Year: 1877

i


There will be fight in the next Con-
3ss over the appropriations--possibly
! a much sharper contest than the one of
| last session or that preceding. It will


be all the more bitter because the repub-


licans are conscious of the decay of their


organization and the gradual wasting
away OF their resources. As a party
they resent the institution of civil


reform policy, which bids fair to rob
them both of personal and financial sue
cor, and are only restrained from violent
denunciation by the fear that their ene>
mics will profit more by the revolt than


themselves. 1t might be expected that
this sentiment would affect their sup


port of the national establishment, and
that they would show as much indiffer-
ence to tle necessities OF the admins


tration as the administration has shown
| to their own; but 10 accept this Inference
would be a fatal error. There ID still


some good feeding and some good steal
ing to be got at the public CRIB, though
Collector Thomas has set up a shrine of
purity in the Baltimore customhouse,
and Mr.. Fulton is under bonds to electri-
fly the state; and it will be found, when
Congress meets, that the republicans


are even more hungry than usual. What,
then, is the duty of the democratic MAJ


jority in the House IL is intolerably


plain. Mr.. RandalPs policy of ,nforced


economy must be rigidly adhered to.


Because the same extravaganza which


characterized the administration of the


departments under Grant has not been


continued under Hayes, is no reason why


Congress should regard further reduc-


tion of public expenditures as either inn
possible or inadvisable, and the govern,


ment estimates should be even more


closely scrutinized than when the first


retrenchment was effected. We expect.


AS we have said, that there will be a
strong opposition to this policy; and Wa


are not sure that it will be altogether


confined to the republicans. So accu.-


toned has every body become to seeing


the government administered on a Euro


pean scale of magnifcence that there


are democrats even who accede with re-


luctance to the pruning process, and


who would not be unwilling to retain


some items of expense which consistency


requires should be cut off. But there
con be no dispute as to what ought to be
done. There is not single department
of public aft airs, with the possible ex-
ception of the postofhce, whose business


must continue to increase with the
growth of the country, where the cost of
maintenance cannot be largely and safely
reduced. For example, take the State
Department, which, in Stewards time,


when the volume OF diplomatic business
was vastly greater than now had neither
first, second nor third assistants, and
comparatively insignificant clerical
force. We owe its present extravagant
to Hamilton Fish and a
republican Congress; together they trans
formed what was once an efficient and
economical foreign Office into an asylum
for political dependents, and now, when
affairs Of national Importance require
the presence of its chief at the capital,
we are not only obliged with shame to
chronicle his absence, but also that Of
his Immediate assistant, and actually
the employment of an outsider to tenn
porarily I'LL their places. We demand of
Congress that it shall at once reduce this
department to its condito on before the
war. As much may be said Of the other
portfolios, though the extravaganza is
perhaps not equally glaring in all. Sec
retary Thompson appears to be a WELL
meaning man, but his office is sadly
numbered up with useless clerkships, |
ana he seems as anxious to float power
fui navy-for which there is not the |
slightest necessity-as any of his prede- |
cessors. Something might be said, too |
OF Secretary McCrary's administration,
put we have a notion that Congress will |
look after that without any urging. To
sum up, Congress should apply tne prin- |
ciple OF Thomas Jefferson, and, repudi- |
atlng the magnificent idear OF the press
ent regime, insist upon returning to
nla -