short the "make'
theory which General Grant holds and
which the party behind him indorses. Of
course, while public place is recognized as
money making operation for the incumbent
and his friends, the better class of people are
not going to subject themselves to the igno-
BILE imputation by accepting Office, and this
TO a certain extent explains the uniform me-
diocrity of the men who surround the pres
ent administration. mediocrity which is
illustrated perhaps as pOintedly in the Sen
ate rs elsewhere. Here, there is but one man
of the first class constant to the fortunes of
the President-Senator Conkling. All the
rest are second rate-Carpenter,M Morton, Sher-
man, Edmunds, Frelinghuysen ana that sort
ofconspicuous emptiness. In writingthe his
tory of England, there are certain epOchs
which project perfect blanks between illus
trious reigns. In these the throne was filled
by an imbecile Hanover. or an infatuated
Stuart, and the men assembled about them
reflected the shallowness and sordidness OF
the monarch. The terms of General Grant
will fill not dissimilar page In American
annals, and serve to throw out more boldly
the preceding and succeeding administra-
tons, and as to the preceding, not much
can be said for that save by way of con-
trast.
The engineers strike has brought out
some of the war demsgoguery on both sides.
Certain monopolist partisans affect to hold
the engineers guilty of recklessness and
wrong in the whole business. They can see
no cause for these men making such pro-
test as remains to them against the aggres-
sions and arrogant expressions of banded