The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-02-10
Republican Extravaganza and Ex-
penses.


The hue and cry which the organs and
leading men Of the Republicans are max
retrenchment is in keeping with their re-
cent party history. 1t has all been iii the
direction of excessive expenditure and ex-
;ravagance. The Cincinnati Commercial,
in Il recent article on the subject, points
ont some of the many instances in which
this is apparent. New bureaus have been
created which have no proper relation to
the powers OF Congress, as clearly deiin
ed in the Constitution. Instead of cutting
down the offices and enforcing economy
in all directions with the natural decrease
of the enormously extended business Of
the departments and bureaus which grew
Immediately out of the war, we have seen
the whole Republican forces in and out of
Congress combined in the successful effort
to hold on to every avenue that led to po-
| ltical patronage, and every channel that
communicated with the public crib. The
| expenses Of the Government, which it was
promised in the last Presidential campaign
Of 1872 should be largely reduced, have
instead been steadily and largely increased
with the single exception, perhaps, of the
last fiscal year. For the fiscal year of 1872
they were Sl53, 000, 900, exclusive of the
| ipt.ract Of iI,, g., 4
1873 they were $3.50, 600, 900 for the year
1874 they rose to Sl94, 900, and tor the
year 1879 the amount is placed at Sl72,-
| 600 900. This, too, ut a time when uni
yersal economy and curtailment have been
the order OF the day i'll all private business
and public corporations
That the whole weight OF President
Grants personal influence is in favor OF
the expansion Of expenditure and the
consequent burdens of taxation is evinced
in the following facts: He has directly
| recommended in his message and pressed
| personally upon the attention Of Congress
all those enormous internal improvement
enterprises which, if carried into effect,
would add hundreds o. millions to the
National debt, and seriously embarass
| the public credit lie is in favor of the
James River and kanawha Canal Job, the
great lefty system OF Captain Eads, and
that comprehensive plan for exhausting
the Treasury known as the Mississippi
Levee Improvement. He has again and
again recommended expensive schemes
OF charging the navy and swelling the
army expenditure by additional appropri-
ations. He urged upon Congress the
purchase OF all the telegraph lines Of the
country by the Government, and the
management of this purely personal and
business agency, which is used by COM
paratively a small part of the population,
by u corps of Federal officers, and at the
expense OF the whole people. He recon-
mended Postmaster General Creswell's
foolish scheme of Post office Savings
Banks, by which the United States Gov
eminent would have gone into the bank
ing business on an enormous scale, swell
ing alike the power and the temptations
to fraud and embezzement of every Post
master in the land
While such have been the course and
the attitude of the President on domestic
questions, his foreign policy, so far us his
own individual guidance of it il concern
ed, has been in the same direction of ex-
panding the power OF government and
Increasing the taxes of the people His
prepostcrous scheme for the purchase Of
San Domingo has almost faded from the
minds Of our easy going and rapidly pro-
crossing people. 1t would have been, if
carried out, the annexation of 4 foreign
race Of ignorant and uncultivated people
to the Republic at an expense of millions,
and the carrying on a kind of personal
government on foreign island the mill
tary and naval expense OF which would
have entaied perpetual drain upon the
Treasury. Only last year he sent, with
out the slightest authority Of law, per-
sonal envoy to the Samoan Islands, arm
ed with United States cannon and other
presents, to savage king, and it is
understood that his influence maintains
Colonel Steinberger there to-day, nomi-
nally Prime Minister, but virtually sover-
eign, over tribe of half-naked savages.
-.
glory OF his administration by interfer-
ence in the affairs of Cubs, so long curb
ed by the prudence and wisdom of his
Secretary of State, has of late appeared
in a more palpable form than ever. The
United States does not want Cuba; we
have enough unsettled and turbulent ele-
ments at home, and we have no men to
waste and no money to fritter away in
abortive attempts to compose civil wars
abroad.
While such has been the course OF the
President in regard to great public ques-
tions, he has signalzed his administration
by Introducing an amount and variety of
nepotism heretofore unheard of into many
departments of the public service. Not to
speak of the number of his brothers-in-law
whom he appointed and still maintains in
Office (none of whom, it may be remarked
without doing the slightest injustice, pos
sess any conspicuous qualifications for their
posts,) he has enriched his favorites and
friends in other directions, and has thrown
the all-powerful influence of the admins
tration in favor of making the path of for
tune smooth He was the well known
friend and confidant of the District OF Co.
lumbia Ring-even going so far, after
Congress had abolished the Ring govern