The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-01-05
Reckless Appropriations.

Reckless Appropriations.
The aggregated estimates that the
present congress is asked toeappro,1
pirate for the different department is
placed at 1910, 562, 5O7. This is some
fifty millions in excess of the amount
expended in 1880. In the above estiz
mate is included $499, 900, which
Gen. Hazen asks for the signal ser.
vice bareaH-just S124, 600 in-excess
ofthe amount congress voted for thisq
purpose for the past year.-Now it
is a well ascertained fact that Capt.
Howgate of this service, stole fully
one third of the money set apart for
this bureau during the last two years,
and that notwithstanding this heavy
d~efalcations the utility of the service
was in nj way impaired, and there
was no deficit, each arm of the bu-
reau working smoothly and WE'LL
Yet in the face of these facts and
with the knowledge that the grand
jury of the district has found at
least a dozen of indictments cover
ing a steal ola quarter OF a million
against this thief, yet Gen. Hazen
has the effrontery to ask for a large
ly increased appropriation. Surely
congress should investigate thor
oughly the workings of this arm of
the service. If a rascally officer can
steat ohesttffrd Of tie money sappro
priated without imparing or impe-
ding the workings of this OF. any 9th
er Of the departments, certainly there
is the very best of reasons for cur
sailing instead of increasing the ex-H
penditnres. 1 y 80
The direct and positive steal of.
this large amount Of the public mon
icy, taken in consideration with the
further fact that congress at its last
regular session largely increased the
amount appropriated for the use OF
the different department, and that
the signal services is no exception,
and that p%eculation and mismanage-
menti has led to investigation into
the management of the post. office,
the navy, the treasury, and interior
departments, the evidence brought.
to light showing that rascality, qcoliu-
sion and jobbery has become almost
epidemic, and that Misrepresentation
of the public funds has become the
rule rather than the exception. -5j5
The New York Sun says: It is
true there are new items intro
duced, which may be open to dis
cussion. But the main item, which
furnished the opportunity for How
gates operations, is only reduced
twenty-five thousand dollars from the
grant. for the current year, and that
reduction is more than offset. by ad
ditional estimates. Ii there be any
desire for economy, and for honest
administration, the house of repre-
s%entatives will never allow these es-
Inmates to be. adopted. The British
practice should be adopted. On the
supply estimates sent TO parliament,
eperyitem of expenditure, ne matter
how small it may be, is specifically
set forth. The actual cost of a pro
posed ship. of war, or of any object,
is brought down to the minutest de-
tail, And this estimate cannot be
exceeded without the consent of par
lament. We pretend to follow this
system, but every appropriation act
shows the widest departures from it.
In this signal service matter, the
sum of 1875, cool is voted, as follows:
Expenses of the obversationo and
report of storms by telegraph and sig
nal for the benefit of commerce and
agriculture throughout the United
States F; for manufacture, purchase and
repair of meteorological and other nee
essary instruments for telegEaphing
reports; for expenses of storm sig
nails, amounting the probable APP
proaCh and force of storms ; for con-
t%inuing the establishment and connec-
ton of stations at life saving stations
and lighthouses for instrument shell
tiers; for hire, furniture and expenses
of offices maintained for public use in
cities and ports receiving reports for
river reports; for maps and bulletins
to be displayed in chambers of COM
merce and boards of trade rooms, and
for distribution ; for books, periodi-
Gals, newspapers, and stationery, and
for incidental expenses not otherwise
provided for. ~ -
Here is full discretion to distribute
this money a the signal service bu-
reau may think proper, and con
grress, which appropriates it, is en-
tirely.in the dark as to the distribu-
ton. Is this the way to vote the
taxes obtained from the people?
asa
Jones, of Nevada, attributes the
great prosperity of the country in re-
cent years to the passage of the Sill
yer Bill, and he is opposed to any
'tinkering of the currency" The
protective tariff advocates insist that
this prosperity is due to the heavy
taxes which the people pay through
the duties on imports. and thew are