Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 April 1860 — DEEOCHATIC ECONOMY (!) [ARTICLE]

DEEOCHATIC ECONOMY (!)

It is not our province to enter into a detailed history of the Democratic party; we presume that no one will deny that there was a time when u Democracy” was a synonim of economy, of everything that was honorable in politics; hut that that time is past, we have every day sufficient evidence. We presume that o,ur readers are all well aware of the vast increase in our government expenses—an increase much mere rapid than that of the population—much more rapid than the legitimate expenditures of the government would warrant. What was,the reason for this was for a while a subject of much speculation, until the fact leaked out that government contractors, for shipping the army, &c., were required to give ten per cent, of their earnings to influence elections, and for other party purposes. This not only accounted for some of the leak, but also directed investigation in the proper channel. In order to follow up the clue thus gained, a Committee appointed by the House soon after its organization, to investigate the expenditures of the government on public printing, when the astounding fact was developed that about one hundred thousand dollars of government fundi was expended in Pennsylvania alone, to carry the election of ’56. This amount was contributed by the Public Printer alone, having been plundered from the public treasury by him, under the sanction of law, for that especial purpose.’ We wish we had space to publish the entire testimony of Cornelius Wendell, Printer of the last Congress, and of G. W. Bowman,“editor and proprietor of the Constitution, and Printer to the present Senate,’’ before this Committee; but as we have not, we must be content with making such extracts therefrom as will, in the fewest words, establish the fact of corruption in the highest department of our government. Wendell testified that the House printing for the Thirty-fourth Congress, amounted to about $330,000; that the profit on that is about forty-five cents on the dollar. That the Senate printing amounted to about SIOO,OOO, on which the profit is about thirty-three and one third per cent. That printing the Post-office blanks amounted to about $40,050 per annum, the profits on which is fffty cents on the dollar. That the Executive printing, under control of the Pres;d°Dt. amounts to about SIOO,OOO per annum, the profits on wfitch are about sixtyfive cents on the dollar. 7 °f the profits of the Executive and House printing, m th? ' year ’57 he gave twenty thousand dollars to the Union, with the knowledke and consent of the President. That in eight or ten Districts in Pennsylvania he gave from $250 to $2,250 to carry the last Congressional election. That the President assigned to him this Union, Argus and Pennsylvanian to support. That he gave $20,000 per annum to support the first of these, and SIO,OOO to support the last. Together with many other things too numerous to mention; all of which go to prove that there is now practiced at Washington a system of corruption which must be corrected.

We do not say that corruption is peculiar to the Democratic party; it is inherent in all parties—a natural consequence growing out of the very nature of party organizations. It is engendered and fostered by a long continuance in power, and any party that might have been in power as long as the Democratic party has, would have exhibited the same corruption that the present party in power does. To remedy this evil there is but one way, and that is: hurl it from power. But, say you, have we any assurance that the Republican party would be any better'! You have. We believe that the leaders of the Republican party are more honest than rre those of the Democratic party. We believe this, first: because they belong to a young party that has a reputation to build up; and should they get into powdr, and be ns dishonest as are the Democratic party they would be hurled into oblivion,and their party with them. This of itself is sufficient guaranty; but we have another reason—every measure of reform or retrenchment introduced in Congress, is introduced by Republicans, and supported by them to a man. Here, then, we have two proofs, “strong as Holy Writ,” that our condition would be bettered by the change; first: policy would compel them to be honest; second: their acta prove that they seek the good of the people from principle. We hope our friends will look at these thingß calmly—unbiased by party connections—and make up their minds to vote for the good of the country and not for the good of the party. This corruption is becoming visible in pvery department of

the Government; State and National. It reaches in its ramifications every office from President down. Even a Democratic township trustee will charge one-third more for his services than a Republican will, as the Auditor s books of Jasper county will prove. We say again that this thing be stopped. We have had enough of bribery, enough of corruption, enough of organs—effete newspapers have been suppprted from the public crib, enough of lazy drones have filched from the public treasury. We must rid ourselves of it, and to do it we must elect the nominee of the Chicago Convention.