The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-10-02
A GRUDGING TRIBUTE.

"A oNo"NANo A"Aoo -
In June 1879 appeared in the NORTH Ameri.
can Reuiem an article from the pen of James
A. Garfield headed National Appropriations
and Misappropriations," In it occurs this
paragraph:
Much credit is dcservedy due to the Demo
Gratis Of the Forty fourth Congress for continu.
ing the work of reduction which had been car
ried on by their Republican predecessors from
1865 down to, and including the passage of the
appropriation bills for the fiscal year, ending
June 30, 1876. On some subjects of reduction
they could act more effectively and with less
embarrassment than their Republican prede
cessors. They were less restrained by party
associations from reducing the official force IN
the departments"
Continuing the work carried on by their
four years after the close of the war, the EN-
poyes upon the civil list of the United States
numbered 54,207; the way their republican
predecessors" reduced the official force was to
increase this number by 1878 to sG,GGO, and by
lS75-when the house became democratc-to
94,119.
In the same 1869 the total expenditures of
the government excluding interest on the pub
lie debt and pensions, were 1852, or ,SG0.5S;
and for the four years from 1869 to 1872, dur
ing which Dawes was chairman of the house
committee on appropriations, the expenditures
were $545,9l9,42t Continuing the work" of
these said predecessors" for the next four
years, during which Garfield had charge of
the appropriations, the expenditures from
1871 ,62G, 720 IN 1872 leaped to $l5G235 1870 in
1873, and for the four years of Garfields chair
manshIp they reached $572, TAP, 524 That is,
the work of reduction " was so continued by
Garfield that the expenditures of his fodr years
exceeded Dawes's four years SEQ, 1928 Ill al
though Dawcs's four years included flush
times while Gariicd's included the great re.
vuslon of 1878.
The xext four years the democrats had con.
troll of the house, and if they had continued
the work of reduction on the plan of Garfield
and his plant republican house they ought to
have gone up S2G0OO00O year, or the four
democratic years ought to have exceeded Gar
fields four republican years $1O4OO0,OO0 On
the contrary, by not continuing the work ofre
ducton on the plan of their republican pred
ecessors," the democratic expenditures during
those tour years foot up $3.50, 7O9,41s, or 1885,,
100000 less than during Dawes's four rcpubl.
can years and $l13,000000 less than during
Garfield's four republican years.
In the light of these figures the cheekiness
pf Mr. O. rfialI N uivipo nroI;f tn tbo
Gratis for continuing the work of their repub.
lcan predecessors shows itself with amusing
prominence. However, there is one good idea
thrown out by Mr. Garfield that deserves at
tention. In this work of reduction he says
the democrats could act more effectively and
with less embarrassment than their republican
predecessors They were less restrained by
party associations from reducing the official
force in the departments" Isn't this an ex.
cellent reason for continuing the democrats IN
power until all the needed reductions can be
made! While they could apply the knife to
monster brood of jobs that had grown up I'm.
der the Garfield regime they were not able,
without the aid of a democratic executive, to
make any serious inrOads into that enormous
official force of 100000 with whom the repub-
licsns had surrounded the executive, and how
can they prosecute that much needed work OF
reform II Garfield is electeds Hancock obvi.
ously in that business would be restrained
by no "party associations" but 1t would be ex-
actly the contrary with Garfield. IT. for in
stance, his duties as President should require
him to aid in the detection and punishment of
corrupt officials of his own or his predecessors
appointment, or to lop off supernumeraries,
would he not be restrained by party associa-
tionsf" Such at least seems to be Mr.. Gar
fields own opinion as one Of those "republi-
can predecessors" he talks about, and remind
ed of the suggestion, doubtless the people will
not fail to act upon it,