The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-08-24

and other United States officers, the most
fragrant of which were in the States OF
Arkansas and North Carolina. The JUS
tice and propriety of this reduction are
undoubted.
There are many things in the Appro-
priation bill referring to the public lands
which meet my approval. | believe that
we have appropriated much larger sum
of money in years past for the survey o.
the public lands than was needed, and l
have said to members of the Committee
on Appropriations that believed there
could be retrenchment and saving OF
money in this direction at the present
time. | do not believe that single state
or a single Territory will suffer practical,
" by this retrenChment. The implied
statement by the President that the ag'
gregate appropriations of the Sundry
Civil bill are in amountnot more than %
per cent, of those heretofore made should
command appreciation rather than cen
sure. For life-saving and life boat sta
tions our appropriations are in excess OF
those made last year. We gave this
wear S237 ,4B0, while the amount appro-
priated last year was $23l $50. Surely
we cannot be charged with injurlng this
humane service of the Government
when we have in this Democratic House
appropriated more than was approprla'
ted by the previous Republican House
The appropriation for public printing
and binding, we reduced largely on the
recommendation of the Committee on
Printing, of this House, which establish
ed the fact of gross abuse and extrava'
gance in the administration of that Office
The amount given last year was 81 $685.
5O7.66 The amount asked for the cur
rent year was So. 96,05656. The amount
allowed this year, under advice of the
Committee on Printing, is 81, 1873, 90,
about S500,000 less than the approprla-
ton last year The report of this com
mittee, to which | have alluded, clearly
establishes the fact that this sum should
have been sufficient to have done the
work last year if the proper prices had
been paid for material and the running
expenses had been rightfully adjusted.
For the support Of the National Home
for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, we gave
the exact amount asked, $66S, ,733 Al. The
appropriations for the sundry civil ser
vice expenses of the Government for the
year ending June 80, 1868, were S5,9Ol,-
1878. In 1870, they crept up to S9,976,.
222.8l. In 1872 they further advanced
to S24, ,l6l ,77S.86 Finally, in 1874, they
reached the enormous amount OF S32,-
1S6l29. In 1875, when the distress in
the country became SO prevalent 1t could
no longer pass unheeded, even in a Re
Republican House of Representatives,
we find there was a small reduction from
S32, 1856, l29 to $29,0O9, 744Sl lin 1876, $780,
ga $50. We have reduced the sundry
civil expenses this year below the appro-
eriation of last year SlO,44l ,7SO, appro-
priating only about one-half the amount
appropriated in 1874, being a reduction
OF about 100000.
MILITARY ACADEMY.
appropriations last year, 1864 ,740; de-
partment estimates for year ending June
so, LIT, S437 40 amount recommended
by House Committee on Appropriate ms,
S23l. .24l, amount passed the House, $685.
23l Senate passed, $30S, ,S4l the law as
finally passed S29O,O65, There was in
controversy between the two Houses the
question of compensation to professors
at West Point. The House deemed that
in some instances, being over $4,000 per
annum, they were higher than for similar
services in civil life, especially when we
take into consideration the fact that
these professors, without encoun ering
any of the privatons, hardships and
dangers of army life, are, when they
reach condition of impaired usefulness
placed upon the retired list, and receive
three. quarters of their pay at the time
they are retired. The Senate demanded
the question of this reduction should be
remitted to the commission created to
inquire into the reorganization Of the
House, and the House was compelled to
acCede thereto.
RIVER AND HARBoR BILL.
River and harbor appropriations last
year, S6,643, $3.50; department estimates
for the year ending June 50, 1877, Sl4,-
3Ol 100; amount recommended by House
Committee on Appropriations, S5,S72 $50;
amount passed the House $5,S7285O
Senate Committee recommended, $685.
600; Senate passed $50OO000, This is
large reduction on the amount apprOprl-
ated last year for the same purpsse, and
an immense reduction, as will be seen by
the foregoing figures, upon the estimates
of the department.
INDIAN BILL.
Appropriations last year, S5,460, ,554.55;
department estimates for year ending
June 80, 1877, S., ,787 ,995; amount recon-
mended by House Committee on ApprO-
priations, $3,995, 95,77l,27; amount passed
Lhe House, S3,979602.ll; Senate Com
mittee recommended, IS, 206,97l27 SEN
passed, S4,95S, ,36l27 the law as finally
enacted, $4,670,llIO2. The principal
between the TWO House re-
lated to the transfer of the Indian Bu-
reau from the Interior TO the War De-
partment. The House believed that the
of Indian affairs could be
more economically and efficient ly admin
stered by army officers, already under
pay, than by civil officers, under whom
had grown up widespread system of
speculation upon the Indians as well as
upon the Government. One of the
grounds which induced the Indian to 20
to war against the white man was that
treaty stipulations in reference to the de
livery of subsistence and other supplies
were not faithfully fulfilled. An army
officer, holding life position depend
snt upon integrity and good behavior,
and with strong desire for promotion,
which can only occur upon the active
and faithful discharge of his duties, is
more likely to execute the promises of
the Government towards the Indian than
the civil officer who comes in and goes
out with every change of Administration.
And the present double-headed system
of dispensing subsistence and supplies to
the Indians through the agency OF civil
officers, while restraining and keeping
them at peace by the military arm, has
been proved by long experience to be
not only enormously expensive to the
but without any adequate
beneficial results either to the Indians or
to the Gouernmedt. The hand that
g l. Ill - thn b.,J tn ,,,,niob L.,