The Russellville Democrat., 1876-03-16
EFORTS OF A DEMOCRAT HOUSETO SECURE RE- TRENCHNIENT.

Retrenchm mt has been the de mand of the country for years. The chief abuse of our government al economy has been the enor nous schemes of plunder which have clogged the appropriation bills while the republicans had undisputed sway in both branch es of our national legislature.
 The democratic house has been looked to to correct this evil and put an end to this abuse. Their first effort in this direction has been to prune off some of the ex- travagant expenditures of the Military Academy at West Point, ard the West Point
 appropriation bill is the first measure of retrenchment which the house Las passed and sent to the senate. From the manner in which the republicans of the Senate have received this first at tempt at retrenchment, we may expect the opposition of the Sen ate to all measures for correcting the enormous mass of extrava- gant expenditures with which the country has been burdened.
 Upon this subject the New York Sun has this to say:
 As rule, general legislation upon appropriation bills is to be condemned. The republicans are answerable for that practice in it's most obnoxious form. They ingrafted the Civil Rights bill and other partizan measures up- on these bills, and denied the mi nority any chance for discussing them under the operation of iron clad rules, designed to curtall the liberty of the speech. They con strued the rules so that it would be in order to increase salaries, and out of order to reduce them. Through this scandalous system they doubled the Presidents sala- " and perquisites, voted them selves for two years, increased the salaries of all the employees of Congress and the departments, and in six weeks gave Boss Shep- pard's Ring three millions of dollars. Now, when moderate measures of reform are offered, and the democratic house has changed the rules so that economy may be parliamentary, the repub- lican senate, which heretofore originated the most offensive leg islation on appropriations, affects to be astonished, and does it's best to ohstruct the movement. The leaders find this the improper place to commence retrenchment. It pinches the corns of their sons, cousins and friends, and therefore it ought not to pass.
 Under ordinary circumstances, we should prefer to see every re- form considered on its own merits and passed with due deliberatlon. The republicans would not legis. late ins that way when they had majorities of thirds in both branches of congress. They made the appropriation bills pack horse for their worst and crudcst schemes. This example is not worthy of imitation, but those who set it ought to be the last to complain especially when it is on | ly applied to the best of objects. But it is evident from this dem onstration in the senate that ev- Fery bill for economy is to be re- sisted by the republicans to the last extremity, and sent back to the house in form to continue the old currupt and prodigal sys- tenn. If they are prepared to make the test in that way, the democrats will probably not be sorry of a chance to meet them, and to place themselves on the ! ground that the pubic expendi- lures must be reduced as the peo-