Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-05-08
From the Chicago Tribune.

4 BUNDLE OF JOBS.
The democratic majority in the House
entered upon the session carefully holding
themselves to keep from bursting under
their own tremendously high pressure Oh
economy and retrenchment. They were
there, as they had so long loudly adver-
tised. 10 save the Government, which was
imperiled by republican profiigacy and
corruption. The sixty Confederates were
also enlisted for that great work OF saving
the country. The democratic majority
held the purse-strings absolutely. They
had full power to stop every leak in the
Treasury, to lop off every extravagance
in evory department, and put an end to
stealings everywhere. and not dollar
could be taken out of the Treasury except
upon appropriations made by them. New
er had reformers fairer field. Four months
have they labored under that democratic
economic tremendous high pressure. and
they have placed the cadets at West Point
upon starveling allowance, and after cut
ting down our diplomatic service have
made such scant provision for what is left
of it that our representations abroad must
needs be upon the shabbiest footing OF
that of any civilized nation. If. in the
way of retrenchment. the democratic
House, which promised to reduce the Gov
eminent expenditures at least one-third,
has done anything besides worth mention,
nobody has yet found it out. With this
nggardly, and in reality most expensive,
retrenchment the democratic economic
high pressure was exhausted.
Now come the democratic schemes for
emptying the Treasury. Foremost among
these is the River and Harbor Appropria-
ton bill This it is. evidently. that has
been singled out by the Confederate mem
bers as the means by which to get their
rights for their people. Every member
in whose district there is creek, inlet, or
bayou has had an appropriation for its i'm
provement tackled upon the bill. There
is $4,000 put down for the improvement
of the Coosa river. in Georgia. The clas-
sic Tombigbee is down for $13,950 inn
provement. The Cape Fear River, North
Carolina, is TO be improved also $50, 900
more in addition to 100000 already
squandered for the like purpose. Pamli-
CO river is down for $25, 900 worth of i'm
provements; Ocmulgee river. $4,000;
Tennessee river, 100000; James river,
SEC, 900; the great Kanawha, $500, 900;
Galveston bay, 800. 900; Galveston Har-
Dor, $2OO, 900; and lesser sums for an in
Vulnerable lot of streams, besides the in
evitable 100000 for the mouth of the
Mississippi, $50, 900 for the Mississippi OPP
posite St. Louis, etc. To get this all, the
usual log rolling and trading of votes was
resorted to, and we find 500, 900 put down
for the Red river of the North; 1925, 900
for the Delaware river; $751; 900 for the
Wabash river, which for years practically
has not been navigaled and the usual
amounts for the Ohio. Upper Mississippi,
and out ofthe-way ports everywhere. The
heavy appropriations, however, are for
the unnavigable Southern rivers and in
accessible harbors for which there is no
commerce. and the sole benefit derived
from the appropriations for which will be
the spending OF SO much money in the dis
trict. and the consequent reinforcing of
the claims of the member therefrom for
reelection on the score that that he "did
something" for his constituents. The to-
tai appropriation, as the bill passed the
House, is in round numbers Sc 200, 00O,-
a million more than was appropriated by
the extravagant Congress OF 1884, and
the expenditure of at least three-fourths
of which will be so much money absolute
ly wasted The only possible good that
can come of it all will be to impress upon
the country the truth as to the dexterty
with which the high-pressure democratic
reformers hasten to empty the National
Treasury.