The Democratic advocate., 1888-01-21

in charge of it. There are too many
bureaus, divisions, and subdivisions in and
about the various departments, and too
little concentration of labor and official
responsibility. This complicates and CON
fuses the operations of the government,
and makes the transaction of the public
business tedious and annoying to the peo-
pie, and at the same time it compels the
retention Of many officials and employees
whose services might otherwise be dispens- !.
ed with
There is no reason to believe that the Re
publican party would make, or attempt to
make, any substantial reduction of expen-
ditures, or give its support to this necessa-
ry reform in the public service. 1t could
not do either without repudiating its past
policy and undoing its own work.
If We look beyond the ordinary outlay
for the support Of the government, and
consider the general course of the two
parties in relation to the appropriation and
expenditure of the public money for other
purposes, the difference between them is, if
possible, still more important. In the
matter of pensions especially, the Repub-
lican party, in and out Of Congress has
thoroughly committed itself to a policy
which, if carried out, would bankrupt the
country, or, at the very least, subject the
people to burden of taxation that would
seriously cripple and embarrass all their in
dustries. While it is just and politic that
a government like ours, which maintains
no large standing army, should grant liber-
al pensions to its wounded and disabled
soldiers and sailors, and to the widows and
dependent relatives of those who have
died, the rights and interests of the great
body of the people, who pay the taxes,
carry on the industries, and develop the
resources of the country, should not be en-
tirely disregarded. Already the United
States are expending annually,on account of
military and naval pensions, more than is
paid by all the other governments in the
world combined; and as time passes and
conditions change-as old age and disease
overtake the survivors of the late war,
and the wealth of the country Increases
the benefits of the law will be extended and
the allowances augmented, until finally all
who can show a reasonable term of service
and an honorable discharge will receive the
generous aid of the government This pol
icy is not only right in itself, but it accords
with the past course of the government
toward the soldiers of other wars, and no
public man of either party should oppose
it. But there is limit to the paying
power Of the people, and the real friend of
the soldier-not the mere politician who is
seeking votes at the expense of the public
::seasury. but thenressponsible legislator
who foresees the consequences of his ac-
ton and wants justice done to all classes
will proceed slowly and cautiously in a
matter involving such vital interests. The
Republican party is in no proper condition
to control legislation upon this subject 1t
cannot halt without violating its pledges to
the soldiers, and it cannot proceed without
doing an irreparable wrong to the taxpayers.
The Democratic party has always been
the friend of the navy and the merchant
marine, and so long as it remained in pow
er the American flag was displayed on
every sea and in every commercial port.
Seventy-fve years ago, when the republic
was in its infancy, our ships of war won
imperishable renown in the conflict with
Great Britain, the boasted MISTRESS Of the
seas, and up to the beginning of the late
civil war more than three-fourths of our
foreign commerce was carried in our own
vessels. Now, after twenty-four years Of
Republican domination, we have no naval
establishment worthy of the name, and
scarcely more than one-seventh part of our
foreign carrying trade is done BY American
ships. If the mere appropriation and ex-
penditure of money had been all that was
necessary, the Republican party has thor
oughly demonstrated its qualification for
the task, but unfortunately all its efforts to
secure navy without either building or
buying vessels have signally failed. Nor
was it any more successful in its attempts
to increase foreign commerce and revive
the carrying trade by paying subsidies and
bounties out of the treasury. The para
iyzing influences of prohibitory tariffs and
barbarous navigation laws cannot be obyiat-
ed by such artificial stimulants.
Free ships and liberal laws for the regu-
lation of trade, instead of restrictive legis-
lation and unfriendly taxation, would do
more in few years to restore our merchant
marine and increase our commerce with
South America and other parts Of the
world, than was accomplished during all the
time the Republican party had charge of
the government. Commercial treaties,
while they may be desirable under peculiar
circumstances, are generally more favorable
to one party than the other, and sre there
fore frequently unjust Besides, they
grant exclusive privileges and make i'm
proper and offensive determinations against
other friendly nations, thus provoking
spirit of retaliation upon their part which
may greatly injure the interests of our cit
izens abroad. AS general rule5a great
power like the United States should always
retain absolute control over its own affairs,
and not embarrass itself by commercial or
other alliances with foreign governments.
We have it in our own power, without
bargaining or consulting WITH any other
i not;oo IN odont n nolicv which viii ine,,ro