Year: 1878

violated the law. 1t must be remembered
that the execution of all laws during these
years has been intrusted to republican
hands, and that it is republican secretaries
and republican officials that have manu-
factured the deficiencies that democratic
house has been forced to confront We be-
lieved at the time that these sp-
preparations were made, and do still
proof that the appropriations as
made, Notwithstanding the heavy reductions,
were more than sufficient, with proper ad-
ministratlon of the several departments, to
have provided for ali the necessities of the
government. Now, however, we are charged
with any laxity of administration that may,
during the last eighteen years, have crept
into and established itself in the manage
ment OF the government in the hands of the
republican party, and thus they seek to de-
tract from the great savings secured by q
democratic house by charging against it the
millions illegally expended by republican
secretaries. But beyond this it is TO be said
that very large proportion of the sums
found necessary to be provided for by def-
cheney bills ante-date the advent of the dem
ocratic party into power in the house, reach
ing back to the fiscal year 1876 and years
prior thereto For example. by way OF Illus
trating the character of these debts for which
appropriations were madein these deficiency
uins, iake the case OF tne late aoInlnlStra-
ton OF the navy, which bequeathed to us
legacy debt of nearly ten mil
lions OF dollars, the greater portion,
III not all, of which had been created
outside of and without any warrant of
law, no one denying that under the head
of deficiencies for 1876 and prior years,
and those growing out of the misappropria-
tion OF funds in the navy department, of the
whole amount of S., $50 000 about 81 500 900
of it was for deficiency of pay of the navy,
produced by an illegal diversion of funds
that had already been appropriated for that
purpose, and the remainder. nearly 81 O00,-
00O being for the liquidation of contracts
made without any warrant of law, and many
OF them covered with suspicion at least, il
not tainted by fraud, so that but little JUS
tice can be discovered in the effort OF the re-
publican leaders to make us responsible for
these sums of deficiency which their own
officials unlawfully created and left to rest
as an incubus upon some succeeding con-
gress Indeed il was matter of grave doubt
In the minds of many whether this vast debt,
created without semblanee OF law, and
much Of 1t the product of fraud, should
have been discharged without searching
investigation or judicial inquiry. But


to avoid the semblance of repudia-
ton upon the part of the government, even


OF obligations entered into by faithless


officials, it was deemed best to provide pay


ment for such sums as might not be avoided,


recognizing in this one of the many penal


tues imposed by republican rule. Again, /


might say, by way of illustration, you will


find one item in the shape of an advanced
appropriation on the next year of three
hundred and odd thousand dollars for sub
sistence to the army, which sum was in
serted in q deficiency bill, and deducted
from the army bill, upon the suggestion of


the secretary OF war. And SO you might 60
through the list There Is nothing in this
point OF substantial truth or force, and it is
only made use of by the republicans because


the very title OF the deficiency bill affords
| them pretext for the confusion OF facts.
| So that, view it as we will, no one can deny
that during the last three years, with
| the control of the house in democratic
hands, the appropriations have been smaller


even as loaded down by republican senator


ial liberality, than for any like period of time


under complete republican rule; and how


ever much or little importance may be at


tached to the democratic policy of economy,


as evinced BY the work Of reducing sppro.
| prianons: the sSuHtry is.yet confronted by
I the fact that on ths score 6f actual expendi-
| lures there Is no period of republican DOM
| inition that does not suffer previously in


comparison with the two years now last past
| wherein the hand of the democratic party,
| through its control of the house, has been
L
| the country.


| Is it unfair, then, to assume that with an
| extravagant republican senate displaced by
democratic majority in sympathy with the
policy thus illustrated by every democratic


house, supported by an executive In accord
with the efforts thus inaugurated, that this
grateful process of diminution of expendi-
lures and tightening OF burdens will go hap
| PLY forward to that consummation which
| the people have right to demand, and did
demand in no uncertain tones in their YER
dict of November, 1876?


The desperate efforts of republican leaders
like Senator Window and Mir. Foster, and


others, to torture official figures inio cloak
for their party's extravagance and corrup-
ton, whilst not TO be justified is probably


not to be wondered. at But the uncandid
attempt of these gentlemen in taking the
offensive and thereby seeking to show be-
fore an intelligent people that the charge Of
extravaganza belongs to US, will only suffice
to illustrate the audacity of an effort made


necessary by the desperation of their cause.