Year: 1873

RETRENCHMENT ILLUSTRATED.


"Retrenchment and RefOrmm 1t was one of
the most taking phrases in politics. 1t was
alliterative and round, mouth-flling, ear-pierc-
ing and beautiful, and it bulged all over with
promise. 1t meant more than "Free Trade
"and Sailors Rights and as a war-cry was
almost equal to the Fremont and Freedom"
of 1856. IL was upon this that Gen. Grant was
elected in 1868. The Republican party had
been so out of sorts with Mr.. JOhnson's Ad-
ministration that it might be said to have
been powerless, as it claimed it was in
the Executive Department; and though it prac-
tically administered the Government through
the other departments of which 1T retained
control, it had the liberty of charging all
blunders and extravaganza upon the Presl-
dent, while it took all the credit for whatever
was done wisely or prudently. So "Retrench-
"ment and Reform" was a good cry for 1868.
The country had fallen into evil courses; ;
naturally enough, the war had engendered
corruption and fostered extravaganza. 1t hap
pened fortunately for the Republican party
that Mr.. Johnson was not in accord with it,
for it gave the opportunity of charging over
to him and his apostasy all the accumulated
rot of the war, putting into Its mouth instead
of its opponents the rallying cry, Retrench-
"ment and Reform" A President was elected
to enforce the policy of retrenchment and re-
form He was lately reelected because he had
not had sufficient time and opportunity to
carry out his plans in these regards, and his
party was continued in power because 1t was
deemed hardly safe to trust the country with
any other while so much retrenchng remained
to be done and so many reforms were in the
egg.


How well the party and the President have
fulfilled their promises of reform, perhaps Mr..
George w. Curtis can answer as well as any
one. How much the party has used its power
in carrying forward measures of retrenchment
is partially illustrated in the very suggestive
compilation published herewith, showing the
offices created and salaries increased by the
last Congress. A large number of these offices,
as will be seen by the roll, are left by the
terms of the bills creating them, in such lndeh-
mite shape that the amount by which the salary
roll is increased cannot be stated, but the in
crease in salaries aside from these fOOts up
Sl,252,557. The trustful voter who believes
the Christian statesmen" when they promise
retrenchment and reform on the stump and in
the press will find food for reflection in these
figures. This amount of increase in salaries
he will bear in mind is not single grab of
a million and half, like that by which Con-
gress lately signalized its devotion to princi-
pie. That was a matter of a single item that
had only to be charged over to profit and
loss for the people to pay once and be rid
of. But here is perpetual burden
put upon the people. 1t is as if the national
debt had been increased by over twenty five
millions for which five per cents had been
issued. Nay, more, it is a debt that can never
| be redeemed. Government salaries go only
one way-up always; and this amount must
be paid always annually from this time for
| ward 1t is an increase of the national debt
by over twenty five millions in such form that
the interest must be paid forever, with no
power to pay the principal or wipe out the
obligation.


1t is a pleasing popular fiction that this is
retrenchment 1t hath somewhat of the flavor
of such Civil Service Reform as gives us
Casey and Newman and Sharpe; of such a
humanitarian Indian policy as the MOdoc wal
| illustrates; Of such honest administration as
compounds all felonies against government
| for a fraction of the fruits and fines an inn
porter quarter of a million for mistakes by
| which the Government came near losing 81 600
of such policy of reconstruction as furnishes
| two governments to O State, by the use OF
Federal machinery to uphold q usurpation
of such plan of developing the resources of
the South as brings all the land under the
hammer of the tax-gatherer and enriches a
parcel of peanut-sellers and bar-tenders, who
support the National Administration and ad-
minister the State finances; of a wise and dig
niGed foreign policy which sends peddling pol
iticians to disgrace us in the most retail, plea
yunish, corner-grocery way before all nations
at Vienna; of a self-sacrihcing devotion to
the interests of the country that adj
journs the Senate with disorder and
bloodshed impending, which its action
might prevent, and which scatters Presi-
dent and Cabinet on pleasure trips all over
the country IN the midst of complications OF
the most serious moment of publication OF
politics represented by the stuiling of ballot
boxes and the pardon of repeaters of an ele-
vation of the tone of public sentiment and the
character of public men illustrated by the Presi-
dent in his companionship with Thomas Murphy
and Henry Clews; of loyalty which consorts
! with M0sby aud denOunees Sumner; OF q sin