The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-03-21
DEMOCRATIC " Econ YOMY."

Maine, in the Congressional House o,
Representatives.
Mr.. Eugene Hale, while the G onsulaz
and Diplomatic Appropriation b IL was
under consideration in the Hom Sc, in
committee of the whole, spoke as follows
concerning the Wanted ECONOMY of
the Democrats in Congress, who are
"saving at the spigot and wasting at the
bung-hole."
Referring to the great Importance of
she Consular service to the country, he
said it was of vital consequence to COM
merce. 1t was the last service which
any discriminating nation (haying much
commerce and desiring it to grow
would discourage. It was because the
pending bill assailed both the diplo-
matte and Consular service that he was
now on the floor. The gentleman who
had charge of the bill (SingIetonl
had spoken the other day about the
necessity of economy. He (Hale) adj
mitted that economy in Government
expenditures, if seriously intended and
If discriminatory applied. was the
primal duty of the Legislature. but he
asserted that none Of these gentlemen
who set themselves up as advocates of
economy could afford or should be per-
mitted to direct their stroke in a single
direction that would cripple the Govern
ment while they were inert and lax in
the direction of schemes that raid on the
treasury and would in the end bankrupt
it. He reminded Mr.. Singleton that his
name mad not appeared on voting against
the bill for the relief of the owners of
distilled spirits in bonded warehouses,
which might have depleted the treasury
to the amount of from So, 5000 900 to
81, 900, 600. Neither had any of the ma
jority members on the Appropriation
Committee voted against it. He recount
ed the various bills that were pending in
this session intended to draw large
amounts from the treasury, and mostly
for the benefit of the Southern section of
the country, and in regard to which he
said their support would come mostly
from the Democratic side of the House,
publican side. Among them he emu
merated the bill to pension soldiers of
the Mexican and Indian wars (which
would take from So, 900, 600 to ST., 600. 900
q year from the treasury; the Giddings
claim, which involved the principle of
paying Southern mail contractors, and
which would take about 81, 900, 900 from
the treasury; the Texas Pacific Railroad
bill, representing $50, 600, 600, to be as
sumed by the Government; the Missis-
sippi Levee bill, involving 1876, 900, 600;
the bill TO refund the cotton tax, involv-
ing $50, 900, 600; the bill to reopen the
old cotton-seizure taxes, and the bill to
abolish the Southern Claims Commits
sion.
Mr.. Singleton reminded Mr.. Hale of
the $5,000,000 which the Government
had to pay to Canada for fish taken by
the gentleman's constituency.
Mr.. Hale asked Mr.. Singleton wheth-
er that had any bearing on the pending
legislation. He would venture to say,
however, that when the bill to appropri-
ate that $5,00O,O0O came before the
House it's strongest opposition would
come from Northern State. He went
on to say that the trouble was that
every man who had presented any one of
these bills (and there were 400 of them),
every member who had reported one of
them from the committee (and there
were dozens of them), would stand up in
his place and claim that from his view the
legislation which he sought to engraft
on the statute books was just and right.
The radical fault was that some gentle
men were clamoring for g cheese pairing
economy" That was the trouble.
Members on the other side made CRY
for and pretext of economy by reducing
the clerks, by cramping Oonsuls, and by
turning out Ministers, but whenever
they were confronted with any
of the classes of claims to which he had
referred it was clear as the water runs
down hill that they would vote for them,
and would advocate them, and if they
did not do so they would not dare to GO
home and face their constituents. He
had not felt like sitting still and listening
to these honnilies about retrenchment
and reform without calling the attention
of the Rouse and of the country to the
surfeit of bills that had been presented,
and many Of which had already been re-
ported, looking to the depletion of the
treasury.
He proceeded to contrast the small
salaries paid by the United States tc
their Ministers and Consuls abroad with
those paid by the English, French, Ger
man and Russian Governments. and said
if they were further cut down the Presi
dent would have to seek for rich men tc
occupy those posts. He characterized
the policy OF economy particularly ae
applied to Consulates) as calculated te
dwarf the country and to dwarf its com
merce.