Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 September 1882 — FIGURES THAT SPEAK. [ARTICLE]

FIGURES THAT SPEAK.

Reckless Extravagance of theßepitblican Party. [From the Grand Rapids Democrat] The extravagance of the Republican s party is well illustrated in the matter of salaries. The President’s salary has bteen raised from $25,000 to $50,000 a year, and, in addition to this, the expenses or the .Executive Mansion paid by the Government have been gradually increased until they amount yearly to more than the nominal salary. As far back as 1873 they had reached $56,660. In 1867 the salaries of Congressmen were raised from $3,000 a year to $5,000, and in 1873 to $7,500; and other Federal salaries have been increased in the same proportion. . Under the last Democratic administration—in 1860—the total ordinary expenses of the Government, exclusive of interest, was $60,056,754. These same ordinary expenses, exclusive of the war debt, reached $164,521,507 in 1870 under Republican administration, and $171,885,382 in 1880. Now, in 1882; these net annual expenses have been swelled to over $190,000,000 exclusive of all interest and war debt. Thus it is seen that the ordinary annual expenses of the Government have been increased some $130,000,000 over the maximum expenses of Democratic administration, or some $10,000,000 more than double the net expenses of 1860. 'the total expenses of the Government in 1860, ordinary and extraordinary, were only $70,000,000, and yet the administration was denounced by th® Republican leaders as

grossly extravagant; while the total appropriations for the current fiscal year reach the enormous sum of over $400,000.000, or well nigh a quarter of the national debt 1 The profligacy of Republican administration in squandering the public money is surpassed even by the scandalous manner in which the public domain has been voted away in land grants to monopolies and corporations. From the records of the Interior Department it appears that the total amount of these land grants in acres is 188,645,120, and in square miles 294,758. The area in square miles of the six New England States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio and Indiana amounts to 256,200, or 38,558 square miles less than the vast territory which has, during the last twenty years, been voted away by the Republican party to gigantic corporations and mo* nopolies—more than territory enough to found an empire I There’s nothing small about the Republican party—in the way of squandering the people’s money or wasting their landed heritage. THE ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR TEN FISCAL YEARS, AS OFFICIALLY REPORTED BY THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT. 1873 Republican C0ngre555154,216,751 1874 Bepublican Congress 172,290,700 1875 Republican Congress........ 155.017,758 1876 - R pub ican C0ngre55147,711.94 > 1877 Democratic H0u5e121.122,010 1878— Democratc Hou e 114,069,483 1879 Democratic H0u5e172,01(1.819 1881—Democratic H0u5e'.162,4(44.617 1881— Democratic Congress.... 154,118,212 1882— Democratic Congress 177,809,214 Average for ten year 5.5153,386,053 THIS TEAB’S APPROPRIATIONS, AS STATED BY TUB CHAIRMAN OF TH SENATE COMMITTEE. 1883— Robesonian C0ngre555204,293,097