The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-03-02

SD Stop the Leaks.
New York Sum-
The Committee on Appropriations pft
the House of Representative no doubt
intended hons sstly to reduce all hnneces-
saryexpenditures, and to go on With
the work which was begun in the ForB-
fourth Con gSess. With a President in
earnest FOR reform, it would not be dif-
ficult to bring down the actual cost Of
carrying on the Government by twenty
FIVE and perhaps thirty millions year.
The army, the nayyssand the, whole field.
of the civil aeryics, invite thes tern hand
OF rttrenchtnert q $dsessssss y q
While the Fraudulent President may
employ the veto, oil these etjeuts can
not be attained But it is practicable
TO put checks and simftsF en- expendis
lures where nohe now exist, ard to
withhold discretion where it has been
scandalously abusN The recent expos'
sutes in the postal service have, attrac-
ted attention all over the country. They
have only scratched the surface Of that
department, as willgbe discovered when.
ever Though Investigation lis made
with no interest OF fconcealment behind it,.
The transportation of rails BY steam
boat costs annually from three.qnarters
to million of dollars 3s The last appro-
priation was nine hundred Thousand.
This service. is wholly in the power OF
the Postmaster General, Or practically
speaking, OF his Second Assistant, Who
makes allfeontracts and dispenses many
of them to fsvorites, at high prices. 10
he sublet for royalty regulated by, ythe
value of the job The intermediary
does nothing but draw his share of the
profit, andathe Treasury teots the hilll
"A system which permits such practices
cannot be defendeds teess ss.s4f 10 y.fag
The manufacture of postage stamps,
stamped envelopes, newspaper wrappers,
and postal cards has become an immense
business. The aggregate value of these
different articles for the last fiscal year
was 500 ,53S, $50 SO according to the Of
icial report, of which twenty-eight and
a half millions were for general use and
about q million for official purposes.
A Bureau Of Engraving and Printing
is kept up at Washington al an expense
Eof about four hundred thousand dollars
q year, and a special building was re-
Gently erected upon a purchased site for
its exclusive operations, That bureau
lis to have all the facilities for every
form of engraving and printing in the
public service. 1t certainly costs money
to assure them. But while. this resource
exists, and is capable of extension, : the
postage stamps, envelopes, wrappers, and
cards are given out by contract to. be
engraved and printed in distant cities;
and, worse than this, there is nothing
in the department worthy to be called q
check upon these issues, which summed
up over twelve hundred and twenty mil
Hons last year. The cost of, manufac-
ture alone is reported, as follows:, si-.g
1 H.
Stamped envelopes and newspa. s
paper wrappers, sas aias $3.50 s4so. .ooo oo
Postal cards, - ~ k... 200, ,00O
Adhesive postage stamps, $4,000
For fiscal year ending June 80, - 80 -
1880, ~ ssS. s@.s 1872 ,00C
There are agents. for experimenting
the manufacture Of and for distributing
these stamps, cards, and envelopes al
salaries. all political pets OF the depart.
meut. Some OF them are brothers and
[other near relstions OF the assistants
who gave out the contracts, and through
whose offices the accounts pass, or who
control the appointments Tyner, Bra.
ldy, and Hazen direct the three branches
into which the postal service is distribu
tied. .,aErring Bother Key is the mer,
16gurehead, who signs official docu
ments, draws his salary with unfailins
regularity, and takes the world easy. III
lis wholly ignorant OF much that oc
Icurs In his own department., and -vas -.s ,.s,
tonished when he was compelled to asl
the House OF Representatives for two
millions deficiency in the. star servic,
soon after sending in the annual report
which contained no allusion to 1t. H
may not know, what his assistants Ger
tainly do know, that there is no rea
check upon the large outlay for th
manufacture Of stamps, cards, and en-
lvelopes. And if he bad the knowledge
Lit would, make no difference.
Il Here are two plain, cases for the. &C
tion. OF the Committee on .Appropria
ltioDs, and they are but ordinary exam
plies of others IN every department, ,shov v
ing how easy it would be to rctrench ex
lpenditures upon large scale, il th
proper intelligence, application, an
courage were addressed to that ohjec
The. charge on the Treasury which thi
! loose method ,invol YES is sufficiently
serious in itself to demand astentiof
But as feature in the corrupt and col
lusive practices that prevail at Washing
ton, it ought to be turned inside nut b
THE severest scrutiny, SO that the jobbef
ION both sides NAV be exposed to publ
view and be branded as they deserve.
j pT Representative J. T. Updegra
has been authorized by unanimou
lvo.e OF the Committee on Pensions I
report favorably bis bill to sinend ,h
\ Pension laws. THERE'S at present d
, LAW fixing the rate OF pension to be pai
Ito soldier or sailor who lost on
ljeye in the service, the other eye remain
ing intact; but, by the matter. of th
!. Pension Officer. one who has sutfere
in this way is paid "a 8 month. Nj
! Updegraff's bill increases the amount I
Sl2 Under existing laws soldier o
q sailor who entered the service, bavin
previously lost the sight Of one eve, an,
, in, the line of duty lost The sigbt OF tb
lotber, receives 9 pension OF $50 I
month; while aperson who entered tb
service with two good eyes and lost tb
sight OF both In Che line of dsty receive
, FS72 q month, Mr.. Updegraff's bin pla
ces both Of these classes on an equa
footing, paving each S72 month; an,
I in cases where the loss OF the sight o
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