The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1878-07-24

Der them, as it was feared there was not enough
letters to indicate them in that way.
! Correspondent-Why was it necessary to divide
the amount into so many bs2
/ Senator Windom-Our Democratic friends of the
House knew that the people would understand these
deficiencies to be refutaton of their former loud
pretenses of retrenchment and hence they reluc-
| family doled out in detachments such amounts as
/ they were compelled to appropriate from time to
1 time.
THE EMPTY ROAST OF DEMOCRATIC ECONOMY
Correspondent notice that at recent banquet
| given in New York to Speaker Randall Hon. A. S.
Hewitt is reported TO have said that Mr. Randall
and his friends in the Forty fourth Congress- ac-
com plshed a saving in the entire Congress of $54-
100000 and that it was the fruit of putting men in
power who able to do the work set for them to
do. Allowing for all the deficiencies it amounted to
S23 100000 clear saving" &c (See New York Wo,ld
| of the Sd instantly Now, Senator, you have been
member of the Appropriation Committee for many
wears What do you say to this boast of Democratic
economy, in comparison with the alleged Republican
extravaganza?
Senator Windom-It smy turn TO ask you ques-
ton. Don't you think this boast of having saved
only $23 100000 Gin the entire Congress- is great
/ letting down from the claim made by them in the
Presidential paign that they had saved $40
100000 at one session. This modest claim now
amounts TO only about 81 100000 for that session.
in which they insisted that they had saved 10000
o00 BY their confess there seems to hare been
only about 25 per cent Of truth IN their economical pre-
Hewitt admits that it required about $31 100000 to
make up the deficiencies created by the pretended
retrenchments and reforms of the Forty third Con-
gress In looking over the tables and statements In
! Mr.. Atkins speech, notice that he makes the de-
fciencies appropriated since 1876 165 that
he and Mr. Hewitt are substantially in accord on that
point. If you will permit me to turn the tables and
question you for moment, should like TO ask if
anything could well be more disgraeeful in the
leaders of great party than TO go before the people
with the pretense of having saved over $40000,000
Ed 1x..nu fl,att1 e a i'll
sum would have to be made up by deficiency bills2
Correspondent-Wer the $23,00000O which Mr.
Hewitt claims to be a clear saving" by the Forty
fourth Congress actual saving only post.
ponement of appropriations and failure TO provide
properly for the public service, &c.,
Senator Windom-Some portion of it was doubt
less saving" but by far the largest part was not
On the 10Th of August, 1876, after carefully anay
zing every item on every appropriation bill for that
year. and comparing each one with like items in che
bills for the previous year, stated the floor of
the Senate that "of the total pretended re-
duction of S40000,000 not $5000,o00 could in any
sense be called saving of money to the Treasury"
and that this sum fell far below the retrenchment
effected by the preceding Republican Congress. 1
now repeat that statement and am prepared at any
moment to prove it beyond doubt
The mere postponement of appropriations" for
public buildings which were under way in 1876 as
compared with the preceding year, amounted to
So 2S6,593; the postponement of surveys Of public
lands to $64730O; the failure to appropriate money
to pay judgments of the Court of Claims, &c, TO
S1,611 900 There were numerous other items
amounting to many millions, of like character
which were merely postponed" not Saved" They
are not deficiencies" but simply postponements,D
which will come in at future time to swell the
bills The three items have just named amount
ing to $5,544,9S3, were only a small part of such
" postponements made in the one year 1876 De-
Quoting them from 81 100000 which is one-half of
what Mr.. Hewitt claims to be the total savings Of
the Forty fourth Congress for 1876 and 1877, we
have less than 100000 the actual saving for
that There other items of raduQ-
ton made in 1876, which are in possible sense
saving to the Treasury but which, If deducted from
the $11, 100000, would wipe out the whole of tho
pretended economy of which so much boasting has
been done.
Correspondent-Doe the amount of appropriations
always indicate the exact cost Of administering the
Government daring the year for which they are
made?
Senator Windom-It does not. There are always
large unexpended balances from various sources
which come over from year to another These
unexpended balances" after standing two years
subject to USE are carried to the surplus fund"
which means they are returned to the Treasury 1t is,
therefore, the annual Expenditures" rather than
the appropriations " which show what il really
costs to carry on the Government any given year
The exception to this rule is when deficiencies"
are created, which makes the "expendtures' of one
year appear less than they really In such
the expenditures" OF the next, or succeeding year
will show proportionate increase. An instance Of
this kind is found In the apparently reduced expend
itures Of 1877, which will he fully balanced by the
increase for 1878 and 1879, when all the deficiencies
are charged up.
When the Executive Departments are honest and
faithful only much money as is necessary will DO
used and the balance of the appropriations will be
returned to the Treasury. striking illustration
of this is presented under the last Administration
From 1869 to 1876 the amounts thus Carried to tho
surplus fund.-" as shown by an official Treasury
statement were very large, exceeding by many mil
lions per annum the amounts so returned TO tho
Treasury under late Democratic appropriations
This proves two things First, that mere compari-
Of appropriations" does not show the relative
cost of administering the Government; and second,
t proves that the hue and cry of corruption and
travagance raised against the last Administration
i IL L L.