Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1880-08-11

Very soon after the Democrats obtain
cd possession Of the house of representa-
tives, they began a series of investiga-
tions into the expenditures Of the gov
ernInent. They had for SO many years
raised prodigious clamOr over the ex-
travagance and corruption of the Repub-
lican administration Of the government
that it is quite possible some of them
actually believed their own assertions
Then, too, many Of those who joined In
the cry Of " corruption" were old Demo-
crats who had their criminal share in the
misdeeds Of previous Democratic adr
ministrations, when the disbursements
Of the government were insignificant
compared with those Of lateryears under
Republican rule. They could not be-
|siieve that any party, with the opportuni-
ties enjoyed by the Republicans, could
fail to reap rich harvests Of plainder.
They remembered how their party used
to steal, when in power, and they could
not understand that other people might
be more honest under the same circum-
stances. Up to the end Of the year 1879
the Democrats in congress had Get ON
foot thirty-three separate congressional
Investigations, each one Of which was
charged with the duty of bringing to
justice some officer or employe of the
government who had been employed in
cheating the government. These thirty
three investigating ccmmittees expended
nearly $500, 900. The exact amount is
shown by the public records. But not
one single Republican officer has been
convicted Of stealing even one dollar
from the government. About q year
ago Senator Window, from his place in
the senate, publicly challenged the
senators on the Democratic side Of the
chamber to name "a single Republican
officer whom the thirty three investign-
ton committees had proved to have
stolen one dollar from this government"
This challenge has never been answered.
It remains open, without any iuggle Of
words, and it ought to be answered now
if the Democrats have not lost every
particle Of faith in the truth Of their own
assertions & ft4
3 The truth is, that no intelligent Dem
ocrat courts q comparison between
the official delinquencies under Demo-
cratic rule and those fairly chargeable to
Republican administrations. Loose
talking and reckless Democratic orators
gabble profusely about " Republican
thefts and frauds, the g carnival Of COR
ruption which has obtained under Re-
publican supremacy in the government
of the Republic, and the "gigantic
frauds which were committed during
the war by Republican officials con-
| tractors, and favorites. II Ia undeniable
that in the expenditure of vast sums dur
ing the rebellion, there was waste, even
l. n,,k sAos7
incurred by the government in piping
times of peace, when the disbursements OF
the government were light, these losses
were insignificant. For example, the
last Democratic secretary of the Interior,
Jacob Thompson, is to this day de-
faulter to the amount of &871 200, never
accounted for. What officer of
the government, under Repub-
lican administration, was ever ac-.
cused Of !. any such theft as this /?
Isaac F. Fowler, o Democratic post
master Of the city Of New York, was .
fdefaulter in the sum Of $40, ,947, and
Samuel Swartwout, from whose crimes
we derive word of infamy, and who
was Democratic collector Of the port Of
New York, ran away owing the govern
ment 81, ,2O5, ,O80. Then again, r. p.
Hammond, another Democratic Office
holder, never accounted for $372, ,122 Of
the public funds which he misused
while collector Of the port 0f San Fran
cisco. Leaving out all amounts less
than $40, 900, the defalcations and thefts
suffered by the government from 1880 to
1861, when the Democrats went out of
power, footed up &, 1874, ,302; and the
| list of defaultng custodians of public
funds during these Democratic days
shows total loss Of "a, ,218, ,610, making
a grand total Of more than SIC, 900, 600
to be charged to the account Of Demo
cratic Official corruption, theft, and in
competency in thirty years. And this II
| the party that rants and raves about the
dishonesty Of Republicans in object
The only true test Of the h0neaty Of
any administration is 4 comparison Of it,
llosses by theft or willful mismanage-
ment with iS expenditures. Amerchant
who employs one hundred clerks, sales
men and cashiers, and transacts . buGi-
Of Ave millions . year, must needs make
allowance for greater losses bys pilfWing
and theft than he who employs only
twenty men and transacts business of q
million year. But, when the Demo
Gratis were in power, expending sOnly
comparatively small Sums Of money, and
employing few thousands Of officials,
| they stole more money than wAs stolen
| under Republican rule, when the e.
| penditures OF the government were
enormously increased This must have
been true. in the very nature oG things,
| when q Democratic collector could ret
l away with more than million Of dollars,
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