Windom's Wasted Millions

It i.s not often that a public man whose whole Congressioual career has been illustrafced by extravaganee, and wlio is persorially responsible íor a large part of tlie reckless appropriatioim of the Senate, sets up a claim to be au economist, and seeks to deprive others who have done their best to effect some retrenchnient in the loose public expenditures of their fairly earned credit. Mr. Windom, who has long been G'haimian of the Sonate Coniniittee on Appropriations, where, backed by a majority of his political friends, hé has exercised absolute c-ontrol over all the regular bilis for carrying on the (iovernment, has imdertaken this new oharacter. The Repnblican Congressional Comïnittee has issued a "küpplement" and spread it broadoast over the West, in whieh Mr. Windom assumes to explain away the reductions made in the liust and present Congress, and do deny the resnlts which were achioved after the House of Representativos had passed out of Republican hands through the tidal wave of 1M7-1. Kvcry observer of afiairs in the last three years, wjien, cywing t the general disíjress, attention has been more iixod pn these silbjects than usuiil, knows that au immense saving has been efïected in all brunches of the public service since the power of the Republiean party was broten in Congress by the loss of the House ; and, if one cause more than anolhercontributed to that remarkable change, it was the almse of power in voting nway the people's money, and the corrupt objects to which it was appropriated. The people in their wrath took the first weapon they could iind to break the htud of the party that was gnilty of tlie.se wrongs, and Massachuaetts was more conspieuous than any other in electing the Democratie ticket, in order to emphasize her indignation at the prodigality and open venality of successive Republican Congresses. It was no love for the Demoeracy that led to that phenomenal cliange in politics, but a resolute purpose to sweep away into disgrace and exile the men who had prostituted their trusts to selfish uses, and to admonish the party which had tolerated them that there must be an end to that soi-t of corrupt rule. These faots are familiar to the whole country, and yet Mr. Windom tries to break their force by misrepresenting the actual K'cd tlmt lias been acconaplished, in spite of his constant, bitter, and unquaUned opposition, which the majority of the Senate alwavs sustained, and which Öié departments supported with false and exaggerated statements. Take a few illustrations, which are fresh, and easily disproven if any whv erroneous. A comparison of the last three years with a Democratie House, and the ])receding three years when the Republieans liad full .swing, will show the difference in the Mppropriations actually made, :is followft: RetnibUcan Democratie, (T,i sisi :BW'.054.6l : 1S7T 1 4ü,fl9T.fl6.T2 1875 K7,tiT9,4T8.T! inTs 1-HI,884,)IO6.U6 lsrn ïT-.'.fj.Hi.i.-i.M ïs'd 157,ai8,988.77 Total . . f.Vll ,Sti,73;i.91 Total . . $H.l,5!Ki.4'.rr.44 Here is a plain reduction, which no sophistry can dr.stroy, of $88,270,236.47 in the eíeven great bilis for the support of the Government. But these figures, iinposiiig as they are, by no means represent the econoray spaght to be achieved in the last three years. The l)ills for these same objeets, as they passet! the House, were : For Oio fiscal jrn 1TT 18S,08D.8S(!.68 For Hu: feoal yr 18W I81.309JI07.37 For tbc lís.-al year 1W9 147,687,789.94 Total S1T,OTT,K)3.!W It is thus seeu, by deducting the bilis passed by the House f rom the appropriatioiis actually made, that if the Senate had aceepted thom there would have been a further reduction oí' Í2G.518,593.45. Wlien th(se bilis wint to the Senate, Mr. Windom and his political associates increased them as follows : 1S77 $157.-ii'.}.;i;;.::ü 1S7S I I8.988,8S5.7B 1K79 ic.l.s.Vi.acii.n ïutal f468,260,92a.B2 Deduct same bilis as passed Hons íor these years as aboye 417,1177,908.99 Iucrpase by Senate $ S1.1S1.H1S.M Thero is no possible escolie from this showing, which provee that after the lesson of 1874, and the hard times since 1873, the Republican party has either learned nothing, or is uuwilling to run outside of the oíd ruta, But for the Senate, led in this matter by Mr. Windom, there would have been a great reduction and a corresponding dimimition of public burdens. As it was, the House was nnable to carry out its jjoIicy, and consequently more than $26,500,000 wen1 added to the expenditures, every dime of which and much more, too, by a reduction of the army, ought to have been saved. It is evident that, in the role of nn economist, the Chainnnn of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate is not a great success, aud he will not sueceed in deceiving miiuy people this year with his niillion or more of manufactured "supplements."