The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-07-01
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Tue Democfalc House OF representa-
tives has passed twelve appropriation bills
and sent them to the Senate, cutting down
the estimates Of the seyeral departments
Of the government for the next fiscal year,
s6I,000,oo0. The Republican Senate has
refused to endorse this effort at economi-
cal government, and viii not pass these
bills in their present shape, putting itself
in a state of factiops opposition to the
House. If the Senate maintains its posi-
ton the Treasury viii soon be without funds
as the fiscal year ended with yesterday.
The N. Y. World, of Tuesday, says;
in discussing the deadlock between the
Senate and the House upon the Appro-
priation bills, the attitude Of each party is
continually misstated The Democratic
majority in the House offers to the Ad-
ministration what it considers an abundant
allowance of money to carry on the Gov
ernment. The Republican majority in the
Senate, speaking for the Administration,
declares that il must have more, or that it
will refuse to accept any at all, and break
down the business of government. 1t is
as If a husband should say to his wife at
the beginning Of the year that he could
not afford more than $4,000 for house
hold expenses, as times were getting har d
and the extravaganza of his establishment
was rapidly driving him TO ruin; and as if
she should reply that she couldn't and
wouldn't consent to run house on $780,
600 year; that she had been accustomed
to spend double that amount; that nothing
less than the old allowance would keep
things in the style in which she was de-
termined to have them, and that if be
offered such miserable sum she would
fling it in his face, sell out the furniture
and break up housekeeping. 1t is plain
that our national housekeeping has been
wasteful and extrayagant, and that we
cannot keep up the old style without dan
ger of bankruptcy, and in this emergency
the Republicans refuse to make even the
experiment of retrenchment. The threat
to raise row and break up the house
hold if they cannot 90 on squandering
money as they have been accustomed to
do, is reckless folly, As Mr.. Edmunds,
of Vermont, the ablest Republican in the
Senate, has said already, the only proper
thing to do is to take under protest what
the House gives, and should it prove in
sufficient, the Government need not break
down during the year, as Congress will
meet within six months, and can pass de-
fciency bills if new supplies are essential.
The determination to close up the post
Offices and custom-houses at once, for par
tisan effect, merely because it is pretended |
that they may possibly have to be closed
for want of funds during the year, will
strike the average citizen as very poor
sense and worse patriotism. We advise
our Republican friends to pause before
they take such course. The American
people, thrown on their own resources,
might perhaps discover that great deal
of this expensive machinery called gov
eminent, operated by myriads of costly
officials, could be very well spared; and if |
they got used to getting along without the
fostering care Of our paternal administra-
ton, the occupation Of numbers OF jealous
politicians would be gone forever There
was time when an American citizen |
scarcely ever came in contact with the |
Federal Government except to 90 to the |
post-ofice for his mail. If the Republi- |
can majority of the Senate persists in its
awful threats to remove from over US the |
benefcent care of centralized govern
ment, perhaps the event will prove that
we can stand it better than the govern
mental machine There are parts Of that
machine which if once suffered to 20 into
disuse will never be restored. Ponder
over these things, gentlemen, and don't
take these strange risks. To be sure, if
your appropriations are cut down campaign
funds will be smaller and fat Jobs will not
be as plenty as usual, but there will still
be good pickings. If you cannot have
what you want, take what you can get
Half loaf is better than no bread.
The New York Buletia a non-political
journal and which has probably the largest
circulation Of any commercial paper in
the country, says on the appropriation
deadlock
The Senate is assuming very serious
responsibility in resisting the proposed
reductions in the appropriation bills. The
action of the House responds to an almost
universal public sentiment and is con
cession in favor Of economy that should
have been made years ago. The House
can well afford to stand by the conssqu ~
ces of adhering to its position.