The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1878-04-06
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON D. c., March 70, 1879.
What il called q daficienrr bill anC

WASHINGTON D. c., March 20, 1879.
What is called a deficiency bill, aut
is now before the Senate. is not prop
erly deficiency bill. But little OF
the million and more provided for is
for deficiency. On the contrary it is
for future expenses, and much of il
for expenses of new and questiona-
bic character. If the bill shall get
through the Senate the House major.
ity will do well to scan it closely. In
the discussion of it Yesterday the ben
eficiaries-tlle people who were to he
continued in the public service--U
among the worst characters made no
torious during the two terms of Grant.
They are men that no man rouches
for. They aie moral and social ont
casts. They have heretofore been
used BY corrupt secretaries to laid
in the administration of justice, and
while as employed have won the con,
tempt of all good citizens by turning
into merchandise the power which
their irregular government employ
ment at once gave them and protect
ed them in selling. The bill will bear
careful examination. But I started
out to protest against calling tia "dc-
ticiency' bill. At the elections next
Fall We shall hear Republican orators
deuounciug Democratic attempts at
economy and alIudine to this m"ucy
lis deficiency" made necessary Ivy
injndiciOus reductions in appropria-
tions.
The chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee yesterday announ
ced that the Legislative and executive
appropriation bill would be reported
to the full Committee to day, and to
the House very soon, and that it
would show considerable reduction
from last year.
Yesterday the Naval Appropriation
bill was reported to the House and
passed without amendment. 1t cuts
down something more than $4,000, 600
the amount recommended by the Sec
rotary. On this bill, rs probably on
most of the other regular approp'la-
ton bills, there will be a contest 20
tween the House and Senate. For
the good of the country, not less than
for party advantage, it is to be hoped
that tie House will insist on every
item of reduction. The House Com
mittee is sure it is right-it has been
almost too cautions in its movements
and conservative in it's refnrms-and
should he sustained by the Democrat
ic House.
The Pension Appropriation bill co
vers about the usual amOunt-a little
less than $50, 900, OOO-and to this sum
there will be no objection. The Com.
mit1ee has, however, provided for the
payment Of pensions directly from the
Treasury-instead as now, through
agents of the government in different
sections. As the present system works
we'll the only ground on which a
change is advocated is that OF ec"no-
NY. 1t is said that q large force of
men here can do the work more cheap
~ than the same number of men in
different parts of the country.
Nothing but actual experiment will
show how this may be. But there is
one feature of the provision that
ought not to be lost sight Of About
$4,000 pensions are paid in person now
at the different agencies. They 60
before the Government agent for pay.
ing pensions, execute the necessary
paper before him, and receive their
money without any expense: Under
the new system these 100000 men
will be compelled to pay from SOC to
81 each for the execution of their pa
pers, for postage, &c. What the Go:
vernment will save, if anything, will
come out of the pockets Of the pen
sioners. Your readers may remember
that urged the same objection, a
year or so ago, to the reduction of the
number of agencies from,6D to Is. 1t
is a significant tact that he commits
sioner of Pensions, who secured that
reduction, oppose the present scheme
and is, now convinced that larger
number of agencies was preferable to
the present number. ALBION.