Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1820-01-15

Oi hts purpose, he said, 10 enter into ;he
merlts, or dement's, more correctly speak
ine, OF the question now Oeiure the house;
bat Ia state TACT, which he hoped every
nembrr OF The committee would bear IN
nind throughout the wAolR OF this dis
question; that tins abuse, which had been
so eioquenily exposed 10 the house, had
not extended ds far back as the admins
tratiou Of Thomas jefferson during the
whole of Which nO such practice had OBJ
tamed at the treasury or elsewhere. The
practice, he SAID, grew out OF that cele.
DRAFTED law of March 3d, 1909, which had
been before referred 10 I'D debate; that
famous--or, 10 speak freely, bat correct
ly, that infamous 'Aw, which without any
tear OF correction, from any side OF The
house, he PRONOUNCED 30 have been the
offspring OF a dirty intrigue. During the
whole OF the administrator OF Thomas
Jefferson, there had been 40 &c aston TO
resort 10 any such iaw and, al HAT peri
cd, no such practice prevailed as had
since grown out Of that statute. During
the greater part of that period, Mr.. L.
said, such was The access which he had
10 the treasury, aud such the duties i'm
posed upon him by this house, he spoke
of his own knowledge, and iearlessly. IN
SAVING, the expenditures had been 9 ner-
appropriated To one object had ever been
diverted TO anoiher-bui, at the end of
Two cars after It's date, every apprupria-
ton, tor reasons 10 be found In The con-
sll,uiion itself, did, by the operaien of
the &c, of 1899, cease and determine.
Mr. *. SAID he rose 10 state this fact,
aad 10 request, whatever censure gentle
men might choose TO throw on the finan-
cial administration OF The na,lon, he hoped
they would except that pcriod-a period
iu which The nation had made one Of IFS
most expensive acquisitions, by the pur-
chase oil Louisiana and, If his memory
did not much deceive him, the Secretary
OF War conirlVed, without any OF tins
hocus potus tegerdeman ana transfer
ring appropriations. 10 take possession of
lille country without any extraordinary
expenditure in the Military department
AT that lime, Mr. X. said, we malntalnes
about three thousand men, al an eXptnce
0l abou! 9OO,O 900 dollars per annum.-
Compare the expenditures at thai time
with The expenditures on the same objects
nov; and, making ev6ry allowance Tor
the vance IN the price of the articles of
subsistence, Hc.-in other words, for the
depreciation of our miserable paper
money, large amount might be carried
10 the credit of the administration of
which he smoke
Mr.. LowNDES made a number of re.
marks on the subject of the practice of
the government IN regard 10 appropria-
tions &c. He also touched on tie point
OF relative expenditures OF the period OF
MIR. Jefferson administration, and those
ot the present day ; and denied that The
contrast between ti.em was such as had
been represented. Ii is mol 80 much the
misfortune o! the Reporter as of his
readers, that his position in the hall was
such "a TO prevent him from hearing MIR.
LOwndes, with sufficient accuracy to
warrant him In attempting even sketch
OF his remarks.
Mr.. IRIMBLE, of Kentucky, rose for
Tie purpose OF giving some explanations
on point which, 1t the house separated
without any explanation, might be mis-
understood Ii was not his object 10
justify the manner III which the public
noueNs had been expended By transfers
from one Item OF appropriation IS no.
Their, but 10 shew hat the fault originated
bot lii the departments OF The govern
meni, but III ihls house; and, il here,
some excuse al least would be found for
TIE practices elsewhere, watch had been
complained Of. Ii was almost impossible
for the departments 10 make their es,I-
males Tor the expenditures Of the follow
lug year, or 10 shcw The balances i'm hand,
unless the period at which these returns
were mate was hanged Owing 10 the
circumstance OF warrants being drawn
toT expenditures III distant pats, Orleans,
Mobile, n. Louis, DC. II was Impossible
10 40 II; neither could Tie balances IN
haHd he distinctly ascerianed until the
amount OF expenditure was known. If
gentlemen desired d remedy, j: musi be
DN having ihy rStima'es made out at the
FAST oi February, instead of December,
IN each year by that time mOSi OF the
warrants drawn under the various heads
O appropriation you'd have been brought
~; dui tn balances in hand could he
asceTtdiBcd, aud ibp estimates for the
iuiuTe made up, "iih reasonable Ger
tainiy, which might satisfy the house.
IL haJ ben sad, 10 reference TO the bill
before The house, that The estimates ought
10 DC nadc OG' somewhat mOTe correctly
ihdn they appear 10 have been heretofore.
~ TIE conlDcDc meut of Tie ypar, when
Tie appropriation or HE service Of the
navy Tor the current year was made, Con-
gresS hal appropriated less, by S4O4, 600
man lie amount estimated Nv the depart
meDt. II The whole amount asked had
been then appropriated, there would have
hccm M deh lency. IL was not very rea-
F0nablc, therefore, To- complain 50 bitterly
nov OF thar deficiency. The only Incor-
RICHNESS which he could discover ia tie
practice OF the government, il any, Was
10 the mode Of making transfers. For
other things 10 which exception had bcrn
ietru. lie dull lay with iiis house, as lie
had already said, and not with the Off
GERS 81 the government.
IL bad been obs. rvci, that The relative
ezpendiinrts Of he lllluary Department,
&c had been much increased since tLn