Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-01-26
RETRENCHMENT AND REFORM.

Retrenchment in the public expen.
ditures is at this time imperatively de-
manded by the public interests. As
the object Of government is the protec.
ton OF the citizen in his rights of per-
sonal security, personal liberty and
private property, the burdens imposed
in it, administration should be made
rs light upon the people rs practicable.
Proiligacy and extravaganza in the
public expenditures may bring burdens
upon the people destructive of the pri-
mary purposes of government itself.
The most incxorable of robbers is the
Government itself when so administer
ed as to enable few to live in extrav-
agance, luxury and voluptuousuess at
the expense OF the toiiiug millions.
That the salaries and compensation
of our public officers are tou high is
inconteslibly proven by the exiraordi-
nary struggles for office, disturbing all
ranks Of the people. Atthe Presiden.
tial election every four years the ma
tion Is convulsed by disgraceful squab-
bles for the distribution of the offices
and emoluments Of the Government.
Look back twenty years. aud trace
the course of this corruptiug tide of
prohigacy and extravagance in the
administration of the Government
alone. In 1860, under Mr.. Buchan.
ans administration, the total net ordi.
nary expenditure. exclusive of inter
est, of the Federal Government. was
s60,0J6,7571 In 1871 it reached
the sum Of sl64 .42l .50Tlj; and in
1880 the sum of sl7i,SS5, ,3S2.67, ex.
elusive of interest aud all war debt.
And now the estimate of this net an
nual cost of the Federal Government
to the people has actually reached
sl94 ,9IS, ,2606l for the year 1882,
being about or near five millions less
than two hundred millions of dollars.
Thus, exclusive of the interest and war
debt, has the net annual cost of the
Federal Government to the people in
creased under the administration of
the Republican party about sl3j, ,000,-
900 a year, or over fifteen millions
more than double what it was under
the last Democratic administration.
We have space here only for few
of the facts showing how this prohiga-
cy and extravaganza in the public ex-
penditures came about. The increase
of the salaries of Federal officers com
menced in 1866 aud 1867. The sala-
ries of members of Congress previous.
ly fixed at $4,000 a year were raised
to So 1000; those of the judges of the
Supreme Court. which had been ST.
500 year previously; were raised to
$4,000. In 1871 the salaries of the
judges were raised to $4,000 a year
and in 1873 the salaries of members Of
Congress were increased to 1900 q
year each, and the salaries of the judi
ges of the Supreme Court TO $4,000.
And at the same time n proportionate
increase in the salaries of other Fede-
raj officers was made, and the salary
of the President of the United States
was raisid to $4,000 a year. The
salary of the President had been per-
manently fixed at s25, 900 year from
an early period. And without increas-
ing the salary, the expenses Of the
Executive Mansion paid by the Gov
ernment had been increased until, in
1873, they bad reached the sum Of
s57 900. And no abatement was made
in the expenses Of the Executive Man.
sion when the salary was raised to
$4,000. Inasmuch as the Govern
ment pays the expenses of the Exeeu.
tive Mansion, the President would be
the best paid officer in the country at
a salary of $4,000.
This spirit Of extravaganza has been
extended until il has more or less per.
vaded all departments of the public
service and increased the expenditures