Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-08-02

figures only equaled by his courage in dealing with
the facts which stood in his way. From his prede-
cessors Messrs. Randall and Holman, his committee
had Inherited an accumulation of unpaid national
obligations, and postponed appropriations" so inn
pertive in their character that they could longer
be evadcd or delayed. These vast sums Tins most.
poned and withheld by the Forty fourth Congress
were credited to the Democracy as so much money
saved" but tho times,had come when portion of
them must be provided for, though to meet them
would swell tho total approximations to an amount
equal to- if not in excess of those made by Che last
Republican Congress. With an actual increase of
$s 152 2654S staring him in the face the chairman
the House committee still felt it to be his duty as
reformer," even under such discouraging circum-
ssances, to prove that after ALL this Congress had
achieved another triumph for retrenchment"
which said triumph" would have been still grander
II the naughty Senate had not stood in the way.
DEMOCRATIC TRIUMPH OF RETRENcHMENT"
Correspondent-Give me an idea of how these
reiormers" prove that an actual increase of S2S-
152,2G5.49 is a triumph for retrenchment"
senator Windom-It is the simplest process in the
world-1when you understand it. 1t is done bv
counting IN all the appropriations made by their no
Uicsl opponent and bycounting out enough of their
own bring their total below his. By this one sim
pie rule Mr.. Atkins is able to commend his own
party Tor economy, and to condemn the last Repub.
ican Congress for extravagance
Correspondent-But how does this rule work when
appHed TO their own party friends in the Forty
Senator Windom-I am glad you have called nv
attention to that for it enables to show you one
or two specimen curiosities in Democratic "econo.
my" !, Perhaps the most striking of these curiosi-
ties is their mode Of creating and handling "def-
clcncles Under the lead of Mr.. Randall in 1876
very large arbitrary reductions were made in the
appropriations. The heavy reductions which had
already been made by the Republicans rendered it
impossible to accomplish an honest reduction which
would be sufficiently stunning for the party pur-
poses 1t was designed to serve They must be made
howeverat any cost, for party emergencies demanded
n. making np7 rl,i iErory al,
tions deficiencies" were created amounting TO MANY
millions of dollars. To meet only portiei, of
them, the Forty.ffth Congress, during its first year.
has been compelled to pass nine deficiency bills ap-
gregating, as stated by Mr.. Atkins $15534 67252 |
Nearly all of these immense deficiencies" were
rendered necessary by the unwarranted reductions
made under the lead of Mr.. Randall in 1876, and
there are many millions more to hear from before
we get through with those marvellous feats of econ
omy, performed for political purposes Mr.. Randall
and his party took credit for having saved " the
entire amount OF that reduction though it was well
known by the initiated that from Sl5OOOOOO to /
s2O0O0O00 of it were only postponed for deficiency
bills after election These defciecies came down on
the present Congress, when they could no longer be
postponed and over 600 600 of them were appro-
priated Then there was dilemma. How shall l.
the account be stated? To what Democratic Com
gresS shall these many millions be charged? To
charge them to 1871 or 1873 would expose the
pretenses of those years. and to charge
them to this Congress would never do So they
were simply counted ont. Mr.. Randall and the
reduction
created them, and Mr.. Atkins declines to count
the Sl5,5OO'OOO in his totals. A very convenient
way to dispose of so many millions. Thus this
huge sum is made the football between these two
and both take credit for saving that
amount to the Treasury. If you will glance over
MIR. Atkins statement, you will find several other
eats in bookkeeping almost equal to this but they
lrc quite excusable in proving the proposition he
lad IN hand-namely, that an actual increase Of
S2S,SS2, ,265.49 means retrencbfRent Having
worried the stubborn and honest figures in vain to
induce them to prove that difficult proposition the
chairman or the House committee evidently not
5ratlhed with his success draws q sigh, aud con-
,ludes: " Had there been economic accord between
Inc two houses-in other words had the Senate not
ldded Sl6OOO,OOO to the appropriation bills as re.
'orte" 10 ne House-the grand result would have
2cen still greater triumph for retrenchment'" {
t must be admitted that an increase of $29 100000
not very brilliant triumph for retrenchment;'"
out notice the peculiar phraseology by which the
allure to make still greater is charged upon the
senate: Had the Senate not added Sl6,OOOOOO to
he appropriations bills reported TO The House ?"
Now Mr.. Atkins own figures show that 81 19l4636 q
4 the S460OOOoO were added by the House itself to {
ho bils as reported by the committee, before they
ven reached theSenate. submit that this is hard
fair, even in proving that addition of $4,000
700 was really q reduction.
YnAT THE DEMOCRATS CALL SENATE ExrRvA.
GANCE."
Corespondent-Wh amount was added by the !
enate to the bills as they passed the House. and !!
That was the character of the additions /
Senator Windom.-The total of such additions is i
1895 442. No part of this amount was extrava- {
anCe but the whole was in compliance with some Z
bligations of the Government which could not be /
onorably evaded, in the line of economical ex-
enditures. 6
This will very clearly appear by reference to the
ems constituting the additions. The following are o
he amounts added by the Senate to the several S
ills: Z
qndry civil bin $40 9O5442
liver and Harbor bill ill.................,.. $4,000 q
Ily Dlll NS,3l4
ostOlnce Dill $4,000
9BOSf4
5000
nfy Academy Dlll s..,............s...... S3446 i
egislatye Executive and Judicial. .......... 6Ol7G6
onsular and Diplomatic ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. S3700 .
442 f
Glance at the items which make up these several d
Ills: n