Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1820-03-14

from Kentucky he was sure, would recoi-
Iect the case OF the Cumberland road, in
which contracts had been made involving the
expenditure Of money beyond the amount
appropriated by law, and depending on tu-
ture appropriations for their fulhlment
Mr.. Clay again spoke upon the subject.
If, he said, the executive was authorised TO
make contracts, relying on appropriations u
sually made, what ought, in this case, to have
been its guide The appropriation OF last
year--am mounting to 100000 dollars, the
, sum with which it was proposed to fill this
blank. Between the present case and the
Cumberland road, he said there was no anal
ogy There was positive law authorizing
the road, and certain sum appropriated /;
under that law contracts had been made,
under VIII CHI the expenditure had exceeded
the amount appropriated. The case now
under consd Grafton was that OF an attempt
to expend the public money without the au-
thorl y of any law.
Mr.. M alIary spoke in favor of the small
| est sum propos ed. Itwas time, he said, to
I put an end to the excessive expenditures OF
public money. He found, on consulting the
documents on the table, that already con-
tracts had been made by the war depart
ment for notifications, which would involve
the expenditure of 100000 dollars. 1t
was time, he said, to determine whether
contracts made by agents OF the government
at all times, for all purposes, and to any a.
mount, should be considered as binding on
the government.
Mr.. Storrs made some remarks on the re-
lative responsibility Of this house and of
public officers, and on the case with which
it was som etimes evaded. For example, in
the case of the public gun powder loaned to
certain persons, the head of the Ordnance
Departments said be had nothing to DO with
it, but demonstrated against it. Another off,
Ger 10 that department says it was done
with the appreciation of the secretary of
war--and all unite in saying that ONE pat
OF the responsibility for the transaction pro-
perly belonged TO an officer of the army who
had since been dismissed the service Mr.,
S. then proceeded to quote the sentiments
contained in the inaugural speech of the
present President of the United States, on
the subject OF responsibility and the duty of
the executive in this respect. With respect
to the present house. he said, if there had
been any irregularty or excess in the ez-
penditure of public money, it was not to
blame for neglect in preventing it for no
house he had ever seen or read of had been
50 faithful in the performance Of this part of
its duty as $50 iar) as this house had been.
MIR. Baldwin SAID he was in favor of
the sum proposed, because the faith of
the government was pledged for SO
much, and the state of the Treasury
was not such as to require it to be VIC
lated. He was not disposed, he said,
to protect any Executive officer in the
abuse of power but, in relation to this
subject Of Notifications, it was no more
than just that the state of it should be
fairly understood. He then proceeded
to take review of the course of the
government on this subject, from the
instructions to the Board of Engineers
to survey the coast, and their report,
to the la ing of the same before Con
gross, with all the plans of the fortif-
cations and estimates Of their probable
expense after which the sum required
for the then ensuing year, (lsl9) was
deliberately appropriated by Congress.
There are. Mr.. B. said, two WAYS in
which the sanction of Congress may be
given to any measure: by passing spe-
cial law directing thing to be done,
or, by an appropriation for the purpose
of doing it, With all the information
on the subject before them, and with a
full knowledge of TIE extent of the plan
for the fortifCa alton ofithe Coast, the
three branches of Congress had passed
an appropriation to Commence the work |
thereby ratifying the plan.--Previous
to this act, no contracts had been made: |
after its passage, it became the duty Of
the Executive to go on to execute the
work. With respect to the deficiency
in the Revenue, Mr. b. minated, that |
that might be supplied, without resort
ing to either of the three alternatives
nf The Honorable Speaker, We own