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Excerpt from Beauties of Diplomacy: Speech of Hon. Samuel S. Cox, of New York, in the House of Representatives, February 9, 1876 The House, as in Committee of the Whole, having under consideration the bill (H. R. No. 1594) making appropriations for the consular and diplomatic service of the Government for the year ending June 30, 1877, and for other purposes - Mr. Cox said: Mr. Chairman: I think the House and the country should be congratulated upon the unanimity with which this bill comes from the Committee on Appropriations. If I understood correctly the honorable gentleman from Mississippi, [Mr. Singleton.] who reported it, there was no dissent in the committee as to its provisions. If I am wrong in that statement, I can be corrected. This is a bill for retrenchment. It is one of many; for many of similar import are to come. It proposes a reduction of some $436,000 upon the appropriations of last year for foreign purposes. It was said by the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Garfield] the other day that our a average expenses for diplomatic and consular service for many years had been about $1,300,000. In 1859 these expenses had grown to $912,000; and the average since that time has been about $1,200,000. To be more exact, let me quote the exact figures: Our diplomatic and consular expenses for the year ending June 30, 1859, were only $912,120; for the year ending ending June 30, 1860, they were $1,047,745; for the year ending June 30, 1861, they were $1,158,330; for the year ending June 30, 1862, they were $1,260,544.34; for the year ending June 30, 1863, they were $1,235,889.89; for the year ending June 30, 1864, they were $1,260,544.34; for the year ending June 30, 1865, they were $l,354,100; for the year ending June 30, 1870, they were $1,110,734; for the year ending June 30, 1871, they were $1,041,347. Last year they were about $1,400,000. I do not count the extraordinary sum, $1,929,817, that was embraced in the bill to pay the British mixed commission awards. This year we propose a reduction of at least $436,000. It should be and it is done intelligently. I deprecate the remark made yesterday by my honorable colleague Mr. Wood that this reduction is without wise consideration. Sir, it has had careful examination. Why, Mr. Chairman, in my experience in this House for over sixteen years, I have never known an appropriation bill to be presented with more prudence and heed. We are acting upon authentic information given in advance. This is apparent from the speech as well as the report presented by the honorable gentleman from Mississippi, [Mr. Singleton.] He gave us a report to accompany his bill, upon which he spoke wisely and well. He even gave us a map of South America to illustrate the proximity of those Spanish American states affected by the provisions of the bill. In addition to that, we have had the studious examination of the Appropriation Committee to show most amply the relations, commercial and otherwise, we bear abroad, and especially to the South American states. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
