Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-12-21

Representatives exert pressure Upon the
appointing power.
/ am disposed 10 speak with due mod
Grafton and with respect for every gen.
tIeman who sits In this Chamber. cer-
tainly desire in a statement like this not
20 make personal reflections upon any
body; but I say that this system, per-
meating the whole civil service OF the
country, demoralizes everybody conuect-
ed with it. the clerks. the appointing
power, and those who by their official
position and their relations TO the execu-
tive administration OF the Government
have the influence necessary to put these
clerks in Office.
Mr.. President, how can you expect
purity, economy, efficiency TO be found
anywhere in the service OF the Govern
ment IL the report made by this commit
tee 70 the Senate has even the semblance
of truth? II the civil service of the coun
try is to be filed up with superfluous per
sons, il salaries are 10 be increased in
order that assessments may be paid, il
members OF Congress having friends or
partisan supporters are to be able to make
places for them in public employment,
how can you expect Senators and Repre-
sentatives to be economical and careful
in the administration of the public
money?
| am sure there is no Senator here who
will forget a scene which we had upon
the last night session of the last session,
when the Senator from Iowa Mr.. Alli--
sonl. the chairman Of the Committee on
Appropriations, the official leader of the
Senate, rising in his place with the last
appropriation bill in his hand, and the
report of the committe of conference,
made statement to the Senate of the
result of the appropriations. He stated
that the appropriations that were made
during that session amounted to $292, =
OOO. .OO0-I throw off the fractions-and
he felicitated the Senate, and himself as
the organ and mouthpiece OF his party,
that this was an excess OF only ST., ,000,-
| 600 over and above the expenditures of
the year before. Instantly the Senator
from Connecticut Mr.. Platt] rose in his
place and reminded the Senator that
there would be deficiency in the PEN
sion Bureau alone of $50. 900, 900 or $685.
900, 900. The honorable Senator from
Georgia, who now occupies the chair
| TMr. Brown. inquired Of the chairman
of the Committee on Appropriations
whether there would be any deficiencies
in the expenses of the current year. or
whether the statement was supposed to
cover probable deficiencies in addition TO
the appropriations, and the honorable
Senator from Kentucky Mr.. Beckl. GER
tainly as familiar with all these subjects
as any member of this body, rose in his
place and said that Notwithstanding the
utmost scrutiny of the Committee on APP
preparations, undoubtedly at the en1 of
the fiscal year the ordinary deficiencies
would be found.
Two hundred and ninety-two millions
of dollars of regular appropriation; $780,
O00, 900 of deficiency in one bureau alone,
the usual deficiencies occurring during
the course of the year of SEQ, 1000. .0O0
more! AS if this were not enough, my
honorable colleague arose in his place
and took up the tale and called attention
to the fact that the permanent appro-
priation amounted annually to one hun.
dred and thirty or more millions OF
dollars. According to his statement
made in that speech, which l am sure
robody will forget, the expenditures OF
the Government during this present fiscal
wear would amount to $402, ,000, 900 OF
s4O3, 900, ,00O-nearly 50 a head for every
man, woman, and child in the United
States-more money than was appro'
priated for all the expenses of the Gov
ernment during the first forty years ol
its existence, will venture 10 say though
do not speak by the book.
Harbor and river appropriation bills oi
$1S, 600, 600! Thirty-two new buildings
commenced in the States. almost every
one of which has had buildings before
} Two million five hundred thousand dol
.. lars appropriated for the commencement
, of those buildings, for laying the founda
, ton! Before they are finished $25, ,00O,-
900 more will be needed to complete
them! While these enormous appro
! priations were being made there came ul
from tho country demand for a revision
of the tariff, which was confessed,
greatly needed: for revision of the in
ternal.rever ue laws, which was equal,
necessary; for reduction of taxation
pressing so heavily upon all the interest
Of the country. Our honorable friend
j upon the other side of the Chamber chos
] to answer that demand by bill repeal
, ing the taxes upon perfumery and cos
/ metics and bank checks, and met with
r sneer of derision and ridicule every effor
. that was made on this side of the Cham
: : ber for reduction of taxation.
/ Mr.. President, it was these methods
} administration, it was these acts of tn
: Republican party, which made it posi-
: BILE for the Democratic party, and othe
y men who priced their country highe
e than they did their party, to elect j
Z Ohio Democratic ticket by eighteen o
twenty thousand majority, and elect six
. teen out of the twenty-one members Q
V Congress assigned to that State. sa
o we elected sixteen, perfectly conscious @
the fact that thirteen of them only hav
received their certificates at present.
three of them, against whom the aggre
: gate majority is only sixty votes, do nc
e receive certificate under the action G
e the returning board or under the power
of our Judiciary which have been in
v voked, they will be seated, as they ough
Il to be, at the beginning of the next SCI
!. sion of Congress in the other House.
!, The people demanded economy and th
g Republican party gave them extravs
0 gance The people demanded redu'
+ tion of taxation and the Republican pa
e ty gave them an increase OF expenditure
It The people demanded purity Of admins
!: tration and the Republican party revele
in prohigacy; and when the Republica
i party came to put themselves ON trial bt
e fore that same people the people gav
!. them day of calamity.
n The bill has for its foundation the sim
|, pie and single idea that the offices OF tn
IS Government are trusts for the people
s that the performance of the duties {
n those offices is to be in the interest OF tn