The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-02-17
PUTTING IN THE KNIFE.

PUTTING IN THE KNIFE,
WITH MR.. DAWES AT II THE
GREAT UIRME AND wRITHED UN-
DER THE sCALPEL-THE SPEECH IN THE
HOUSE
A Washington dispatch to the Chicago Times
of the 18th gives this account Of Mr.. Dawes
speech in the house on Thursday. The sensation
in congress to-day has been the severe arraign-
ment OF the republican party by the leader of
the house. The verdict, therefore, OF the repub-
lican members of congress on Mr.. Dawes inan-
ciaI speech, made this afternoon, is generally
unfavorable to the chairman OF the committee
of ways and means. Although the financial
speeches of the Massachusetts member have
often been very unpalatable TO his associates,
it is probable that none OF them ever caused so
house. Judging by the remarks of republican
members on 1t tonight, Mr.. Dawes
speech has been fatal 10 him as a
leader. He Is charged with a morbid desire
to create a sensation and astoniSh the country.
Asthe leader of the party in the house for some
time back, they allege hat he is more RESPONSE
bic than anybody else for the very state of
things which is protested against. "He does
this every year." say his fellow republicans,
and it is always the hardest thing we have 10
answer on The stump. We shall nave to meet
bers seem to be disposed to take up Mr.. Dawes
and stick by him in his assaults on the policy OF
the government, but the members who are not
so sure OF their districts are intensely stirred up
by his sweeping statements, and lament the
making of them. 1t was noticed that, at the
close OF his remal ks, to which the entire house
had pa. d strict attention, no member a advanced
10 congratulate him, to signify appreciation
TO what he had said. The representa-
tives from Connecticut and New Hamp-
shire was especially dismayed by the drift OF Mr..
Dawes argument, and the manner in which he
two former occasions Mr.. Dawes has come to
grief ON the stump, on account of Is freedom OF
criticism of the administrator on the floor of
said little or nothing about the responsibility OF
the executive for the squandering of the money
OF the people, but seemed 10 lay the whole re-
sponsi6ility upon the shoulders of a republican
congress, where, indeed, most OF IL belongs. An
arrangement was made on the republican side 10
lay aside the special order, which was the
free of printed matter through the
mails, and take up the bill for repeating the
tn ways and means without
recommendation. Mr.. Dawes spoke for
two hours and proceeded TO make
THE MOST SEVERE ARRANGEMENT
Of the republican party which has ever been ut
tered by any public man. He went at once in o
the general question of the condition of the
government, and showed, first, that the last con-
gress had appropriated s5l,OOO,OOO more than the
treasury department can have the means at its
command 10 pay. Reviewing the acts OF the
last congress, he showed that the reductions OF
internal revenue and custom dues made by il,
will cause a reduction in the receipts OF the gov
eminent of S44,3bT.3B 81 during the present fiscal
year. He asserted that the goods upon which
the reduction had been made had been imported
this year to the amount of more than a hundred
millions in excess of any previous year;
have been a corresponding duty. he
gave Secretary Boutwell, a pull for having
warned the house, in 1872, that it was reducing too
freely. In regard TO the present state of affairs,
he argued that the internal revenue receipts
were likely TO be quite up to the average during
the remainder of the fiscal year, but he held
that IL would never do to inc ease the internal
taxes to meet the current expenses of the gov
eminent. To do so would be to acknowledge
| that their mold on power was weakening. TINS
was a terrible blow to his republican friends
but no one undertook TO answer him.. He said
they must abandon the idea of increased taxa
ton, and lima the duties on teas and cof-
fees must be restored, and the duties en- other
the dencit of next year. Having
proceeded thus far, Mr.. Dawes began an
analysis OF the expenditures OF 1.-THE government
TO show the extravaganza which has character
izsd congress and the executive for the past four
years. He knew, he said, that nothing was SO
unpopular as specified retrenchment, nothing so
popular as general economy. His task WAS "a
thankless one. Nevertheless, he approached ii
boldly. The ~rottenness of the civil service, the
wasting of millions annually on the employ
ment of useless officers, the wastefulness OF the
pension officers, the avenues of extravaganza
left open year after year, in the permanent APP
propriations, the spending OF such immense
sums on public buildings, the magnifying of the
express business, were thoroughly exposed
as thoroughly as they could be In q speech
covering so much ground. He was frequently
interrupted by questions from FESTIVE members
who could not bear TO have the delinq iencies,
to which they had consented, exposed. 1his
was particularly evident when he read a letter
from o person who had mad the Office of apprais-
er at the inland port OF Evansville, Indiana,
stating that he drew a salary of $1,000 a year for
three years, doing no work at al.
SPEAKER BLAINE
occupied a seat beside Mr.. Dawes throughout
his speech, M seemed to be anxious 10 prevent
Mr.. Dawes from going too far, as he took occa-
sion to remind him occasion ally of facts in
favor of The government. The western and
southern members, especially the new ones
are very angry at Mr.. Dawes, fer they know
that his speech will prove an
argument in the hands of the opposition
next autumn. Probably four score of the
| republican members recognize their political
! death warrant in this speech. Mr.. Dawes gen
eral statement of the expenditures of the gov
eminent during the past four years was very
striking. In 1870, he said, we expended s3O9.OUO,
| go and paid off a hundred million debt; in ~
we expended two hundred millions of dollars
| in 1871 we expended two hundred and seventy
seven millions, aud paid ninety-nine million,
of debt; in 1873 the expenses rose 10 two hun
dred millions, and only forty-three millions o.
public deb. was paid, while for the present yea
| propriated and We have paid none OF the debt
AT the close of his speech, Mr.. Dawes was cor
rected by Mr.. Garfield, who seemed TO feel tha
Mr.. Dawes had done injury to his committee In
this statement. He showed pretty clearly tina
Mr.. Dawes had included the sinking fund in hi
statement for 1873 and the present year, while
! he had left it out OF his statements for the pre-
vious years. He stated that twenfy-seven mil
lions Of the present years figures were a part o
the permanent appropriation for the sinkin.
fund. and eleven millions for deficiencies, ana
would show that only about Sl72,000,00 were ap
propriated for the regular expenses OF the tsca
year; but this does not detract IN the end IRON
the general effectiveness Of Mr.. Dawes arraign
49, ~ hA nafn O.Nf ~