The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-11-29
Republican Plnnderlng Of tho Treasury.

q In his lame attempt TO answer the
ecathing indictment brought by Carl
Schurz against the Republican party ex-
Governor Hawley, of Conpecticut, brings
out the well-worn comparison between
several Administrations as to cost of col
iectlng the revenue, and loss in receiv-
ing and disbursing the same. The losses
on receipts, he points out, under Taylor,
S2.O7 per $1,000; under Pierce, 1922;
under Buchanan, $3.l6; under Lincoln,
y3.37; under Grant. $1.27; under
Hayes, two cents per $1,000, and
under Arthur, during the first two
years of his Administration, six mills
per $1,000. AS to the disburse-
ments the average loss, he says, under
all Administrations prior to 1861, was
S5.11 per $1,000. The average since
has been thirty-nine cents per 81 ,090,
and this, he thinks, shows show the
Republican party has plundered the
Ireasurv" of course, in his
sarcastic way, that these figures are a
con ciusive answer TO the charge that the
Republican party has plundered the
dreasury.
There are some facts ia relation to
Government bookkeeping and collec-
ton of revenues which make these fig
ures misleading as evidence of the COM
rarative economy in conducting the
Government before and since the war.
But conceding for the sake of argument
that they show accurately the average
loss during the two periods compared it
is worth while to examine them to see
what else they show.
Do they show, for instance, that the
Democratic Administrations before the
war were dishonest and incapable
because the loss unde.' them was
greater than under the Republican ADJ
ministrations since that time? If they
do they also show that the Lincoln
Administrator and the Grant Admins
tratiOn were dishonest and incapable;
for the contrast in their losses in COL
lecting and disbursing the revenue and
the losses incurred under Hayes and
Arthur is more violent than the con-
trast between the averages of Demo.
cratic and Republican administration.
Governor Hawley and his party are
welcome to all the comfort they can find
in the figures viewed in that aspect.
More important still, do the figures
show, or tend to show, that the later
Republican Administrations have hon.
esuy conducted the Government and
that the Republican party has not
''plundered the treasury" The answer
to this must be that the figures neither
show nor tend to show anything OF the
kind.
1t is of common notoriety that during
the two last Administrations, with their
exceeding low ratio of loss per 1000, as
ury has. been more cruelty plundered
than at any period OF the country's his
tory. We do not speak now of extrav-
agance IN appropriation and expendi-
ture. though that, in its way, is plum
dering of the Treasury which makes no
show in the Hawley figures. We refer
to the open and outrageous steals OF
which the Star Route robberies were
fragrant but not lonely examples. y
With the general history of these rob-
berries the public has long since become
acquainted. Routes let by contract for
small amounts were subsequently, and
fraudulently expedited" as it was
called, and the amount paid from the
Treasury enormously increased, the
profit being divided between the con-
tractors, Republican officials and man.
ayers of the Republican campaign. In
the Dorsey Brady combination there
were according TO the testimony taken
before the investigating committee one
hundred and thirty-four cases of sex
pedited'' routes. AS to nineteen OF
these the testimony was exceedingly
full and explicit 1t showed that upon
contracts originally let under competi.
ton to the amount Of S41, 185, there
was a net increase, without any ,conipe-
ttion, of $448,670. Upon these nine
teen contracts alone the Government
was robbed of nearly half million;
and the aggregate plumber in, the entire
one hundred and thirty -four cases car
not have fallen short of $4,009,00o
Whatever shortage there may be is more
than made up by the amounts drawn
from the Treasury to pay lawyers fol
SO conducting the prosecution of the
Star Route thieves as TO insure their es
cape. e 80
An because this immense amount OF
''loot'' Ian Insignificant fraction of the
total amount-does not show as plum
der on the Government books, Repub
lican orators have the brazen effrontery
90 pirate of the party's honesty ant
point to the books as proof thereof
Millions have been paid out in fraud o.
tho public-have actually been stolen a.
much as if burglar had feloniously
cracked the Government vault ant
made off with the 'treasure--and be
cause an ingenious system of bookkeep
ing accounts for'it all and the book
balance. we are asked to believe tina
there has been no theft. aEi ? az.
1t will not do Mr.. Hawley and Mes
s;eurs the other Republican stump ora
tors. The people may not understand
all the iptricac:es Of bookkeeping; bu
they do know that. whatever the books
say. the arm of the Republican part,
has been in the Treasury up to the shout
der. --Erchangc. ss't. ~
ma V3fallfx AZ nomocxaNx