Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-01-29

on the militsry academy appropriation.
The bill clerk proceeded to read the bill
by sections for amendment,
Mr.. HaHiilton n. moved to
! amend the elsuse Tor the pay OF cadets
| by striking out this words "st four hun
dred and f1fty dollars each in addition
| to rations, y and substituting the words
'st i've hundred and forty dol ars F"
Mr. sle moved to an end the amend
ment by striking out five hundred and
forty and substituting Elk hundred. In
| support of his amendment Mr.. Hale said
he deprecated anything which should
| be locked upon as an attack on this in
stitution. He deprecated anything
! which shcu'd be considered the ii ststep
| in the direction Of an attack on ths mil
| itaTy establishment. The country was
in no danger OF large standing army
that sheuld Cypress the people and bur-
| den it, and eat up its revenues. The mill
| itary organization had been reduced, ard
was to-day only what was needed for
frontier purposes. If this was the first
step in the direction { t an attack on that
establish msnt; he warned the gentle
men, especially the gentlemen on the
other side, that the country would not
sustain them in such movement.
Mr.. Randall, chairman Of the COM
mittee on appropriations, opposed Mr..
Hale's amendment, and said that the
fact was that none of the money went
into the paekets Of the cadets, but was,
in fact, an appropriation made for their
support, and that it was believed that
five hundred and forty dollars was suffi-
cient for that purpose. The effort to
show that the committee was cutting
down in any degree any OF the COM
fJrts and requirements Of the cadets was
a mistake. 1t was tIus tha. this was
the first bill presented in which the
question of economy came up, but no
gentleman knew better than the gentle
man from Maine (Hale) that the COM
miltee had decided on a uniform reduc-
ton through all the departments, that
the reduction was to be ten per cent,
and that it was to be further carried out
by reducing the number of employees
twenty per cent. and by increasing the
hours OF service from six to eight.
Mr.. Hale asked Mr.. Randall whether
he did not propose to make any excep'
tions to that rule.
Mr.. Randall replied that as there were
exceptions to all rules, SO the commit
tee had made an important exception to
this rule. It had excepted, for instance,
the Vice-Pres dent and librarian of con-
gross, and they should continue to make
exceptions in the cases of meritOriOus
and useful officers OF the government
But the policy of the gentleman from
Maine (Hale) seemed to indicate de-
termined purpose on the part OF the
other side Of the house to Obstruct the
committee in its economical reform
movement. He hoped that the mem
bers on his side Of the house would
march forward to the support Of the
committee on appropriations, for he de-
clsred to the house, and to the people,
that in no particular did that committee
mean to do injustice in the less5 degree.
Mr.. Durham spoke against reducing
the pay OF the cadets. He was in favor
of legitimate reduction, but he would
not be led into reduction by any party
or leaders of party.
Mr.. Atkins asked Mr.. Durham il he
was an independent Democrat.
Mr.. Durham said that be was az good
a Democrat as any man on the floor, but
he was not going to vote for an unjust
reduction to please any party.
Mr.. Neal also opposed reduction.
Messrs. O'Brien, Townsend [N.Y.l
and Hoar spoke against reduction.
The ques ion was taken on Mr.. Hale's
amendment, aud it was rejected, sixty
eight to ninety-eight.
Mr.. Cox complained that the members
on the Republican side were opposed to
reform. They had commenced by Op-
posing reform on the West Point bill
where would they end? They would
oppose reform on the navy bill, on the
army bill, on the consular bill, on the
diplomatic till, and OH the civil service
bill, Where was reform toe be begun, If
not here on this particularly prodigai
and luxurious system at West Point?
There was no other placs where they
could begin so well. He had
here an order from General Towns
END, and signed by order Of the Sec
retsry Of war, in which he resd, "that
no officer, either active or retired, shall
directly or indirectly, without being
called on by the proper authority, sug'
gest or recommend any action to
member of congress on question OF
military business" He feared that the
gentlemen from Maine and Illinois
Hale and Hurlbut) had the advantage
of some suggestion from tie officers and
professors at West Point, or perhaps
from General Townsend himself. This
very curious order of GeDer i Townsend
contains also this sentence: "The fore.
going is not Intended to prevent officers
ftom illustrating measures before con-
gress which have received the sanction
or favor OF the President, secretary of
war or general of the army" Now,
Mr.. Chairman, l ask simply to have
this paper put upon record (alluding to
General ToRnsend's Ordel), 50 that
members cGn see whence the iufor ma
ton comes Ey which the gentlemen on
the other side of the house oppose econ.
Omy.
MIR Hale said: ~ don't propose to take
any lessons in economy from the gentle
man from New York. l have had some
experience in this house in attempting
to reduce the expenditures of the gov
eminent. The committee on apprOpria-
tions in past years, IS l endeavored to
show the o.her day, has gone through a
great work in that direction. Neither
I, nor the chairman, nor any member Of
that committee, nor any member OF this
side Of the house, ever received auy
assistance in that work from the gentle
man from New York (Cox) Yet he
stands here to-day and points to US, aad
10 me, as standing in the way Of a re.
duction in the expenditures of the gov
ernment, and he arrC ltes to himself
and to his party the credit of fist seeking
to lese the burd n Of the people. Mr..
Chairman, that gentleman knows that
we are to day two months advanced in
this session; he knows that the main
time of the seeeion has been taken up in
the introduction OF bills by himself and
his friends on that side of the house
making fresf demands upon the treas
ury: he knows that there ere claims
coming up frJm the south in demands
running from ten dollars to sixty mill
lions, ard that they aggregate ten times
as much as the Republicans have saved
heretofore; he knows that there is not a
man in the south who lost a mule
through the advances Of the Federal
army that il not coming up heIe and
cIRmoring for psy from the United
GEnt.s. Lo k.rnnrI-a Z . of there ia g claim