Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1880-01-10
HOW S1OO,OOO.000 COrLp BE
SAVED EVERY YEAR.

The Diplomatic ~ervice might be
abolished at once without any, ex-
cept its elegapt incumbents, feeling
the loss. Diplomacy Is an efete art.
Before the day of railroads, tele-
graphs, and newspaper reporters, it
was necessary, perhaps, for warlike
nations, with contiguous frontiers, to
have erudite and polite detectives at
their respective capitals; but this ne
cessity has long since passed away,
and the institution lives only because
no statesmen have had the boldness
to effect its abolition, and because it
furnishes convenient sinecures for
those who have been serviceable to
their party. If this latter class would
have the patriotism 10 retire to the
haunts of private industry, the gain
to the country, through saving, would
be astonishing. Then would we be
able to abolish not only the foreign
service, but to cut down appropria-
tions in every department and branch
of the public service. 1t is fact,
known to everyone who has any &C
Quaintance with our public service,
that all the necessary work could
easily be done by one-half the force
employed and at one-half the expense.
This is startling, but it is not the
whole truth. Some will not believe
it. Others have heard it so often and
consider the situation so irremediabe
that they tolerate it in apathy, with
the comment that ours is powerful,
wealthy government, and that we
can endure the loss of a petty $780,.
100000 per annum. 1t is startling
but as true as Holy Writ, that $780,
100000 will not cover the useless
yearly expense. There are hundreds
of men in this country who would
contract and give heavy bonds to con
duct the military, naval and civil
services of the United States upon
one half of the average yearly ap-
preparations. The man who could
get such a contract would, in five
years, be richer than Vanderbilt, on
entirely legitimate savings. His first
step would be to discharge all gov
ernment employees, and then employ
about one-half Of them, at two.thirds
the salary they are now receiving
One in a thousand might refuse to be
re-employed; his place could be i'm
mediately filed by more competent
man. To handle the top-heavy, over
differed army and navy would lie
more difficult. They have 81 forti- |
fed themselves by intermarriage with
the families of politicians that it will
be almost impossible to reduce their
numbers or their pay, or to stop the
increase OF both. If it were not
for the fact of their matrimonial
connections with the House and Sen
ate their pay and numbers would
quickly be reduced at least fifty per
cent. England, France, Prussia, and
all European countries get as good
military and naval service rs ours for
less than half the money we pay our
officers. But some one will say
What, would you turn half of these
helpless clerks and officers upon the
cold charities of the world2 There
you are againi Will you ever get
over the nonsense that the govern
ment is q charitable institution
Government clerks are supposed to
work seven hours per day. Each one
is entitled to months leave during
the year, and many holidays. No
well-informed, truthful man will as
sert that they average more than
four hours real work per day. And
anyone familiar with government
officers knows that with an elimina-
ton of useless red-tape it would not
be necessary for the employees to work
more than two hours per day. Hence
II will be seen that one. half the force
could easily do all the necessary
work.