National Republican., 1875-06-15
ECONOMY OF EXPENDITURES.

The New YOlk Tribune has made itself
conspicuous recently by its attacks upon
the administration of General Grant for
pTodigality of expenditure. 1t has fire.
aueptly declared that the ordinary expenses
of the General Government could and
should he curtailpd within the amount which
they reached under the administration OF
Mr. Buchanan We know of nobody out
side of The metropolitan detective and
Democratic partisan press who processes to
believe such a thing either polite or pract-
cable Suppose the Tribune to be tried by
the same gauge! Before the war its price
was fifty pcr cent. less than now, and its
charge for advertising has also been doubled,
while the increase Of cost for composition,
press work and materials has advanced only
about twenty per cent. In other words,
for twenty per cent. additional cost to the
proprietors of the great journals of the
country they presume TO charge their GUS
TONERS double the rates they demanded be-
fore the war. At that period we werr
working upon a gold basis. Now our cur
renCy is almost twenty per cent. discount
which accounts for the twenty per cent. ad-
ditional allowance to labor. But how is
the remainder of the addition that has been
made to the charges for papers and adver-
tising to be accounted for? The proprie-
tors will not hesitate to tell us that their
field of operations is enlarged that they
cover more ground with correspondence
and telegraphiC toll and increased salaries
to writers, editors, &c. This is all true. 1t
may be that the great city press cannot af-
ford to sell their papers or advertisements
at lower rates than they are now receiving.
Admitting this to be true for the sake of
the argument, without at this time stop
ping to discuss the matter further let us
inquire in what respect the expenses of
these great journals have been increased that
does not apply with equal, if not greater,
force TO the expenses of the General Gov
eminent? Government supplies must all be
purchased in open market. and many of
them, notably newspapers and advertising
at double former COST the army and navy
have to maintain an increased force; the
Treasury has the addition of the Internal
Revenue Bureau, and the Note and En-
craving Bureau; the Post Office Depart
ment extends over a much larger area at
an augmented expense for mail transporta-
ton by thirty OF forty thousand miles of
new railways; the revenues necessary to
be collected 10 meet the expense of the
public debt entail a largely increased force
at a corresponding increase in the cost of
collection in the Customs Department; and
in every branch Of civil affairs the labors
of officials have been increased in large
proportion, while the paying or purchasing
capacity of the dollars collected have been
proportionstely decreased. Every practical
business man cUmprehends hese facts ex-
cept the editors of great journals who write
the stuff and nonsense about the eXtrava
gance of the Administration. And these
latter Seem to understand them well enough
when applied 10 their own afftirs, as We
have shown, while they will fully mIsrepre
sent them as afftclin~ the expenditures of
Government They profess to write learn
edly ut financial matters, and point out
what they denUunce rs corrupt extraYa--
gances on the part Of Government officials,
while they are prar lio;rsg the most inexcus
able extortinns upon tleir patrons, if their
assertions in regard % the Government be
true. BuciaGaI administration spent
eighty-tbrgs nj Hons cold before the war,
while tbataoE Gehes@l Grant, for like pur-
poses, with al the aatIunal increase ofex-
penditures resulting frnm the several causes
named, only expepds- one hundred and
fifty two millions currency. Upon the
principle " 5ich governs ne newspapers.
and trad, asfd transpOrt4tinp generally, the
expenditut,-S Of the Government should
have been. uify dorbled. The cost ofliv
ing at the firsi-elas, hotels of New York is
now fully double what it was in 1850.