The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-20
Abolish the sham.

II IL perfectly absurd for the House OF
Representatives. To reduce appropriations
for the public service. and then permit the
Senate % increase them arbitrarily and de-
family, the net result being patchcd-up
compromise Of concessions, through Com
mittec Of Conference. Mr. WINDOW report
cd tho Consular and Diplomatic bill to the
Senate on Tuesday, with $50, 100 added to 1t,
as the bill passed the House. What sort Of
legislator Mr. WINDOW is appears best in
his own statements as to this increase, al
most Immediately following each other in
the Congressional Record in these words:
The ~ icp added by the Senate Committee on Ap.
preparations is composed Of items ah,,h make me hR
'cJo bs|rs, 'rady, or at least Substantially 10 ne
aig.opi riiisu 70, he o0f,'d gar
Again
The net additions recommended by the Senate Com.
nitice amount TO ts1ito As reported from the Senate
Committee the bill is $50, s0o less than the estimates
the hscal year ending Juse %, 1850 AMI 1t Is 5000
naos than he app'op' irf'a' Jo' ne e~r'ni yo',.'
This Hat contradiction by himself Of his
own statement made no impression ON the
body. The Republican majority Of the SEN
ate vote blindly for whatever II committee
recommends, especially when an increase
tempt to excuse this prodigality by saying
IL was below the estimates, is an old trick,
which is almost worn out 10y constant repc-
tition. Everybody knows, or ought to know,
that these estimates are made enormously
large, in order TO allow margin for rcduc-
ton. 1t Is one of the standing receptions
practiscd on Congress and the country, in
which Mr. EvARTs has INDUCED like his as
sOc!ates in striving TO maintain his diplo-
matte snobs on the most expensive footing
In presenting this bill TO the House orgi-
nally, Mr.. SINGLETON was less decided IN
speaking Of the reforms the Committee pro-
posed than the occasion demanded, which
was taken as an encouragement by the SEN
ate. 1t would be little less than mockery
and an insult to public intelligence to go
through the forms OF bringing in a measure
like this from the Appropriation Committee,
and then abandon its best features in the
end, merely because the Senate resisted re-
form. At best the rctrenchmcnt Is small,
but it involves principle which applies TO
the whole public expenditures, and TO which
there ought to be no exception.
The diplomatic service In its length and
breadth is mere sham that costs more
utility Of any kind. II is a servile imitation
Of the European system, without the foun-
dalton or the order Of that system, which is
a professional career as much as the army or
navy, and with none Of its advantages. We
mix up ENJOYS Extraordinary, Ministers
Resident, ChdrDes dAgdires, Consuls-Gen-
eral, aud the like without the least refer
ence to the fitness OF things, and with a
confusion that cxcites ridicule abroad wher-
ever these wanderers appear. Congress
may tinker with this subject little while
longer, because neither party is equal to
the duty which the times dcmand but the
day is near at hand when this costly fraud
ON the Treasury will be cut up root and
branch The million and more year paid
for ornamental diplomacy is equal to the
interest on capital Of more than twenty
five millions of four per cent bonds, and is a
tax 10 that extent on impoverished labor,
which has to foot the bill finally.