National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-05-05
sAPPREUgysI0NS C0RRrCTFD

ipeic 10 kraNe H'sapprenebsiOn Us W
the causes that led to the recent discharge,
of employees from the Bureau OF Eaprav
log and Printing. The Philadelphia In
quirer. writing of this matter, says:
Some Idea Of the reforms that are going on 81
washington in the way Of economy, and somc
idea Of the necessity existing Tor such reforms
may be found In the fact that since President
HAYES assumed office tho services of nearly six
hundred persons employed In tho National Bu.
reau 81 Engraving and Printing have been dis.
employees remain there are still enough OF them
70 do salts factorily the work OF the Department,
, Ne Ca can imagine no clearer commentary than
lstcd In the administration of the Government,
nor any greater condemnation of the policy oil
permitting politics to have paramount control In
the Milling OF ofices.
We have seen paragraphs Of like char.
acter In the newspa pers, all of which iudi.
cate a lamentable lack of information on
the subject In the first pl.cr, 1t is an
error to assume that the reductions 10 the
force is the result of economic reforms in.
augurated by President HAYES and his
administration. We have cbeerfully cred.
tied the President and his officials with all
the reforms instituted, but in this case they
were only doing what they could no, help.
In the second place, the las, paragraph OF
the above extract Is an unnecessary and
uncalled.for reflection upon the late adj.
ministraiion.
The services Of FIX hundred employees
were dispensed with simply because, un.
der the legislation Of Congress, there was
no work for them to do. Discharges were
made from tins TO time during the last
administration rs the work Stacked
There Is not an officer OF the Treasury De.
partment who will pretend for moment,
that the people discharged were kept on
the rolls when there WAS nothing FOR them
to do. Most II not all Of them, were en-.
ployed by the day. They received SO
much for every days work, and when
they were absent the time WAS charged
against them. The substitution OF silver
for currency necessarily caused diminu.
ton in the work. Again, the award OF the
contracts for printing to outside firms had
an effect 10 compelling reduction OF the
force. ItCopgress sliould order the sam.
amount OF work there that WAS done in the
past, Mr.. McPHERsoN will find that no
will have TO increase his force much be.
yond the number be has retained. 1t Is,
therefore, most unjust to assume that, be.
cause these discharges had to DO made
now, there was necessarily an cxtrsvugant
Administration heretofore.
These discharges, 1t is assumed, afford
evidence tbat for'ycars there have
persons drawing pay whose services were
not needed. About the beginning Of the
next fiscal year there will be discharges In
all the Departments of the Government,
and we presume that fact will be adduced
as additional proof OF extrsvsgsnce in the
past But not so. If any one will take
the trouble TO inquire into all the facts, he
will ascertain that instead Of It being an
evidence OF past extravagapcc 1t will be
an evidence that Congress compelled re.
ductions without reference to the demands
and necessities Of the service. There is no,
a Department In which the work Is no,
behind, and it all results from the fact that
the forces are not adequate. Heads of De
partments were requested 10 state the leas,
number of clerks they could get along
with. They did so. and yet Congress re-
duced the number still further: aud the
time is not distant when the force in each
office will have TO be increased In order to
bring up the back work.