Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1879 — John Sherman and the Democrats. [ARTICLE]

John Sherman and the Democrats.

In his speeches in Ohio, John Sherman, not content with revamping the old stuff, distinctly charged that the Democrats, after starting out well in the Forty-fourth Congress, had latterly increased the appropriations, while he aud his associates were engaged in reducing expenditures. There is no possible excuse for this falsification of the record. A comparison of the appropriations for the same objects, taking the last four years of Republican ascendency in Congress, with the four past years when the Democrats had possession of the House of Representatives, will effectually expose this misrepresentation. Hero are the figures, taken from the statutes at large: KHIB YEARS OF 11E1*UBL1CAN CONIiiIKSS. 1873—Regular appropriations for support of (iovermuent $ 180,328,174.10 1874 189,026.793.04 1875 164,304,787.08 1676 177,870,027.81 Total * $781,029,382.08 The Democrats came into a majority in the House in the Forty-fourth Congress. but in accordance with law the appropriations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1876, bad already been made. Therefore they began with that of 1877, as follows: FOUR YEARS OF DEMOCRATIC HOUSE OF RFURESEKTATIVES. 1877—Regular appropriation for support of Government $154,090,948.53 1874 153,544,745.56 1879 ,\ 160,292,750.58 1880 * 160,919,095.82 Total $628,848,135.49 RECAPITULATION. Four years Republican Congress... .$731,029.382.03 Four years Democratic House 628,848,135.49

Excess in favorof Democrats... .$102,181,246 54 There was an appropriation of $26,867,200 for arrears of pension made for 1880 which is not included in the foregoing, because it was an exceptional item and had no connection with the regular expenditures. It is thus seen that the difference between the four last fiscal years under the Democratic House and the four preceding years under Republican Congresses exceeded $102,000,000 —a retrenchment of more than $25,500,000 a year. The appropriations for the years 1879 and 1880 are larger than those for 1877 and 1878 by several millions; but this difference is partially explained by the wiping out of old deficiencies in the and other branches of the public service that the Republicans had bequeathed as legacies, by the payment of the fishery award for $5,500,000, and by other items. While this record is creditable to the Democrats, as far as it goes, it might have been far better. They have not gone to the root of the -evil by any means, either in the civil branches or in the army and navy, and they will deserve to be held to account, if, with both branches of Congress, they fail to make a thorough retrenchment in the public expenditures. The increase in the cost of carrying on the Government has been ©ut of aU proportion to the increase of population. In 1860 the civil and miscellaneous expenses were about $28,000,000 in round numbers. In 1876, the last year of complete Republican rule in Congress, they were $73,000,000. In 1867, at the beginning of reconstruction, when the Republicans had full swing, the cost of the United States courts was $1,629,536 for Marshals, District Attorneys,United States Commissioners, Clerks of Courts and miscellaneous expenses. In 1878 the cost reached $2,870,754 for the same service, except that the Marshals under the Davenport law for carrying elections had risen from $1,203,214.74 in 1867 to $1,931,244 in 1878. This extravagance, this plunder of tlie people’s taxes, is found wherever the surface is scratched. It is organized plunder protected by law, and the party which tolerates it, votes for it by indirection, or refuses to abolish it, deserves to go under in defeat and disgrace, whether it be called the Democratic or the Republican party.