The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-10-05

RESPONSIBLE" My countrymen, tax-pay-
ers, do You understand the full force of
that statement? 0ne-fourth of the rev.
enues that are collected from the people
are lost in their collection one-fourth
of the money that is taken from the
pockets of the people is lost on the way
to the Treasury. Some one asked me
where it goes to. 1t goes to make the rich
richer and the poor poorer That is
where it goes Applause
Now, my fellow. citizens, want to ask
YOU what you think of the subject of re-
form in respect to the number of public
officers that we are to support. In my
Judgment the people are supporting two
men to-day to do the public work where
one would be sufficient | have state
ment here recently compiled. lsuppose
ii is accurate, though / will not under
take to vouch for its absolute accuracy
have not seen it contradicted. In Mr.
B tchanan's Administration the number
of ofice-holders in the civil service ofthe
country was $4,000 and something more.
In Mr.. LinColn's first year 1t was 46 600;
in 1868, it was 47,000; in 1867, under Mr..
johnson, it went up to $4,000; under
President Grant in 1869, it was $4,000 in
1871, it went up to $1,000; in 1873, to 49,
600; in 1876, to $4,000, and in 1875, to
100000 Tsensation so that according to
this statement, to-day there are more
than two men to perform the same ser
vice that Mr.. Lincoln required in his Ad-
ministration. Now, what do you, gem
tlemen, say in respect to reform upon
this subject? Where will you trust this
work of reform? to the one hundred
thousand men in office? believe there
is scarcely Democrat in the one hun
dred thousand. Such prescription as has
prevailed has never been known in any
government of the world. We Demo
Gratis, in respect to public office, in respect
to all places of honor and profit, have
been treated as if we were unworthy CIT
izens. One hundred thousand men in
Office. all of one party Who is going to
turn them out? Who is going to cut
down the list2 A voice, "Filden u
Will the party whose friends are In oihce
be as likely to do it as the other party
Going back to Mr.. Lincoln's Adminlstra-
ton. there ought to be less than $4,000.
Who will strike off the other 10000? If
a Republican President begins to do the
work. rng acious and disagreeabe as it
NAV be, he proposes to strike off man
and he says "I helped to elect you; |
contributed my money-my time, ana
you must not strike me down" And II
Governor Hayes goes into Indiana to
strike down a number of public officers,
what will Morton say to him? You
shall not do it. This is my friend, he
helped to make me, You must build up
our party, he must not be struck down"
And what will Governor Hayes do III
that respect? Governor Morton has as
sured us of what he will do in a speech |
recently made, in which he has used this |
language: "The Administration of any |
President will be in the main what the |
party which elected him makes 1t. If he |
breaks away from his party the chances
are that he will be broken down." 80 |
Governor Morton admonished Governor
HAYES, "If YOU are elected President and |
YOU undertake to break away from the |
party that put you in power, the chances
are you will be broken down, and we
will crush you ifyou lay your hand upon
the men that we have in office. We will
see whether you can do it 0: not" ask
YOU as plain, sensible men, what party is
most likely to bring about a reform talk
ed so much about? Why is it that one
hundred thousand men, or near that, are
in office? 1t is said that one day a man
came to Mr.. Lincoln and asked him for
an office. Mr.. Lincoln said to him that
he had no office he could give him, and,
says he, There are just SO many holes,
and there is a peg in each hole now
Since that time they have made holes
wherever peg was provided for. Laugh
ter And a peg had to be provided for
when some one came up and demanded
an Office and said IF must be provided
for" That man did not want to work;
he wanted to be supported by office, and
he said, 81 have done the party much
service" and so a place had to be pro
vided for him. This army of public Off
GERS is unnecessary for the public SER
vice, and the Democrats say LET it be
reduced; have no more men in oihce
than the duties of the public service shall
require" TApplause,] That is our doc
trine. If you favor us if you prefer the
present way, why go with the other
side.
Now come to the third question:
what think you of reform in respect to
the amount of money that is collected
from the people and expended? 1t is
very difficult to state so that it shall be
fully comprehended how much money
is expended For the last few years the
expenses of the National Government,
leaving out the interest on the public
debt, leaving out the pensions, have va
red from $l42, ,0OO--as understand,
leaving everything out that resulted
from the war-to $149,000,0OO This
present wear that we are now living in
the expenses are more than $30,OOO,OOO
less, and so l suppose they will go down
to $l1O,OOOOOO this year. Last year
two yea ago-the people elected Dem
ocratic House of Representatives. That
Democratic House being in session eight
months. reduced the expenses at tie
first session $3O,OO0,0O0. That reduction
of public expense was after a most pitIer
controversy between the House and the
Senate. You know that the House OF
Representatis es, elected Iy the people,
more directly represents the people. The
House originates bills OF appropriation
and bills Of revenue. The bills of apPro-
priation, as they passed the House 10 use last last
winter, made a reduction of $4O,OO0,OoO
upon the previous year, and when those
bills went to the Senate they were re-
jected by that body, and there was a
threat that the public service should stop
unless the House made more liberal ap-
propriations, and so the two Houses
stood in antagonism and conflict ON the
questions of reduction and economy.
Finally the House had to yield some
what to the Senate, and the bills finally
passed at the close of the session; the re-
duction was S3O,OOO,OOO. Thirty million
dollars of a reduction the very first SEES
sion that the Democrats had majority
in the House of Representatives Now,
you can not tell how much thirty million
dollars is. A dollar for each mile, it is
third of the way to the sun, and you, can
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