The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-06-02
Republican Extravaganza.


The Radicals have run riot in their
reckless extravaganee 50 long that they
are unable to accommodate themselves to
the course Of comparative economy pro
scribed for them by the last Democratic
House Of Representatives. They have
gone on loosely, with q free hand and I'M
restricted force in the routine Of Govern
ment business as usual, until they have
expended the appropriations in advance Of
the expiration of the time for which they
were made. Cracking paragraphs like
the following TEEN in the columns of the
Radical press
The exhaustion of appropriations will me-
cessitate the closing of the National armories
and workshops throughout the country on
July LIST. This will throw out Of employment
about 700 mechanics.
They all throw the responsibility for
shortage in funds upon the HOuseof course.
But, it will be remembered, that in the
army appropriation which failed altogeth.
er, it passed the House aud failed in the
Senate because the Senate obstinately re,
fused to pass the bill as it came from the
House. For the failure Of the army bill
the Senate is justly responsible.
The Washington correspondent of the Bos.
ton Post under date Of May %, says "A few
Radical papers are still harping on the old
string that the present shortage in some OF
the appropriations is because the last House
did not appropriate enough. The facts noto-
riously disprove their assertions, but Of course
that does not make any difference to the
Radical organs aforesaid They conveniently
forget to tell how the Government appropria.
tons have been squandered. One notable
instance has come to light At the very time
when the Democrats were fighting to cut down
the expense of running the Government, and
all the Republican papers, big and little, were
declaring that the Government was being run
in the most economical manner possible,
nearly two thousand clerks were on the pay
rolls Of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing
in the Treasury Department. 1t will be re.
membered that great hue and cry was made
when Morrill, cut down the force to | 900.
Now, however, since Sherman came in and
the order has been passed along that the Ad.
ministration wants to get up little reputation
for civil service reform, the force in this same
bureau has been reduced to 400 men, and
still the number so far exceeds the actual
need that numbers are obliged daily to sit
twirling their thumbs at Government expense,
and the assistant Secretary intends putting
another hundred on the reserve force to wait
without pay until there is some work for them
to do. No one claims that the work is not
fully as well done as it was, and Mcpherson,
the new head of the department, admits that
he can do the work with even less than four
hundred employees. Here then in one single
division of one of the departments political
influence made the government pay 1000
people to do what any enterprising private
firm could do with a force Of 800, and this at
the very time that Republican papers and
Radical leaders in Congress and out were as.
serting that the Democratic House was Grip.
pling the Government because it reduced the
appropriations small per cent. The exam
pie cited is by no means isolated or excep-
tional. THERE'S hardly division or a bureau
in any of the departments where reduction
Of the working force from 20 to so per cent.
could not be made advantageously to the
Government. Indeed the work would doubt
less be better done, for the present super
abundance of employees engender both lazi-
ness and shiftlessness.