New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-08-03
HErRENCHVENT AND REFORU"

Yes we want rctgcnChmcnt. 80 do the
Democrats. their platform assures us. bUt Go
the people ON that point We confess to some
miseivines. That they want TetIenchmcnt and
reform in the abstract is undcnlablc. But
when it comes TO the concrete, and to paTticu-
lar appropriations for the benefit OF particular
localities, we fear that the people are "a little
"mixcd.n This River and llarbor bill, Tor
example, exhibits marvellous STAYING powers,
as they say on the racc-cOu:Sc. Ii goes rapidly
through the House, although 10 one denies
that il is the most fearful product OF miNccl-
lanccus log-rOng the country has seen for
many wear. Does anybody fancy that mem
beers voted Toy this bill in Conscious defiance
of the will of their constituents On the con-
trary they voted with the sublime conscious
ness that their constituents did not care Il
button about il, except to get as much pubic
money as possible spent in their Immediate local
/ lies and for their private advantage. linen the
! bin visited that home Of purity, the Senate.
There additional jobs were stuffed INTO II, UNI!
even river and harJOr bill could stand IT no
/ longer. and experienced bad attack OF lndi-
! c,stion. In detail. the Senate wanted 10 ap-
propriate about fifty millions; III gross, the
! Senate perceived that it would not answer 10
approximate more than about five millions, and
! sent the blll back Tor reconstruction Un That
| basis. Each Senator WAS confident that ms
constituents would be happy if he could " get
an appropriation for them" to the extent OF
half a million or more, but he saw that ii
every other Senator did the same his con
stituents would be angry because 50 large a
! sum in gross was wasted upon localities III
which they had no interest.
The appropriations for postal purposes ana
the adjustment Of pOst-ToUtCS follow the same
law. Each member tries to get ao many mails
per week as possible for the inhabitants Of
the most insignificant town in his district be-
cause he sinks that they want as many "a
possible. and care not a bit whether Their
mail is sclf-sustlimng or not. If there is only
one man in the town who ever writes letter,
he wants to be able to send letter and to
get an answer every day in the week, and he
is the especially active and busy man OF the
place 10 whom Others listen, and cOnyinccs the
good people who never write or read letters
that they are terribly wronscd il the Govern
mont does not give thCm adequate postal
" facilities" Moreover that man, when
the caucus comes for the nomination
of a member Of Congress, Is sure
TO be the one active and iT1cprcsNibc
person whose hostility the member who want
! reelection does not desire. To that member
the one man who wants more mail faciiiiics IS
his only constituency worth noticing il that
particular village.
We have seen going the rounds in Demo
cratic Journals a tabular statement, showing
how enormously expenditures for public build
irgs have increased. We are asl.ed to believe
that the responsibility for this extravaganza
rests, first with Mr.. Muilett; second with
! Republican members of Congress and the
Republican party, and not at all with the
Democratic party. This is Il little too much,
even for Presidential campaign. 1t
is not yet three weeks since Demo
cratic member was defeated for denomination
! in a district of overwhelming Democratic
majority, because he had failed to get an
| appropriation for a new pOst-oiiico iii one
of The towns in his district. We can name
not one but many Democratic members who
are cnGcarcd to their constituents, and kept in
Congress notwithstanding much lack Of ability
in any other respect solely because they have
been able TO log-rCll through Congress numer-
Gus appropriations for gigantic structures Of
| the Mullett order Of architecture.
In brief, we fear the people need reforming
quite as much as the Congress or either party
| in this matter of expenditure. When they
elect candidates Of either party because they
pledge themselves not to work for apprOpria-
tons for public buildings. or rivers. or har-
! bors, or post-rOutcs within their districts, we
| shall begin to believe that Tctrenchment is de-
sired little more earnestly than it has been
! hitherto.