The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-30
E,uavagance of the Republican. senate.

Eitravagance of the Republican senate.
A few plain facts aud figures. which
everybody can read and understand, fur
nish the best proofs of the sincerity of the
two parties in their professions Of reform.
The time has come when they must be
judged by acts, and not by cheap declara-
tons. Let us see how they stand. The
people witnessed the prolonged struggle
between the Senate and the House of
Representatives for retrenchment. The
latter reduced the appropriations for the
regular expenditures forty millions of
dollars on the basis of the grants of last
year. and over sixty-ive millions on the
estimates for this year.
The Senate fought these reductions with
desperate opposition on every bill and in
every stage, from the first TO the last. BY
these persistent efforts they finally dimin-
ishcd the aggregate economy by ten mil
lions so that the House was only able to
tave thirty millions. The President and
the Administration aided the Senate in re-
si-tiuR retrenchment while the bills were
pending, and when the most important
had passed. GRANT went out of his way in
u formal message to misrcprcsent and even
to falsify tho facts, in order to excite pref
udice against the peoples representatives.
This spirit Of malicious hostility did not
cease with the action OF Congress, for
TYNER, the salary-grab Postmaster-Gen-
eral, and SEcoR RoBEsoN have both
worked openly to thwart the faithful
execution of the laws to embarrass the
operations Of their departments, and to
create spirit of INSTRUMENTATION among
the employees, while their colleagues have
less conspicuously pursued Il similar policy.
In the case of the navy, Congress appro-
priated the full pay; but RoBEsoN has
fallen back upon IN Old statute which au-
thorizes him to furlough officers in certain
contingencies, aud has applied II stIin-
gently for two objects.
First, this trick enabled him TO punish
the officers who exposed his corruption
aud shams and lying reports Of the cond-
ton OF the navy. And, secondly, IL will
furnish large fund for jobbery, which
the vigilance of the House had cut of.
This money can only be obtained by
diversion of the pay of the navy to other
uses; but as robson has outraged the law
heretofore, he will not stop to add another
violation to the many which are already
"
BE- impeached next winter.
The great and final contest between the
two Houses was on the Legislative, Execu-
tive, ana judicial bill, which provides the
general pay for the civil service. WINDoM
aud SARGENT, both jobbers. represented
the Republican majority of the senate,
nnl cont, sted every item of reduction.
After adjdsung most Of the controvertcd
points, the conference committees came to
the pay and number of the clerks, messen-
gers. laborers engineers, Librarians. &C., of
Congress. Mr.. RANDALL insisted that the
principle NJ reironchmcnt, which had been
applied to the public service elsewhere,
should also be applied 10 Congress, includ-
Ing the salary of members.
This proposition was obnoxious TO the
Senate, because nearly every Republican
in that body has a son, nephew, brother,
cousin, friend, or constituent pensioned on
the contingent fund. Several of them re-
joice in various appointments, and pro-
vide servants for their households in this
tcandalous way, to say nothing of other
personal pcrquisites which are drawn
without shame, and made a charge upon
the Treasury.
To save this point. the Senate conferees
yielded others which they had opposed
bitterly. In the end il was agreed that
each House should fix the number and pay
of It's own officers and employees. The
manner i'll which that agreement was car
Ied out is the best practical test OF the
economical purpose of the two sides.
These appropriations were entirely under
the control of each House by the cOmpro-
mise. Consequently each exercised It's own
discretion, aud is responsible for the money
voted.
The senate consists. when full. of seven
ty-four members. The House has two
hundred aud ninety-two members and
nine Delegates, in all three hundred aud
one. BY an examination of the appro-
priations, printed in another part Of to-
days SIN, which are collated from the
law. It will be found that the Senate voted
FOR their side $500 go so, aud the House
voted foI their side S322,02s. Or, in other
words, the cost of running the Senate
dividing the appropriations by the bulk
OF the body. is over $4,000 for every Sem
ator while 1t costs Il fraction over sl,OO0
head for the House on the same scale of
computation.
In point OF fact the Senate increased the
number Of its employees largely, and adj
hcrcd to the highest scale Of salary. The
lIouse, on the other hand. reduced the num-
Lci and reduced the salaries. This contrast
tells the story between the Republican
Senate and the Democratic House and it
marks the dividing line between the two
parties. BY comparing the figures for cor
responding Offices, the difference will stand
out boldly, and expose this protiigacy Of
expenditure more in detail. These are
stern facts which speak volumes aud need
no explanation.
Is this the Same Spanish Officer,
member OF the intellectual depart
ment Of our esteemed contemporary the
Hcrdld, has interviewed live Spanish