National Republican., 1876-08-16

Net reductions in House bills as
effected by the abOve-named eX-
pedients ......................S S2g 594ls: 3s
The explanation Of these reductions en-
braces a volume of facts condensed into
about dozen tabular statements. and con-
tains far more than can be treated of within
the space of this article. In the present
connection we purpose to refer to only one
or two of the wretched expedients adopted
for the purpose of showing q balance
against the Republican party in the pend
ing political contest.
If the real animus which prompted these
reductions were not clearly known beyond
a doubt, the natural inference would be
that the Democratic House was bent upon
crippling our internal postal facilities, and
upon breaking down our commerce with
foreign nations, especially with those ma
tions whose products are different from our
own, and with which, therefore, we carry
on the most profitable trade.
The total reductions of the Post Office
bill amount to SIS, ,7S5, 252. These reduc-
tions embrace amounts for rent, fuel, light,
mail bags and repair of same, agents. clerks,
detection of uepredations on the mails, fees
for attorneys in prosecuting thieves and de-
faulters, wrapping paper, printing Of postal
stamps, envelopes and postal cards, pay of
postmasters, (this item alone amounting to
S200,000,) letter carriers, (also reduced
$780, 000,) railway postal clerks, mail mes
sengers, and all the miscellaneous sources
of expenditure of the postal service. The
worse than foolish reduction of l,943, 90
in inland mail transportation caused the
immediate suppression of the fast mail train
between New York and Chicago, a facility
which, directly and indirectly, subseryed
the social, intellectual and commercial in
terests of two thirds Of the entire popula-
tion of the country. To-day the superia-
tendent OF railway mail service and his
corps of assistants are fixing up the best
arrangements they can for the transporta-
tion of the mails from fast to slower trains
in various parts of the country, and coming
down to fewer trains and consequently less
frequent mails.
Our postal service must, in the very ma
ture of things, increase with the increase
of population and intelligence and with the
development of commerce. When the
total weight Of the mails ceases to increase
or to decline, that fact will mark an epoch
of decadence. But the House bill ignores
the fact that progress still marks the history
of the nation.
But the reckless manner in which the
House has dealt with our commercial inter
ests abroad is even worse than their dep
relations upon the inland mail service
The first in this category of blunders is the
Withholding of 1885,, 500 for foreign mail
transportation, besides the faithless act of
refusing to pay balance already due for
eign countries for the carriage of our mails
amounting to $4,000. How inopportYne
and suicidal this is will readily appear. 1t
is an i'll wind that blows no good, and it so
happens as result of the hard school of
experience in which We have been tutored
during the last three years. that the cost of
production in this country has been so re-
duced, that for the first time in our history
We are prepared to compete with other na-
tions for the introduction of some of our
most important manu- factured products
into foreign markets. The manufacturers
of New England are just now making
strenuous efforts to introduce knowledge
of our fabrics abroad by means of samples
and otherwise through the Centennial Ex-
hibition. England has for the last two
hundred years pushed her postal facilities
as the advance guard of her ever-aggres-
sive commerce, but the Democratic House
says We have resolved to reduce the apprc-
priations thirty nine millions, and the pos
tai service must contribute its share until
after the election.
But they have done even worse than
this. The consular and diplomatic ser
vice, the right arm Of our commercial in
terests abroad, has been reduced $467,-
1880. The service under such reduc-
tion would, as the State Department has
clearly shown, be utterly paralyzed in
South and Central America and in the East
Indies and countries in Asia. Hayti and
Greece are left without diplomatic repre-
sentation, and the number to other coun-
tries has been so much reduced as to render
it impossible for the remaining officers to
execute their enlarged duties. 1t would
have been wiser and more profitable to
have extended our consular and diplomatic
service just now. But the House would have
been entitled to more credit for honesty of
purpose if it had proposed by direct legisla-
tion to inaugurate a policy of non inter-
course with foreign nations, and to have
credited their reductions in this direction
to that purpose.
That the proposed reductions will react
disastrously upon our commercial interests
no one can doubt. The most absurd fea-
lures of these reductions are as follows:
$4,000 to bring home American prisoners
under our eXtradition treaties; $40, 900 for
the relief and protection of American sea-
men abroad, and 81, 500 for the purchase of
presents for foreign seamen for lescuing
American seamen from shipwreck. Even
poor Jack must forego, for season at least,
the recognition of his gallantry and hu-
manity, in order that Democratic House
of Representatives may be able to boast of
a large saving in the expenditures.
The only feature of the bogus Demo
cratic retrenchment which affords us graft
fcation is the fact that they have done their
work in such bungling manner. With
the animus of evil, they have lacked the
wit which usually accompanies dishonesty
of purpose.
Fortunately, We now have before US the
means of exposing their mendacious boasts
of economy, and We shall make good use of
our resources.