The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-01-07
. Sham ketrenchment.

Republican Congressman have not yet
got wholly over pluming themselves on
the way in which they cut down expenses
at the last session OF Congress; but Il
careful examination of the annual report
of Secretary Bristow shows that they
have no occasion whatever for self graf
ulation; ON the contrary, that they were
exceedingly remiss in the work of
retrenchment. The expenditures for the
fiscal year ended June 80, 1874, were CON
fessedly made on somewhat extrava-
CANT scale, though, under the pres
sure of necessity, there was during the
last months something of an improve
ment. The probable expenditures for
that year as foreshaGowed by the annual
reports presented in December, 1878,
were, fully as much as were the esti-
mates then submitted, the objective
point of the assaults of Congressman of
an economical turn of mind. 1t may eX
cite some surprise, in view OF all that
has been said, to see how little
was done; but a few figures col
lated from Secretary BristOws re-
port will show that the results of the
economical work of Congress last spring
will be insignificant. The net ordinary
expenditures of the Government tor the
Iiscal year ended June 30, 1874, were
1926, 73S, 800. The expenditures for the
first quarter of the current fiscal year,
made under the Congressional appropria-
tions of the last session, were SS5,-
3l3 4S9, and Secretary Bristow estimated
the expenditures for the remain
ing three-quarters at $3.50 002 900
Assuming that the expenditures will
be kept within the sum named-of
W IN tho lpaSt &c snpno
doubt-the total ordinary expenditures
for the current fiscal year will reach
S275, ,315, ,4S9. This is little more than
$40, 200, 900 less than the expenditures for
the last fiscal year If this decrease
were occasioned by any steps taken by
Congress in the direction of retrench-
ment there might be something in the
claim put forward by leading Republi-
can members, such as Gen Garfield
and others, that it had done good work.
But this is not the case OF the total de
crease, $4 ,331 ,916 comes from the reduc-
tion in the sum paid for interest on
the public debt. This takes out nearly
one-halt. More than a moiety, or So
Sl9,S39, is made up by reduction in the
naval establishment. This reduction was
not due to the fact that Congress vigor-
ously attacked abuses and instituted re-
forms in the management of that estab-
lishment; but because the nation was put
to heavy extraordinary expense during
the last fiscal year by the complications
with Spain growing out of the Nirginius
affair. The sum which the Secretary
thinks will be spent for the naval estab-
lishment the current fiscal year is $25,-
122, ,72S This sum is S5,100 900 larger
than was spent during the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1863; So 500000 more
than was spent during the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1870; $5,700,000 more
than was spent during the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1871; $4,000 600 larger
than during the year ended June 30,
1872, and 81 800 900 more than was ex-
pended during the fiscal year ended June
80, 1878 These figures show that the naval
appropriations for the current fiscal year
were by no means economical. Deduct
ing the difference in the expenditures tor
the public debt and for the naval estab-
lishment between what they are estimat-
ed TO be for the current fiscal year and
what they were during the last fiscal
year, from the difference between the
estimated net ordinary expenses for the
current and the expenditures for the
last fiscal wear, and there only remains
the paltry sum of $271 ,536 as the
net result of Congressional and Ad-
ministration economy. In other words,
with the expenditures in the military es-
tablishment in which to retrench; with
Indian expenditures in which to put in
the knife" and, above all, with miscel.
laneous civil expenditures of upward
of SIC, 600, 900 from which to take huge
slices, Congress succeeded in pairing of
in the aggregate about quarter of a
million of dollars! Was there ever be-
fore such retrenchment'-Iletrott FIRE.
Pres.