The National tribune., 1892-05-19

expectation for the year was to produce a small
surplus over and above all expenditures, and
he believes that to cut the appropriation to
make large profit on the postal service when
| its imperative demands for improvement in
| almost every direction cannot be met will not
be very popular way of putting money into
the Treasury, even if by miracle it be possible
| to make earnings" He then calls attention to
the reduction of $57 POO in the estimates for
postage-stamps, envelopes and postal cards, re-
ferring to the fact that the Department reve-
nues are derived from their sale. lie says
this reduction would represent total OF
s., ,623 in the estimated amount of revenue
for the next fiscal year, and such reduction
would leave the estimated total revenue at
| 81, 225 726, which would call for deficiency
appropriation of 81, 1907, 673 to meet estimated
expenditures called for by the bill reported
| from the Postofice Committee of the House.
| With the proposed appropriation for clerk hire,
Gen. Wanamaker says not 81 can be granted
next year to postofficcs for additional clerks or
for increase of salaries. And if the appropria-
ton in the bill for mail messenger service,
81, 100000 is no. increased, it will be necessary
on June 80 to discontinue service costing
| $4,000, and the Department will be without
means to establish new service Gen. Wanna
maker picks other portions of the proposed ap-
| preparations for the Postoffice Department to
pieces, and says we will be made q spectacle
before the people of the world who will come
here to visit tho Exposition at Chicago, by the
inadequacy of our postal facilities should these
proposed reductions in the estimates be made.
The officers of the Department of the Poto-
mac, Grand Army of the Republic, went to see
the President regarding the workings of Rule 10
of the Civil Service laws one day last week.
This rule was made for the benefit OF old SOL
diers, SO that should one of them lose his posi-
ton under the Government, he could be reap
pointed within a certain time to his old posi-
| ton without having to pass Civil-SerVice
examination. Some of the Departments, no.
tably the Treasury, have issued certain rules
of their own regarding promotions. These
rules require every person who desires pro-
motion to go before board and compete with
his fellow clerks for the desired position. A
number of veterans were discharged from scr
vice during Clevelauds Admin istration because
they were offensive partisans," and nearly
all of them were reinstated when the Harrison
Administration took charge of the Govern
ment but most of them in lower grades than
the ones occupied by them when discharged.
These men claim that Rule 10 of the Civil Ser
vice law applies to their cases, and that this
rule is greater than the rules Of any Depart
ment Rule 10 being made by the President
himself, while those of the Departments are
made by the head of that Department, or other
officials appointed for the purpose. Hence the
Department officers waited On the President to
ask whether Rule 10 should govern their cases,
or the rules established by the Departments.
He stated most positively to tho committee
that be wanted all promotions of veterans and
others made upon their daily records of eff
Cheney and was opposed to the introduction of
merely geographical, geological and astronom-
ical questions as test of the efficiency Of vet
Grams. The committee was much pleased with
the result of the interview.
-.
Red tape is big item in Government affairs,
and here is an instance: In October, 1889,
Lieut. Col. George II. Elliott of the Engineer
Corps of the Army, paid $40 to physician for
medical attendance furnished George Brown,
laborer in the employment of the United States.
who was injured through no fault of his own
by the fall of derrick on q Government build
ing Although Col. Elliott paid this money out
of his own pocket for the Government, the
officials could End no way to repay him, and
bill was accordingly introduced in the last
Congress, which was not reached, and another
bill had to be introduced in the present Con.
gress, on which two reports have been made.
The correspondence and statements from the
various Departments, with the accumulation Of
red-tape memoranda, have conduced to swell
the documents in this simple case to a very
plethoric condition. These documents were all
printed, and favorable report was made to the
Senate one day last week, and tho bill was
passed. Now, although this claim was just
one, and only for the Insignificant sum Of $40,
it has already cost the Government thousands
of dollars, when you take into account the time
which has been taken up by it of clerks, ac-
counting officers. Congressman, and Senators,
to say nothing of the cost Of printing the mass
of evidence which had accumulated. that alone
being thrible the amount of the original bill
80
The leaders Of the Democratic party are be-
coming alarmed at the big sums of money that
are carried by the appropriation bills which
are becoming laws every day. So much howl
| ing was INDUCED in over the "billon dollar
Congress" of last year by them, and SO profuse
were they in promises of retrenchment should
they get control of Congress- that when they
begin to take an account of stock already on
hand, with many of the larger appropriation
bills yet to be acted on, it is no wonder that
the leaders begin to call halt. 1t is now pro-
posed to have Senator Hill, OF New York
sound note of alarm in the Senate, upon the
first favorable occasion, regarding the prone
ness of the Democratic party in Congress to
try and come as near as possible to the record
left by the Republicans of the 51st Congress,
the "bilion dollar Congress-" in the matter Of
expenditures of the public money. Mr. Hill is
expected shortly to cry out against these onor-
nous expenditures, and pose as a watch dog of
the Treasury on the Senate side of the Capitol,
as he is very proud of stating that under his
administration of the affairs of the State of
New York, expenditures there were reduced
some So 0OOGoO The Senator ia said tn be-