New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-07-01

which NJ. de Marcere declared that the Ma
tional policy was peace. Coming from this
honest Republican, the words possess far
more sincerity than when Napoleon III. made
them bis catchword.
The fourth day of the Literary Congress was
its greatest, especially as there was not a
great deal of the Congress beside its dis
tinguished head. Victor Hugo's opening adj
dress was perhaps more of a political speech
than the occasion required, but it was at the
least the means of bringing the venerable
poet out where be could be seen and de-
scTibed, and our correspondent has made good
use of the opportunity.
The rambling talk with ThurlOw Weed, which
is reported elsewhere, is a pleasant succession
of "reminiscences from one who has seen all
the public life of this country for sew
eral generations and has been himself
no small part of it. Mr.. Weed de-
scribes the first railroad train in America, on
which he was a passenger, and the first steam
boat, which he saw. gives his views on the
present low state of our politics. and pays his
respects to General Butler as the ablest and
the worst man now in Congress.
A report recently made to the Harvard
alumni by the committee which had in charge
the erection of Memorial Hall, brings in review
the history of that noble accession to the uni
versity buildings at Cambridge. The report
is outlined on another page. The building Is
one that seems to have got into the way of
refuting expectation, sometimes agreeably and
sometimes not. 1t was completed for ten per
cent less than the estimates, and though it
was hoped that it would be an offering from
the alumni to those of their number who had
fallen in the Civil War; or had in other ways
merited remembrance, only One-ffth of the
graduates contributed.
Congressman Foster. of Ohio, has done good
service in exposing so thoroughly the Demo
cratic claims of successful and permanent re-
trenchment in the expenses of the Govern
ment His speech, the most important portions
of which are given In our Washington dis
patches demonstrates the falsity of Speaker
Randall's claim of a saving of $3O,OOO,O 900 on
appropriations, of which such effective use was
made in 1876, and proves the truth OF the
Republican predictions, made at that time,
that this would be found to be tenn
porary reduction, effected not by actual
economy but by Withholding for time
from certain departments appropriations which
it would be necessary eventually to grant.
The appropriations made by the present Con-
gress are $12,000,00O in excess of those
made for the two preceding years, without
taking into consideration the deficiency bills,
Including those the excess over 1876 Will be
25,OOO,OOO The whole reduction which Mr..
Randall claimed to have affected was be-
tween $29 900, 900 and $50 OOO,O 900. An excel
lent contrast with these figures is shown in the
reduction, in the last year of a Republican
House, of $16,O0O,O00 on the year before,
and IN the last two years, of $4,000, 900.
Also, in the fact that the deficiency bills
which these Democratic economists have made
necessary amount to good deal more than
all the deficiencies during the four years that
General Garfield was Chairman of the Com
mitteo on Appropriations.