Daily Republican., 1882-08-29
ThOae sinful APPROPRIATION.


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Those sinful Appr prODr1aIiOnS.
If the people are so Mortified at tn
eighteen million dollar River an
Harbor steal as they say they are, W
would advise them mott use the none!
appropriated by Congress for the i'm
provement of Rivers and Harbors. In
deed we can hardly see how they car
cOnscientiously use stolen money with
out becoming party to the theft. Why
do not the Democratic papers OF thi'
city, Iank, lean and poor, without al
appropriation, lift their voices on high
against the use of one dollar of thai
horrid steal for the improvement of the
Christiana Oh how they used to la
bor and work, through the Board
OF trade, through Senator Bayard,
through every imaginable source, to
get larger appropriations for the i'm
movement of the harbor of Whining
ton, but now because Congress has
made the appropriation more general
and tried to give each State a taste OF
the good thing, it has all at once turned
out to be a grand robbery on a stupeu-
dous scale-a raid upon the United
States Treasury. What sudden COLI
version. As long as the Wilmington
Harbor and the Delaware were getting
tho benefits of large appropriations, it
WAS all right, but now that other rivers
and bays are to be benefited it is all
wrong. How Senator Salisbury used
TO be prai sed by these same organs for
getting appropriations for Jones' Creek
and Duck Creek Senator Bayard
Dvon showed his ability in getting in
creased appropriations for the Harbor
If Wilmington. How congressman
Martin and Williams were the very
acme of perfection in getting appropria-
GiOns through for Mispillion, Broad
kiln, Lewes and Broad Greek. Now
how changed Had they voted for the
River and Harbor bill now as they did
years before, they would be thieves-in
fact safe burglars, breaking open the
United States cash box and taking
from it money not their own. By the
way, we wonder why Mr. Salisbury
and Mr.. Martin both lodged the vote
this time on the River and Harbor bill.
Every creek in the lower counties was
supplied with an appropriation. How
did the committee know there were
snch creeks If Messrs. Salisbury and
Martin had not told them? Did they
get the appropriations put in the bill,
md then afraid of the consequences
dodge the vote?
Brave console ntious souls Now
then If this steal, as it is called, is such
n wicked thing, there should not be a
dollar Of it used and it should be
tnrned back into the Treasury again.
Let Wilmington Harbor take care of
itself and the Cherry Island Flats re-
main as they are and all the creeks in
Lower Delaware be closed up rather
than use dollar of stolen money. "Oh,
consistency, thou art jewel"
But let us look q moment at this
'Fbig steal" aad analyze it to see where
the great wickedness lies. 1t is an ap.
preparation made by Congress to i'm
prove National water courses, Harbors
and bays that would be benefit to the
nation. The appro priation comes from
the United States Treasury and con-
sists of revenue taxes taken from the
people that the government does not
need. The three million, two hundred
and seventy thousand dollars wrested
from the people by tax on matches / g
q part Of the money appropriated for
the Improvements of Rivers and Har.
bors. 1t comes from check stamps.
stam ps ON proprietary medicines, from
taxes on liquors and cigars, on bank
capital and bank stock, on railroa ds
and On imports. The amount thus col.
lected makes more than is sL fticient
for carrying on the government and
paying Of q the interest on the pu blic
debt. A part is applied to paying off
the principal, when there Is any ready |
30 be paid off, and the balance accrues
IN the Treasury. Whether right or
wrong, Congress took a part of this
iarge surplus, some $18,0OO,O00, and
gave 1t back to the people in the i'm
Rpovement of their harbors and rivers.
This gives work and wages to thous-
2nds of laboring men, and it is some
BOuSolation to know that the money
Trest0d from every poor man and wo-
nm an In the country in the shape of an
unjust match tax goes back to them
again In the shape of wages paid to
working men. We are not certain that
IL WOnld not be good thing if the gov
prnHpent would double the navigation
6apasiay OF every river and harbor in
tho nation. The same papers that are
now denOunCing the River and Harbor
were moi long ago argu.
ing i'm favor of the government taking
possession of all the railroads and tele.
graph lines in the country that they
might be uniformly and economically
operated. We begin to think there is
= great deal Of political bombast in this
to the River and Harbor ap'
preparations. IF there is great sin in
Ii, why was it 30 long in being found
Wnt2 2 Here we have been enjoying the
Anunnfifn ~ ntnlan nooda unnr In and