New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-12-03
NEW POWER IN CONGRESS.
WHERE 1T WILL ATTACK.


swERED.
tFRoM A srAFr CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUSE.l
WASHINGTON, Dec. lon Monday next the Demo-
Gratis WILL for the first time In eighteen years, enter
into complete possession Of the Lower House OF
Congress. The full significance OF this fact is only
,iimly apprehendcd by the old Republican leaders
who have had power so long that they have come to
look upon it's possession re- part OF the natural
order of things. The members of the Administration
especially, from Cabinet Secretaries down to bureau
clerks fail fully to realize what il means to have
the House in the control of the opposition. They
will find il out only too soon for their comfort III
means a thorn In their side, lion In their pain, u
relentless foe where a friend is most needed. No
Republican Administration ever had thing ike
this to encounter In Buchsnan's time the Dem
scrats faced it and went under. The capture
of the House by the Republicans was like the carry
ING by an attacking army of the chief point OF de-
tense in an adversarys line. 1t was the sure fore
Gunner of complete victory. In other countries
having representative governments the law-making
BODY cannot be hostile to the administration, be-
.ause cabinet ministers resign their places when
they can no longer shape legislation and the head OF
The State is above the reach fpartes. Soingraned
is this principle In the British Parliamentary sys-
ten that it's omission from our Constitution Is hard
to explain except upon the ground that the trainers
Of that instrument imagined that contingency
would never occur when the President would be OF
one party ana the House of Representatives OF the
other
friendly House shields the Administration from
the assaults aud even from the scrutiny of it's oppo
nents but hostile House thrusts its daggers into lis
most vulnerable spots, and ruthlessy reveals ltsmost
carefully guarded The House holds the purse
and is therefore endowed with irresistible potency
Ii says to an official Explain what you did with
the money you got last year, or you shall have no
more" If his explanation is not satisfactory, II
sends an investigation committee to rummage among
his books and papers and put his confidential clerks
on OATH Money is the lfe-bloOd of an administra-
ton and now the Democrats are about TO put their
fingers on the arteries TO regulate its flow. For two
years more at least, the Republicans are to spend
the money of the nation, but during that time every
dollar of il must be furnished them by their op-
pOnents. Heretofore, the heads of departments and
bureaus had only to send their estimates of eXpend
lures in to Congress to get rs much as they needed
IL not as much as they wanted Congress usually
made o virtue of cutting down these estimates
little but messieurs the estmatOTs understood this
very well and allowed for shrinkage when they made
up their figures. If the Honorable Chief of the
Bureau of Loaves and Fishes for instance, required
million of dollars to run his Office, he stated that
million and a quarter would be the least that he
could get along with
The new House is going to cut down expenses
with an unfeeng hand. And why not 1t is not
their friends who will be hurt. What if Jones loses
his cerkshp OF Brown his berthin the CustOln-h0use,
or Smith his Indian Agency Are not Jones, Brown
and Smith all Republcansf How easy 1t Is TO en-
force economy in other peoples households Among
the Democratic leaders the mark fixed as the total
=. g. anfia
Republicans admit that reduction of $4,000, 900
is practicable but say that go much beyond this
figure Will be to cripple the Government. In order
that Of1ee-hOlders may know where the Lightning
will be pretty sure TO strike, / win mention few
departments of the public service selected for the
first operation of the retrenchment process. The
Indian Bureau will receive prompt and thorough
oveIhaulng and its supplies will be cut down from
S7,J00,00 about the amount it had been spending
annually to 81 600, 600 The Committee Oh Indian
Affairs will be strongly constituted and set at work
investigating, and the frauds it unearths Will be
held to view with coats Of whitewash to hide
their enormity. The results of this investigation
are expected to show where the knife can best be
applied in looping off abuses and cOuuptiOns. Ju-
dietary expenses, amounting last year to abOut
S3O0O,O 600 will be considerably reduced The
recent heavy increase in the cost Of tins
with the efforts to MAINTAIN carpet-bag rule in
the South, and will naturally receive 10
mercy from the Democrats. In all branches
of the civil service reduction in the number of
officials will be insisted on. The Washington de-
partments crowded with lazy clerks who do not do
on an average one days work in two, will be par
italy depopulated, and an effort will be made to
turn out gOodly number of the idle tide-waters in
the Custom-houscs. This last will not be so easy
task because, by lOng-rOOted abuse, Congress does
not appropriate money directly for carrying on the
customs service. The expenses arc paid out of the
receipts under general law. To bring tie officials
under the supervision of Congress, so that their
number bo fixed in appropriation bills, viii re-
cure an entire change in the system; but the Demo
Gratis will make the change if they can.
There is some talk Of refusing to pass any River
and Harbor bill. With few exceptions the Demo
Gratis have reg larly voted against this bill every
year. moved by their old-time principle of opposition
TO internal improvements. 1t would therefore not
be strange if they should defeat it now they have
the power. In the matter of expenditures for public
buildings a large reduction is counted on. The
NAVY Department will get a vigorous shaking up.
Ii will be put on short COMMONS" and committee
will begin putting hard questions TO Secretary
Robson about soon as the House Is
fairly at work. reduction i'll the force Of officers
and seamen is in the programme. heavy reduc-
ton of the army is also down on the Democratic
card. Ii is now $4,000 strong. One project Is to
cut il down to 10000, another to $4,000, and an
other still more radical is to put it back just where
II was before the Rebellion. The army is so thor
oughly non-politica that it will be no easy task to
bring up the Democrats in a body TO attack it, Re
trcnchment in this quarter may, therefore, niscary
altogether. In miscellaneous expenditures there are
no end Of Treasury leaks TO be stopped. Old abuses
will be reformed and covert jobs killed by the score
which have for years sheltered under the broad