Year: 1869

@i Inc BegnnuauEs m


The rush of hungry patriots 10 Washington
on the wild hunt for Office startles even the
managing politicians whose followers these
hungry patriots are. General Grant, however,
accustomed to dealing with large bodies of
men on short notice, sustains the pressure
with the coolness of an old campaigner, and
takes his own time in parcelling out the loaves
and fishes. Meantime our attention ID called
to the more important responsibilities and
duties of his position. We expect under his
administration, in the development Of the
incalculable resources Of the United States, an
epoch Of progress, prosperity and power
without an example in the records Of any
people on the face of the globe. We have had
reasons to fear financial crisis and collapse
from the mlsmanagement Of the Treasury,
and reasons, also, to fear, from these and
other causes, such demoralizations and disor-
ders in our body polite as might bring upon
us political as well as financial bankruptcy;
but we look now for brighter days and better
things.


It is yet too soon to pass judgment upon the
capacities OF the new Cabinet in the work of
retrenchment and reform; but there are two
departments which have already gone vigor-
ously to the task before them. We refer to
the War and the Navy Departments. The ex-
perienced and efficient men assigned to the pro-
fessional business Of these departments have
commenced with the will of new householders
preparing for wedding in the family and
bridal reception. General and special orders
affecting the reorganization and reduction of
the army and the pruning down of useless ex-
penses have already been sent out to every sec
ton Of the country. 1t is contemplated within
. short time to reduce the aggregate rank and
file of the army in active service from forty
five to twenty-five regiments-or say from
fo1ty-five to twenty-five thousand men
and in this and other ways to cut down in
twelvemonth the expenditures of the War
Office to one-half the last annual budget of the
Secretary. This is good. And in the Navy
Department we have evidences Of similar
activity with the pruning knife. Indeed, it is
said that Admiral Porter, in direct charge of
the reform bureau, is turning the department
upside down and inside out, and that Grand
father Weles would even now be shocked at
the innovations made in the brushing away of
the dust and cobwebs of many years accumula-
tion and in the clearing out Of old and useless
lumber. At the same time Secretary Borie,
off on a little journey, leaves posted about the
walls for the information of place hunting
interlopers this facetious inscription :-"There
are no vacancies in this department" He has
no time to waste upon ofice-beggars.


We see, then, that in the War and Navy
offices it is the purpose of the new managers
to reduce personnel, machinery and expenses
to the margin of fair peace estab-
lishment. Let it not be inferred,
however, that this means peace under
Grants administration, right or wrong
1t means only that while peace prevails
our army and navy may be raced to the
peace establishment Of mere police force on
land and water Why not, when, under Presi-
dent Grant, from the men, materials, appli-
ances and inventions of our late civil war, he
could within six weeks muster the most for





would be terror to any enemy? The inaugu-
raj very clearly shows that while General
Grant means to ask nothing that is not right of
foreign Powers, he intends to submit to moth
ing that is wrong So the War and Navy De-
partments under him are to be organized for
the exigency of war, while reduced as to the
expenditures of an assured, enduring peace.


But how is it with the other departments
the Treasury, the Interior and the Post Office
Here different order of things seems to pre-
vail; here the politicians appear as If in full
possession, and the wild hunt for Office is in
full blast, on Marcy's debasing motto that ito
the victors belong the spoils." There are not
in this demoralizing exhibition any very en-
couraging signs Of ECONOMY, retrenchment
and reform" But when this unseemly rush of
spoilsmen and this degrading scramble for
places at the public crib shall have somewhat
abated we expect that General Grant
will take look into the prac-
tical working of these departments, and we
expect that il they are found wanting upon
the test Of economy and retrenchment he win
apply the rule of his address to the Con-
gressional Committee announcing his election
the rule Of dismissing at once any member Of
his Cabinet when found incompetent or unsatis-
factory. The Commissioner Of Internal Reve-
nue., an officer second only in his great respon-
siblities to the head Of the Treasury, comes
also within this category.


The Post Office Department has been turned
over to Mr.. Cresswell deeply in debt or behind
hand; the Interior Department has been
turned over to General Cox awfully mixed up
with rings Of Misunderstanding contractors and
railway land speculating rings, and all sorts
of Territorial schemes and jobs; the Treasury
Department and its appendages Of the internal