Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-08-30

.4
toward the last days Of Congress, by
puncturing two first-class frauds, to-
wit. Dana. Of the New York Sun,
and Merrimon, one of the Confeder-
ote senator's from North Carolina.
| The Sun had stated that the en-
ployes of the government, big and
little, which are called the civil list,
had increased under Grants admins
tration from 1869 to 1876, from g.
779 to 96,71G.
| Senator Cragin showed from the
official records. backed up by the re-
ports Of all the heads Of Departments
at Washington, that the entire civil
list only embraces 50, liz persons, thus
proving that Dana and Merrimon had
exaggerated the number-to put It
mi,dly--to the extent of 4,54O.
The official data reveals the fact
that in the State, Interior, War, Navy,
and Justice Departments, including,
of course, all those employed in
Washington and elsewhere, there has
been an absolute decrease since 1869,
of 3l6.
The total increase, as shown by the
record of the civil list, since 1869, foot
up l7,4OO, instead of 34,54O, as the
Sun and its Senator from North Car
olina would make the country be.
lieve. This increase is 1l,25l In the
Post Office Department, and 6,f49 in
the Treasury Department Of thess
II, 400 increase since 1869, $685.
of them are new postmasters, At new
post Offices established in the States
and Territories since 1869, and who
for the most part draw munihcent
salaries in the neighborhood of twelve
dollars per annum. Then, since 1859,
carriers have been employed and the
general delivery system has been es-
tablished in all cities Of $1,000 inhab-
itants and over, which covers l,430 ;
the next, "clerks in post Offices" (not
in the department., 1878; the next
"postal railway clerks" S37; the next
"route agents." 5l2; the next, Email
route messengers" 225. These In
crcases aggregate 1885, leaving to be
accounted for in all other branches Of
the Post Office Department an increase
of 296 in seven years. All this addi-
tional force has been rendered neces-
sary by the increased mail facilities
demanded by the country, without
respect to party, and for the most
part to supply the places made vacant
by Mr.. Merrimon and his rebellion,
and to supply the increasing demand
for new offices, new postmasters,
route agents, carriers, ETC., consequent
upon the rapid growth and develop
ment of the entire country.
The large apparent increase In the
Treasury, of 1873 over 1871, is ac-
counted for in part by the fact that
the names Of 500 gaugers and SS8
storekeepers of internal revenue
total, 1,SS7-werc published in the
Blue Book for 1873 for the first time,
hut such officers had been in the SER
vice in larger numbers since 1865.
The increase of 900 in 1875 over 1873
is accounted for by the fact that in
the first-namcd year the names of ST
deputy collectors of internal revenue
were published in the Blue Book for
the first time, although even larger
number of that class Of officers had
been in the service since 1862, and the
establishment, by act of March 3,
1876, of the national bank redemption
agency added l52 employees to the
Treasury Office and 80 to the Office of
the Comptroller of the Currency, the
amount Of whose salaries is rc-im-
bursed by the national banks.
The reason why these gaugers and
storckccpcrs have but recently ap-
pearcd in the Blue Book, or civil list,
and therefore greatly increased the
APPARENT force of the Treasury De-
partment, is that formerly they were
paid their fees by the distillers and
Wholesale liquor establishments, and,
in the financial sense, we've not en-
ployes of the government.
They are, for the most part, men
like Col. Porter, of this city, who put
in small portion of their time gaug-
ing for one or two wholesale liquor
houses which may be located in their
cities, only taking small portion of
their time, and for which they, like
Col. Porter, receive pay in proportion
to packages gauged, usually yielding
them the princcly salary of from one
to two hundred dollars per annum
each.
We have neither time or space to
give Senator Cragin's figures more
fully in detail. They show that the
Democratic administration of An
drew johnson increased the civil list
four hundred per cent. beyond Grants
increase, and that under Grants adj
ministration the increase has not been
greater than the increase of popula-
ton, business and wealth Of the coun-
try, and not beyond the imperative
demands of the public service.
1t will be recollected how Senator
Davis, of West Virginia, came to
grief in calling for the expenditures
from 1886 to 1876, and how Grants
administration, by that official show
ing, put to shame the extravaganza Of
all Democratic administration since
1886.
Dana and Merrimon are put into an
equally lisgraceful dilemma by their
petty falsilcations, when their state
ments are examined in the light Of
the official facts. tef
1t must be sorry cause which re-
quires such Misrepresentation.
A Milwaukee telegram says:
"Hon. J. n. Binkley, who was at
torncy general of the United States
under President johnson, made q
speech at the municipal courtroom
last evening, In which he showed by
elaborate tables Of figures the frauds
and thefts of the republican national
administration. A large portion Of
the facts and figures werc official,
and were collected by him whilo .
member of the cabinet"
! If Mr.. Binklcy's "facts and figures"
are not any moro authentic than the
statement made respecting himself
and his obtainment Of them, their
importance will not be very great.