The Portland daily press., 1878-08-09
DEMOCRATIC DEMAGOGISM.
The Wanted Democratic Ere
trenchment and Reform" n
DeIusion and Fraud.
Appropriations Increased S2s,752,-
265.49.

| The following Is the substance of an 'ln-
teryiew'' between the Washington correspou-
dent of the New York Times and Senator Win
dom, of Minnesota, chairman of the Senate
Com mittee on appropriations:
Correspondent-Have you compared the ag-
| gregate appropriations made by this Congress
with those of last year, and, il SO, how do they
\ compare?
Senator Windom-Yes, sir; have carefully
examined all bills since, the adjournment.
The total for last year was S143, 1911, 1923 go.
The total for this year is S172. .O60. .5S9fi. The
increase this gear is, therefore, S2s. 1852, 1913.
| These aggregates cover all the regular appro-
| priation bills.
| Correspondent-rs this increase chargeabls
to the extravaganza of this Congress?
Senator Windom-No: il Is mainly chargea-
Bile to the demagoguism of the Forty fourth
Congress in making pretended Savings" for
political effect when they were only creating
| "defciencles''
| Correspondent-Is it true that no reductions
| in expenditures were made until after the
Democratic party got control of the House Of
Representatives?
Senator Windom-By no means. Expendi-
lures had been on descending scale almost
ever since the war. The finance reports show
that In 1868 they were S229, ,915, ,OSS, and that
under the administration of President Grant
they were constantly reduced, until for the year
| ending June 80, 1876, they were only S16i. .S57-
S13; or, after making the proper deductions for
that year. for payments made upon the Geneva
award claims aud for the Department postages
| (Which latter counted in the nominal expend-
lures, but really took no money from the
Treasury the expenditures for 1876 were as we
have seen only $156, 6,810,957. The total reduc-
tion in expenditures during Grants admins
tration was therefore S73, ,l04 ,13l, making an
annual average reduction of S9,13S,O ,Ol6. The
reductions made by the Republicans the last
year (1S76) were Sl4, ,71S,90l.
| DEMOCRATIC PROFESSIONS AND PERFORMANCES
| IRREcoNcILABLE.
Correspondent-How do you reconcile these
facts with Democratic professions of economy?
Senator Windom-Excuse me; 1 have never
undertaken the impossible task of reconciling
democratic performances with Democratic pro-
fessions, and certainly shrink from such an ef.
fort in this case. 1 think no one believes that
their vaunted economy is anything but sham
to secure votes. 1t was we'll understood By eve
| rybody who gave attention TO the subjsct that
their boosted reductions in 1876 uere effected by
| denying appropriations indispensable to the pub
tc service: by postponing necessary public rorks;
oy repadiating national obligations; By ,cihhold-
ing large sans for deficiency bills; and when all
these and other desperate expedients were ex-
hausted' the figures themselves were so manip-
uiated that they lost their proverbial truthful
ness, and became the most mendacious parti-
sans. This sort of deception could be carried
on for year or two with some success but il
could have but one result. Already the logic
of events and the imperative necessities of the
Government have exposed -4As -tziehcry wfIicu
was then denounced, and, by compelling an in
crease of nearly $29,000O00 have uncovered the
demagosuism of 1876, by which it was sought
to carry the Presidential election under pre-
tense of economy and reform.
Correspondent-Have you read the speech OF
Mr.. Atkins. chairman of the Committee on
Appropriations of the House Of Representa-
tives, published in the Record of June %, in
which he endeavors to show that there has
been no real increase over last years appropri
ations. and in which he charges the Senate
with violent opposition" to the "retrench-
ment aud economy which the House inaugu-
rated" and if SO, will you please tell me what
you think of it?
Senator Windom-I have read 1t. Mr.. Az.
klls had an extremely difficult task to perfofm.
IN i.s sns1nton he displayed genius in
age in dealing with the iss.s which Sood n.s :; OoH
way From his predecessors, Massrs PaaaaII - LII
and Holman, his committe had n6e.s.sd an ac.
cumulation of unpaid national obligatiohs, 81
postponed appropriations" so imperative Il.
their character that they could no longer be
evaded or delayed. These vast sums thus post
poned and withheld by the Forty fourth Con-
gress were credited to the Democracy as SO
much money 'saved,Ss but the time had come
when portion of them must be provided for
though 10 meet them would swell the appropr-
ations to an amount equal to, if not in excess
Of those made by the last Republican Congress.
With all actual increase of S2S ,752 265 4S staring
him in the face, the chairman of the House
committee still felt it to be his duty as IRE
former" even under such discoursging circum-
stances, to prove that after all, this Congress
had achieved another triumph for retrench-
ment, which said triumph" would have been
still grander II the naughty Senate had not
stood in the way.
A DEMOCRATIC TRIUMPH OF RErRENcH-
MENr."
Correspondent-Give me an idea of how
these "reformers' prove that au actual increase
of S28.752 26549 is a triumph for retrench-
ment."
Senator Windom-lt is the simplest process
in the world-when you understand it, IL is
done by counting in all the appropriations made
by their political opponent, and by counting
out enough OF their own to bring their total
below his. By this one simple rule Mr.. At
kins is able to commend his own party for
economy, and to condemn the last Republican
Congress for extravagance.
Correspondent-But how does this rule work
when applied 10 their own party friends in the
Forty-foorth Congress?
Senator Windom-I am glad you have called
my attention to that, for it enables me to show
you one or two specimen curiosities in Demo-
cratic economy" Perhaps the most striking
of these curiosities is their mode OF creating and
handling deficiencies" Under the lead OF
Mr.. Randall in 1876 very large arbitrary reduc-
tions were made in the appropriations. The
heavy reductions which had already been
made by the Republicans made it impossible to
accomplish an honest reduction which would
be sufficiently stunning for the party purposes
it was designed to serve. They must be made,
however, at any cost, for party emergencies de-
manded it. In making these forced and arbi-
trary reductions, deficiencies" were creatad
amounting to many millions of dollars. To
meet only portion of them, the Forty-dfth
Congress, during its first year. has been CON-
PEELED to pass nine deficiency bills aggregating,
as stated by Mr.. Atkins, S15, 1854. .672 80.
Nearly all of these immense deficiencies
were rendered necessary by the uuwarranted
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 economy performed for po-
ltical 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 ST., 900 to
$20,O00,000 of it were only postponed for def
cheney bills after election. These deficiencies
came down on the present Congress, when they
could no longer be postponed, and over S15,-
900, 600 of them were appropriated. Then there
was dilemma. How shall the account be
stated? To what Democratic Congress shall
these many millions be charged? To charge
them to 1877 or 1878 would expose the fraudu-
lent pretenses of those years, and to charge
them to this Congress would never do. So
they were simply counted out. Mr.. Randall
aud the party have been credited for the reeuc-
tioh which created them, and Mr.. Atkins de-
clines to count the SIS, 800, 900 in his totals A
very convenient way to dispose of 50 many mill
lions. Thus this huge sum is made the foot
ball between these two economists, and both
takecredit for saving that amount to the Treas
ury. If you will glance over MIR. Atkins state
ment, you will find several other feats in book
keeping almost equal to this, but they are quite
excusable in proving the proposition he hadsin
hand-namely, that an actual increase of S2S,-
752, ,265 40 means retrenchment. Having wor-
ried the stubborn and honest figures in vain to
induce them to prove that difficult proposition,
ths chairman of the House committee, evil