The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-04
THK GENERAL DErIcIkNCY BILL.
The senate Adding Si.ioD.5ts-f"ct.A bout
N. S5OO.oOo for star Mail service.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2--The Senate Com
mittcc on Appropriations has seen lit to add
81 .ODi. 5l2 to the General Deficiency hill now
pending. an addition OF two.thirds The Sen
atn ratified Theses amendments and added to
them tl5.OOO more. The opposition to exiriva-
gance was 81 half henrted and 80 unsklfully
conducted in the House Tint grave danger eX-
lists that some of these appropriations will pass.
II IL difficult. however. TO believe that the Dem
ocrntic House will fully forrgo it's vantage
ground of retrpnrhment and reform. Tho most
considerable Of these appropriations IN the item.
defeated both in committee and In the House
before the lower Chamber. respproprating
s1opooO Tor, star maj srrvtr" III was
not originally asked Ivy the Postmaster.
Grncrnl, cnme in ns an after thunThti nni
IL pers silently pressed upon the ground that u
ia n rl"d for star service. Ivy which ~ meant
postal transportation other than by railroad.
Thr faoh about this transportation mr." these;
During the ia al year ending in 1875. the de-
partmrnt spent on star service s5.t5SOOB For
the next succeeding yenr the Forty fourth
Congress-. at its first session. Appropriated
Sb.IW SOL. IN increase OF IL per cent, Tn"
largest and the only increase upon the snmc
scale made by that Congress- Tor any branch of
the Government the solitary exception To the
general economy practised 10y that Congress.
The appropriation wis 50 enormous thnt when
ul' n,Ilrtm"nt 1hinr ~ hsk an appropriation
for 1873. IT asked Tor s237 .903 onlv very nearly
the only Instance in winch Republican Serre-
tary asked for AN ensuing year from Demo
cratic Congress Tess tian he was getting Tor IN"
current year 1871 Congress- gave the depart
mrnt every dollar il asked
AT the close of the hast year lS77. for which
the largest appropriation ever known Tor star
service was made tho balanced books showed
That the officers Of the department had not been
able to spend tn" money fast enough 70 exhaust
tho cXtravnRant appropriation. Nearly fSOO,UOu
was lcit over unspent.
This appropriation oi 5000 900 IL nearly hafthc
incrcasri Another nearly ~ large for the state
War. and Navy Department budding IL an at
tempt to forrsiall the appropriation which
should be made IN the regular appropriation
bill about OF II piece with the Illegal renting bv
the Superintendent OF this costly building Of
an Office. contrary to law, an offence which the
House committee rOndonrd.
swarm of items Of S'nnte expenditure are
introduced by the Senate Committee Of Appro-
priatlons. One OF these apprppriatr- s6.JuO To
pny the milnnge ot Senators who took tilelr sents
ut Ia" extra session. turinuSly enough, on" 81
these senators is Mr. Beck, who was on the sub
committee which drafted this am, ndmrnt. He
WAS here most Of the winter on his own hu-i-
ness. the amendment would also include stan
Icy Matthews. who was here to argu" the great
fraud aud Grover, who was here ny witness be-.
fore the Senate Committee on Elections, and
some fourteen ether senators. The furniture
OF me Senate gets an APPROPRIATION ol s9.Uul ).
and tho clerk of the Committee on Contingent
Expenses. "a committee OF tnree with N"Nudu
Jones 10 Chairman. In paid at the rate Oi -. 400
year. tho highest price paid 10 an expert in
the employ Of any committee. rs this IL Tor "a
time when the committee had nothing Ia do. It
looks like providing Tor somebody = secretary.
So an attempt II made, by u sham reference To
resolution oi the lust Congress which gives the
claim no san ton. To- got LOO Tor d'Ning the
proceedings OF the Eie tural Comm - .un. u
work for which another set ul men are iulIy
paid. \ lnrge number 81 appropriations Tor
the drpartnlr are lnrrcasrd above tho sums
asked for. some twenty per cent. being added in
this way - the Waite House ,trnticn ". Proc
ably the .OurS, Az MT 10 that 81 Or. Wnrr.
who tried ma roundabout way To let the L tod
States To appropriate money Ia pay ihr pr"ilm-
mary eNpen-.s oi IN informal 'nul prison oon-
gr' - Ia To- held at Rome. by turning over 10 him
ha the appropriation nude TO pay the expenses
OF Delegates