Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1876-07-25

hundred and eighty-one subjects examin-
ed agains, seven thousand and sixty-hse
in 1875. ia 1860 the accounts involved
sl57 ,OOO 90. against 81. l44. OOO. 600 in
80.
The expenses in that Bureau Tor 1860
\ ore S42. $40; in 1875, sac. $50; whereas
lie work performed is more than ionri"id'
and with this relative expense; 10 lSOV
S4.l0 per account, rs against ~ w 10
1910. That is true ol the entire service
Ia Ihis Department, as believe. Inns Is
he Treasury DeparI meut am speaklnS
o., aud It illustrates this general iact.that
the civil service as IL exists to-day numer-
icAl!y is justified by the work done and
by the demands OF The public service Tor
labor to be performed.
The impression is abroad undoubtedly
in the country that the service might oe
greatly reduced and that 1t Is really eA-
cessive and extravaganza. When we look
NJ the figures and see, for instance, that
in 1860 the ordinary civil expenses oil the
Government are said 10 have been $OS'-
600, 600, and when last year we Know
that lhey were S274.0O0, 900, it puts every
intelligent man, Cf course, upon his IL
quiry whence this disparity.
IL must be remembered that we have
passed through siace 1860 a VerS extraor-
binary period in our history requiring
very great expenditure Ot money. These
tables which hold in my hand institute
a comparison of eX Iendl,ures Tor the
years 1859 aud 1875. ln 1859 the eX
oeuditures were sos. 1854 5000; in 1878
they were S274, 62S. 1872 81; Masking a
differ nce it will be seen vt $2O5, 6SS.-
1925. IL will be seen that the business
of the committee Is 10 account iOI
that two hundred aud live and odd
million dollars which Is 10 excess oil The
service oil 1859. That is accounted tor IN
this way: Three constituent elements eE-
Ter into il: first, the war and the ex-
penses incident To the war; second, The
natural growth of the service through
the natural growth OF the country and
third, that new service which has been
migrated upon the public service since
1852 and 1860.
This increase will be found in the ex-
penses of Congress; the executives the
judiciary miscellaneous clvli the tor
eign intercourse; miscellaneous; lutte
nor; military establishment; naval eS-
tablishmeut; public debI. The pubic
debt. 500. ASS. 0S0.60, entered into these
S2O5. OOO. 600 last year. Six million do
lars more were 10 the paval establish
men,; military estabiishmo mt. $4,000
600; Interior Department, SSS 600, 900
| speak in round numbers only-miscel-
laneous. $42 0OO. 600; foreign Intercourse.
=, 900 600; miscellaneous civil, $1,000
600; judiciary, -, 40; executive,
- ,OO0, 900; and Congress s., POS 600.
The committee have come 10 the con-
clusion, resting on the judgment OF the
Departments and the Information from
the Departments. that as low rs the pub
lie service can go is = reduction oil be-
tween and per cent which Is nu-
mericai reduction OF three hundred and
eighteen.
Mr.. President, We are now several
years from the close OF the war, and II Is
a marvel in the eyes OF some people that
the public service is still SO large as II l.;
but we ought not to forget that although
peace has come, although the armies
have diSbanGed, we are still dealing with
the consequences OF the war. The IT.
cidents OF the war are sill with Us and
still ieli in these Departments. Now to
the end that the Senate MAY see precisely
whether this force il AL emp logged, have
procured tables which | II ink will tend
very strongly 10 show that be force they
have in these departments no greater
than is needed
On the question OF the reduction of the
numerical force we have endeavored TO
meet the House OF Representatives on the
mos; liberal terms. and we have no diff
culty with them except as & the question
of how much the service can be reduced.
That must always Oe flexible service,
and Il is precisely what we / ave been de-
ing these many years silc1 the close OF
the war. cutting down the numerical
force year by year. Ii has been done.
AS We think and as the committee report.
little too strongly on the other side Of
The Capitol. and therefore the Senate
committee recommend lower figure
That is all there is of that question.
March 4. 1861, the national debt was
$50. $50, S73.7S; on the 4lh OF March,
1875. The national deOi was =, 232 PSI.
53l92. The totally OF this atloual debt
OF the first period at the Gle Sc of con
tinuous administration OF twenty years
in the same hands was quite i0conseQueu-
tial but the tact OF its eXiSte nee al all at
that iunctuTe and under Il ose circun-
stances was an apparent violation OF the
traditional policy OF the Gov ,IDment, as
well as Of every sound principle Of just
public economy. Ii had been created 10
q period OF profound peace and by re-
sort 10 loans and At eXtrsord nary rates.
The totally of the debt OF S15 was IT,
deed truly appalling; but i had been
incurred in the defense OF The Union aud
Constitution and by practice not unusual
in the exigency Of war. During the pc
Rod while civil war was raging. from
1861 10 1865, 1.-The last man and the last
dollar" was the only limit upon the ma
tons endurance and expenditure. and by
the truly patriotic no account current OF
expenses OF that period will be sharply
demanded OF the cost in blood and treas
ure. The possessions OF the present and
the promises OF the future are cheap at
any sacrifice; but Il rigid accountability
may be required of the peril that lies
this side OF 1865. after the close of the
war-the surrender. the music ring out OF
the national forces, when il hid become
possible to inspect, reduce, and retrench
the public expenditures. Consider the
financial situation OF 1866, whe Congress
was left to desl with the resu Is. conse
quences. and incidents of the war; an
appalling public debt, funded and un
funded; greatly extended public SER
vice. and large section of TIE country
divided, disordered. revolutio nized, and