Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-04-08
GREAT THINGS.
WHAT DEMOCRACY WAS TO DO
BUT HASN'T.
Republican Rottenness Falls to Material
izc When Wanted, Like the Irish
mans Flea-Some Brilliant
Samples of Economy at
Washington.

The Democratic party trying to manage
the affairs of this great nation, which has
grown clear up and away from its COM
prchension, is like man trying to meas
urc the infinite with two-foot rule.
They have started in just where they left
off quarter of century ago, and seem
to be as well qualified for the mighty
task assigned them as the peanut boy on
railroad train would be to take charge
of the locomotive.
They are full of little penny ante and
piddling pretenses of reform. They were
going to paralyze the people with the ex.
hibitions of Republican rottenness as soon
as they got at the books. While they
were on the outside, and irresponsible,
and could freely use their mouths, they
were great and portentous and awful.
They were thunderation IN the index.
Put upon trial at last, they have shown
themselves utterly incompetent, and all
their blathering gone for naught. Not
an instance of Republican corruption has
been shown, and a condition of amazing
perfection in the vast governmental ma.
chinely exhibited The first investigation
they have been called upon to make in
wolves the honesty of Democrats alone,
some of them in the Senate. and one of
them in the Cabinet, at the head of the
Department of Justice itself. There has
not been single charge of dishonesty
against Republican official, or an inves.
tigatlon of such an officer.
The Democratic officials in charge are
like children in the vast and complex
affairs of the Government, and they do
not dare discharge the Republican Off
GERS. They would not know what to do,
and consequently all the work and all the
management is still really in the hands of
Republicans This is the true secret of
the civil service reform of this Admins
tration. They would be glad to let the
Republicans go, but they dare not.
But it Is developed that there has been
going on under the surface all the time
some most extraordinary work in re-
trenchment and economy and reform.
Those broad gauge financiers and states
men, Comptrollers Durham and Maynard,
have been cutting down Government eX-
penses and correcting abuses in q manner
to make the average patriot faint with
admiration. Durham has been boring
with gimlct, and Maynard has been tun.
neling with a toothpick, and the result is
a book of 45O pages recounting their
achievements in unearthing Republican
extravaganza and curtailing the expenses
of the Government This report is in.
tended to paralyZe the Nation with Won
der and admiration, and think it likely
to be so also with laughter and contempt
If ever great, broad, progressive Ma
ton was made contemplate and ridicu-
lous by her chief officials, If ever prem
ium was placed on meaner narrowness
ard stinginess it is in this instance, and
at the hands of these reformers.
Let me give the readers of the CONNER
cidl Gazette few instances out of the
many hundreds contained in the book to
show what the Democratic idea of econo.
my and reform in the Government man
agcment is: On the 250th page of the re-
port appears remarkable disallowancc
in the accounts of Lieutenant Fugor, of
the Fourth Artillery. In September 1884
he purchased coffin, and charged it in
his accounts. The expenditure was dis
allowed by the Comptroller on the ground
that it was purchase in the open market
without advertising for proposals or max
ing contract. The officer replies: "The
coffin was needed at once. 1t was very
hot weather, and had no time to adver.
tisc for proposals or make contracts AS
this was the cheapest coffin could find
in Newport-fifteen dolars-I ask that it
be allowed to pass" The officer, of
course. is obliged to pay for the coffin
himself. The next time one of his men
dies he will advertise in the local papers
for bids for three weeks, and then award
a contract for making the coffin Mean.
while what will he do with the corpse?
Here is another case which came near
being an international scandal: Edgar
Stanton, Consul General at st. Petersburg
paid $593 for embalming the body of the
late Minister Hunt and preparing it for
burial, which was considered excessive,
and he was allowed only 800 for that
purpose. There was considerable cor
respondencc between the Treasury De
partment. the Secretary of State, Consul
General Stanton, and the family of Min.
lister Hunt over this item, it being assert.
cd that the charge for embalming was
much greater in Russia than in the Unit
cd States; that the undertaker's bill
amounted to this sum, and the Consul
General was compelled to pay 1t to avoid
scandal; but the Comptroller was mex
orable. He increased his original allow.
ance to 5000, but would not consent to
the payment of the full amount, although
there was an appropriation for the pur.
pose. The family of the late Minister
refunded to Consul General Stanton the
balance of $393.
Here are three special bricks Gustav
Switzer. U. s. Marshal for Wyoming,
charged $7.25 for box of candles, which
Durham disallowed as not an expense to
be borne by the United States Mr..
Switzer must buy his own candles to light
his Office J. d. f. Cousins, U. S. Marsh
al for Missouri, is docked $47j, which
he expended for cards and note paper for
the U. $. District Judge.
Clayton McMichael, U. S. Marshal for
the District of Columbia, charged the
Government fifty cents for "sx bundles
of toothpicks." The bill was disalowed
as an unlawful extravaganza. In hun.
dreds of cases the amounts disallowcd
run from ton and fifteen to tweaty five
cents.
General Rufus Saxton, Assistant Quar-.
tcrmastcr General, on page 30l is held
accountable for one mule that appears Ia
have been lost Lieutenant Thomas
McCaleb is charged with twenty five
cents, being the value Of one ration issued
by error, to n soldier on furlough, and
rather than have a fuss about It, he re-
funded the money TO the Government
Lieutenant Morris Vessels, of the Twen.
ty fourth Infantry, purchased $l.1C
worth of matches, but in his. account,