Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-04-09
Exsravagance Under the Fraudu'
lens President.

Exsravagance Under the Fraudu.
lens President.
1t is melancholy fact that, I'M
der our present Eight to Seven
President, the old regime of Re.
publican corruption continues.
The Democratic Congress is doing
its best to reduce expenses. The
Democratic Congressman from
Cincinnati, Gen. Banning, has had
the distinguished honor of being
called q "damned idiot" by Gen.
Tecumseh Sherman because his
army bill will reduce our military
outlays Sc, 900, 900 per annum. Ev.
cry Democratic reduction, the to-
t96 OF which, in the past three
years, figure up yearly sum half
as large a. the interest on the ma
tional debt, is greeted with a howl
of objurgation by the Republican
press.
1t is really dispirlting to note the
univsrsality of the extrsvagance
and corruption which pervads all
departments of the national ad-
ministration except those over
which Congress itself has direct
supervisory control. The fraudu-
lent President introduces unheard
of items into the expenses of the
White House, although he is re-
ceiving twice as much as Lincoln,
or any of his other predecessors
except Grant, aud although he
does not give his few guests wine.
II he cannot retire from his office
with honor, he is at least resolved
to leave it with money hoard.
Every one remembers the dis
graceful exposure of Van Buren's
administration of the Vienna Ex-
position, under Grant. We are
sorry to say that all the signs point
to abuses as fragrant as those du-
ring the approaching Exposition at
Paris. 1t is lamentable that the
United States should be the only
nation which disgraoes itself in
what ought to be patriotic inter-
national competition. We fully
expect shortly to hear of the space
allotted to the United States being
peddlsd out to people who will pay
a high price to the Commissioners
for the privilege of dispens-
ing American cocktails, gin
slings and mint juleps. One
thing, at least, Is apparent, and
that is that the management of the
American exhibition at the Paris
Exposition promises to pan out
with the usual amount of corrup-
ton, idiotic extravaganza, and ex-
travagant idiocy. Twenty Com
missionsrs have been appointed,
each with a salary of $1,000, and
one hundred Commissioners with
out any salary, all of whom are
popularity supposed to be charged
with the duty of attending to the
American exhibit, and the business
connected Herewith. or the Com
missioners appointed, not enc Of
them understands the French lam
guage and many of them do VIC
lence to the English. Not only do
they have clerks to do the routine
work of the Commission, but men
are employed to attend to the duties
which the Commission was spe-
cially selected to perform. For in
stance, in the art department., a
special corps of men is employed in
New York to select pictures to be
sent to Paris, and superintendent
to take charge OF the pictures and
take them to the Exposition. What
bothers man Of com mon under
standing is to know what are to be
the duties Of the 100 Commissioner
if they be not to perform the work
that belongs to them to do.
But the worst part Of the per-
formance belongs to the freight de-
partment, and the dead.beat pas
senger system established. For in.
stance, one of the ships employed
by the Secretary of the Navy to
transport goods intended for the ex-
hibit is the Constitution. The ex-
pense of fitting her out was $50, 900.
She Is manned by SO officers and
$50 seamen, and was loaded with a
freight Of ITO tons-about as much
as an Erie canal boat would carry.
The whole cost of the cruise of this
ship cannot be less than 100000,
which will bring the freight up to
5000 per ton. In the case Of the
other five ships to be employed, the
rate will be about in proportion.
The amount of freight to be trans
ported is set down at about 1000
tons, for which six ships are to be
employed, manned by ITO officers
and over 1000 seamen, the whole
cost of which is set down at not
less than $3.50, 600, or about $3.50 per
ton for tue freight transported.
Tue infamy of this extravaganza
san only be fully appreciated when
1t ~ known that responsible ship
pers have offered to transport that
freight, fully insured, for So per
ton, or $1,000 for the whole, against
1hree-quarters of a million, which