Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-09-11
SECRETARY SHERMAN AND CON-
-Ts4 ,GRRHS.r;r an
fFrom tbe New York World !

SsseJ kssAss~bf IANtNA%3 fsSAA
emocrats have. proposed no reduction
taxes and no measure OF relief to the
interests ofsthe country.' That
SAerman knew these state
aents to be false when he made them,
70 are sorry TO say, is past all doubt.
.et us consider them. Mr.. Sherman
ontrasts the appropriations made by the
epubiicans for 1876. which he puts at
;l47, ,7l4,94O, with those made by the
democrats tor 1881, which he puts at
1854, ,118,212 Mr.. Sherman ought to
now that such an increase AS this tells
trongly in favor of and not against the
democrats. Inasmuch as the population
II the United States has increased some
our or five millions in the five years be-
ween 1876 and 1881, an increase OF
ome $15, ,000, 900 in the cost OF the pub
ic administration would not be surprls-
ng., But let that pass. The actual ex-
oenditures for the year ending June oo'
1875, were 1854, ,857 1913, including S2o,-
157, 1876 for pensions; the appropriations
or 1881 we find placed at $l96. 800 ,O58,
SAL, ,727 900 for pensions and
pensions deficiency, ard 81 ,25O, 900 ior
the hole made in the postoffice funds BY
the illegal and extravagant action OF the
This leaves the net show
ing in 1876 at $136, ,6OO,4l8, against
Si48, ,828, ,O5S for 1881, and If Secretary
Sherman Is correct in claiming that un-
expended balance amounting to some
81, ,OO0. 900 a year are covered back into
the treasury, the actual expenditure for
the present fiscal year will! be actually
less than it was IN 1876. Ii the republi-
can party is preeminently the party OF
economy, how does Secretary Sherman
account for the TACT that the departments
asked tor more than $500, 900, 900 in
1877, while the republican senate after
the democratic house had cut down the
estimates to$1S8 600, 900 added on near
ly Sl9 500, 900, and eventually forced the
house to spend $4,000, 900 more than it
wished to doP Again, in 1873, on the
eleven great bills, Secretary Sherman
and his cabinet colleagues asked for
nearly S4S, 900, 900 more than the demo-
cratic house considered necessary, and
the republican senate finally forced on
the house an increase OF SO 600, 600. In
1879 it began to be seen that the house
meant business and would stand no ex-
travagance. The administration, there
lore. being driven by Conkling and his
allies to seek favor with the democracy,
concluded that it could get on with Sl76,-
900 900. In 1880 it reduced its estimates
to something under S160, 100000. Ii in
four years the demands of the depart
rnents have been reduced by one filth.
it is because the democratic house has
insisted on the reduction and the repub-
lican senate could not force the house to
yield. Instead of spending, as Mr.. Sher-
man wished it to do. $720, ,645, ,743 in the
last tour years, the nation has spent but
$500, ,566 746. If the democratic house
had been allowed its way these expendi-
lures would have been only $574, ,04S,
1872. The senate resisted the retrench-
ment OF the house, and fought hard to
swell the outlay up to S62S, 736, III. II
the democrats of the house spend less
than the republicans OF the senate asked
them to spend, can they be- accused OF
extravaganza 1t the administration, ,on
the other hand, can get along with its
annual allowance, and save So, ,434, 4l6
out OF it, how can the democrats be
charged with starving the government?
The confederate brigadiers in 1881 will
pay the union soldiers $l3, 1000 more
than the republicans gave them five years
before. This is the one item OF expendi-
ture which has increased notably under
a democratic house, but we do not re-
member that the republicans fought the
increase in a body as eXtrayagant.
1t lies not in the mouth of Mr.. Sher-
man to charge that the democrats III
congress have proposed no reduction o
taxes and no measures OF rellei. They
have managed to reduce the excise duty
f1l> fs fn nd
Secretary Sherman and Commissioner
Raum. always on the side of high taxes
declaredthat this would cripple the inter
nal revenue, the results stultified them
both and proved larger than ever before
The democratic house has made strong
efforts after tariff revision in the interests
of the consumer, but on each occasion ii
has been opposed by the republicans
whose opposition, thanks to the co-opera
| ton OF Mr. Randall, Mr.Wood and smal
handful of democratic protectionists, ha:
always been etfectual tor the moment
The democrats could not even remove
the obnoxious pulp tax on intelligence
thanks to the tactics of Mr.. Warner Mil
ler and other republican owners of pa
per mills, under the direct leadership o
Mr.. Garfield. But the democrats hav,
abolished the quinine monopoly. and
given the other monopolies such u shocl
that plea tor delay IN the shape OF ;
demand Tor commission has been en-
tered. The leading republican journa
OF this city and the most prominent pa
per IN Philadelphia to-day unite in ad
mitting the inevitable approach OF tarii
reform. The independent action of Mr
Townshend, in April last, when an ei
fort was made to place salt, printin!
type and printing paper ON the free lis,
was defeated by the republicans unde
!, the two-thlrds rule, but though, as III
Times said at the time, 1.-The course G
the republican leaders in congress il
identifying their party with the mainte
nance OF all tariff duties. however unpro
ducllve and odlous, was defensibl
neither on grounds OF statesman, hip no
considerations of expediency," pusitiv
indications were given that in the nea
iuture all this would be changed
Mr.. Sherman believes in protection, W b
should he revlle the democrats for nc
assaillng its strongholds more persever
ing y? Ii he does not believe in pro
, lection, why has he always done tn
bidding OF the protectionists? lie ha
much less right. to act the part of censo
than the World, which has always urge
the necessity oil revenue reform and ha
/ not spared to scourge those who in th
garb OF democrats have, for tim,
thwarted it.