Daily Los Angeles herald., 1882-06-13
Useless Expense.

There are indeed many ways of TAX
ing ones money from ones purse. The
Republican federal Office holders are
congratulating themselves and one
another just now because the Congress
sional Committee of that party has in
vented a new method of performing the
operation alluded to, which, it may be
remarked, can not fail of being success
full. The Republican Congressional
Committee has issued circular, the
brevity Of which is commendable, call
ing for funds to pay for printing, and
the like, and all "proper expenses in
cident to the campaign" The circular
is addressed to all "citizens whose prin-
ciples or interests are at stake. The
Committee hazards the opinion that the
persons receiving the circular will "es-
TEEN it both privilege and pleasure !"
to make voluntary contribution, J"
and kindly fix the amount of the con-
tribution at "not less than thirty-si
dollars The Committee is careful to
state that "such voluntary contributions
from persons employed in the service of
the United States will not be objected
to in any official quarter" 1t is assumed
that those to whom these circu-
lars are addressed "look with
dread upon the possibility of the
restoration Of the Democratic party to
the control of the Government Like
an invitation to dinner the document
ends with an r. S. V. p, which, it is
hoped, will be in the form of "bank
check or draft or postal order.
It will be charming to witness the
blithe alacrity with which the federal
Office holder who does not desire to fore
60 the still greater privilege and pleas
ure" Of serving his country where
is there one of the one hundred thous-
and who has such desire-will hasten
to respond to this courteous invitation.
Every one of them will read very plainly
what is written between the lines; if he
does not send in his voluntary contri-
button" he will be liable to receive a
document OF a somewhat different char
acter.
The phraseology of this document is
very felicitous. The term proper ex-
penses !" is good; three million six hun
dred thousand dollars will barely suffice
to meet them, we imagine. With what
seductive fattery is it intimated to the
gentle office holder what the amount of
his s. voluntary contribution shall be,
and how pleasantly is he told that he
will not be amenable to the pains and
penalties attaching to a rupture of the
rigid rules governing civil service re-
form How his patriotism is stirred to
its depths by the mention of the dread
possibility to which he and the country
are exposed In what kindly manner
is he informed of the way in which he
may avail himself of the privilege and
pleasure in which he is invited to par
ticipate
This large amount, however, is not
the sum total which the committee will
have at its disposition for the purpose of
meeting ''proper expenses incident to
the campaign to it must be added the
income to be derived from picking the
pockets of the pages of the House of
Representatives, and from numerous
other sources. The number of clerks of
the government who will have their ex-
penses paid to go home and vote, and
that of white men fraudulently regis
tered in the great cities, as well as that
of the negroes who, about election time,
will be moved from the South to Indi-
ana, and elsewhere, will be greatly in
excess of what they ever have been
But that the money will be put in circu-
lation in this country, it were pity that
SO great an amount should be thrown
away in vain.