The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1876-09-21

!, | y W ouNSSSd III luC fldlnC OI nOHCSIy
J and reform. His colleague was frank
J enough to declare that he wanted to
reduce the general appropriation, so
as 20 have money enough to devote
} to some scheme for his section, such
as the cotton claims and the Southern
Pacific railroad
Bnt patty necessity has held many
waiting schemes and claims in leash.
They are anchored in the Hobbies and
committee.rooms of this House, till
the election is over. There is the bill
to refund the c0ttontaX to the amount
of $4,000, 600 waiting to be launced
when the election is over. A subsidy
of a hundred millions upstairs Pacific
railccad commlttee-room) is waiting
to come down upon us for the South
ern Pacific railroad, when the cleo
ton is over. There are S38,000,000
of private claims, southern claims,
war claims, waiting to burst up from
the cOmmittee-rooms below stairs,
when the election is over.
While these things surround us; while
the very earth shakes with the tramp OF
the advancing army of schemers, who are
coming ''wioh the Constitution and an APP
propriation, the gentleman from Missis
sippi ttinks that as a measure of reform
the Democratic party ought at once to be
brought back into power.
Meanwhile what has been tle chief en-
ployment of this House 2 1t has divided
itself into score of police courts, in the
hope o. finding corruption. Like those
insects that feed upon sores, it has hope
to live and thrive upon the corruption OF
othe's. Like the Scavenger of the air, the
the carbon bird that bufies its beak in the
rotton carcass, so the Democratic party
seeks TO fatten on the refuge which $
here and there thrown out Of the publ ic
service.
This House has adopted eighty three
resolutions OF investigation, besides a
legion of resolutions of inquiry of the sew
eral Departments. Twenty-Five standing
committees and eight select commi tees,
up to the Goth of June, in all, thirty-three
committees, have been rakingall the slums
of the nation to find, if possible some saw
DRY morsel with which to impregnate the
air during the coming election.
And what have they found? Has any
one of these comm tees found that sim
gle dollar has been stolen from The Treas
ury of the United States? If so, let them
declare it. Why, sir, the Republican par
ty for the last three years has been inves-
tigating its own Administration far more
etfectually than you have investigated it,
1t has had not only the courage of its
opinions, but the courage to punish its
own rascals.
But, gentlemen, after all that may be
said of corruptions and wrong doing, do
you show, on that ground, any good rea-
son why the Republican party should sur
render the Government to the Democracy?
Would it be better? 1t is matter of Off
cial record that the Treasury suffered a
, far greater percentage of loss, by misman
aoement and defalcation, under your adj
, miristration than il has suffered under
ours.
In an official letter TO the Senate,
under date of June 10, 1876, the Sec
rotary of the Treasury copies from
his records the aggregate losses by
delalcations and the loss per $1,000
in each period of four years since
. 1884 in ali the Departments and Blu
reaus OF the Government. Without
quoting The table at length, the grand
aggregate STANDS thus: From Jan.
l, 1884, to July i, 1861, the total dis
bursements of the Government were
81, 369,977 ,50252; the total detalca-
tons were S12,361, 7229l; or u loss
Of 5000 to the $1,000
From July /, 1861, to July l, 1875,
the total disbursements were $12,-
: 566 ,S92, 5R9.53; the total defalcations
were S9,905, 20537; or a loss Of 26
cents TO the $1,000. La the latter
period the disbursements were nearly
ten times as great as in the former,
and the defalcations one-third less.
Is this country SO given over to
corruption as the gentleman from
Mississippi suggests? | will answer
: by quoting two distinguished witness
es. In his able speech on the i'm
parchment trial, one of the demo
cratic managers, the gentleman from
New York, Mr. Lord. said:
Senators, am one of those who believe
! in progress. believe that this age is the
best age which the sun has ever shone up
on. 1 believe there is more of religion,
, more of humanity, more of love, more OF
charity in this age than in any age that
has preceded it.
Thele is now higher and healthier SEN
timent than in any former age. Men are
! held to official responsibilities now, thank
God, that they never were before. The
time has been in the recollection of many
of you when person thought he had the
| right 10 use his official position for his own
advantage; but that time has gone by, and
, good deal of what we see and hear that
leads a great many so mournfully to say
that the age is going backward and we are
receding to barbarism, very much which
: occasions the apparent increase of wrong
arises from the higher demands of great
er civilization, from the higher plane o.
an enlightened people.
Now, l ask the Clerk to read 6
paragraph which | have marked from
: the centennial address of Rev. DR.
! Storrs, a man fit to be the teacher of
his race. The Clerk read as follows:
scout the thought that we as peopl,
are worse than our fathers. John Adam:
D at the head OF the War Department in 177t
t wrote bitter laments of the corruption
n which existed in even that infant age o.
the Republic, and of the spirit of venality
rapacious and Unsuitable, which was theI
the most alarming enemy OF America. II,
declared himself ashamed of the age il
/; which he lived. In Jefferson's day all fed
eralists expected the universal dominion
of French infidelity. In Jackson's day al
> wings thought the country gone TO ruiz
G already, as if Mr. Biddle had had the entir,
t public hope locked up in the vaults of hi:
= terminated bank. In Folks day the eX
citements of the Mexican war gave lift
= and termination to many seeds of rascal
i ty. There has never been a time, not here
G alone, in any country, when the fierce
/ light of incessant inquiry blazing on mel
in public life, would not have revealed
forces of evil like those we have seen, o.
when the condemnation which followed
:. the discovery would have been sharper
) And it is among my deepest conviction!
that, with all which has happened to de
base and debauch it, the nation at larg
/. was never before more mentally vigorous
or morally sound.
Mr. .Garfield:-Now, Mr.. Chairman, afte
> all the fearful corruption of his time de
scribed by John Adams, eur fathers neve
: thought it necessary to call the to
ries back to take charge of their newly
gained liberties. / will close by calling
your attention again to the great problem
before US. Over this vast horizon of in
terests North and Sonth, above all part,
prejudices and personal Wtong-doing
above our battle hosts and our victorious