Year: 1879

The disposition manifested by the lower
house of Congress previous to the recess to
dispose of all the appropriation bills as early
in the session as possible seems to have given
place to an inclination to spend as much
eime as possible on small matters. Only six
Of the regular appropriation bills have been
passed as yet, and only one-the pension
bill-by both houses There is prospect
of conflict as to the diplomatic and consul
lar appropriation bill, which passed the
House with large reductions in the salaries
of the ministers and consuls. The Senate
will no doubt non-concur, in which case
much time will be spent in conference. The
army bill will not be reported until the fate
of the Burnside reorganization bill is decid-
ed, but as there is little hope of it's passage
We have but little reason to hope for a
material reduction in the appropria-
tions for this branch of the service.
There will be little change, too, in the legis-
lative and sundry civil service appropriation
bills, while the postoffce department will re-
quire an additional sum for needed extern
sions of the service. The deficiency bills will
no doubt be somewhat less in amount than
they were last year.


AS result of what has been done and
what is likely to be done in the future. it is
very evident that the public do not look for
large reduction in The appropriations over
last year. A few millions will cover the
grand total. This is to be regretted, but we
hardly see how it could have been avoided.
A large outlay has been necessary to exam
inc into and expose the malfeasances in Of
fee that have been so common within the
past ten years, permeating every department
OF the government, from the Office of the
secretary of the treasury down. The Indian
wars on our borders, brought on by the ras-
cality of the radical Indian agents,
have involved large extra expense,
and the Investigations into the elections of
1876 and 1878 have called for large appro-
priations. These expenditures cannot be
laid at the door of the Democratic party,
for they have been rendered necessary by
the acts of the Republican officials. The
slight increase in the postofice department
is necessary outcome of the legitimate
growth of the service, and no one would en-
deavor to be niggardly in this respect. Yet
it is evident that it lies in the power of Con-
gress to largely decrease the expense Of this
branch of the service, and they could not
add to it's revenues in a more satisfactory
manner than by repeating the privilege they
themselves enjoy of a free use of the mails.


An opportunity for economy will be af-
forded when the sundry civil service bill
comes up for consideration. In it appro-
priations will be asked for the maintenance
of numberless useless Offices and officials,
that should be ruthlessly cut out. In this
bill alone saving of two or three millions
of dollars can be effected, without in the
least impairing the efficiency of the service.
It is estimated. that more petty steals creep
into this than into all the other appropria-
ton bills combined, and every member of
both houses should exercise the greatest
watchfulness to detect them, and insist upon
expunging every item that is not absolutely
necessary. Only by this means can the ap-
be reduced as they ought to be.