The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1822-04-16
o. RETRENCHMENT! ~

The attention of Congress being now emphatcally
called TO the subject Of rerenoasnt the public
Pendtfre, and every member of the community being
Interested IN keeping of the evil day long posi-
bic, Of another resort 10 Internal taxation, the follow
ing remarks are offered under the influence Of that
veil known economical maxim" take of the
: siFPnees and tie pounds aOiH take care Of them
SeiUeS"
Congress has annually appropriated many thousands
o1 dollars, TO defray the contingent expenses of the
several Offices the Of government subject to the
exclusive direction and control of their respective
heads, who have generally placed those sums in the
hands OF their chief clerks.
Instances have occurred, where these contingent
funds have been onolgdnlated with the pirate funds
OF the officers to whom they had been thus entrusted
and when bills presented against such officers in
their public capacity they could not be paid because
the contingent fund had ols, which has
not dltodyS been ty1Gs
Articles have been purchased in the name Of De-
partment, with the word contingent written at the
head Of the bill and these articles have been after
waNs placed in the hands Of another dealer, wit in
sructons upon The uery till add TO the cost about
II IL per cent, and the dealer to charge the
articles with such advance, to the Department as
they were called for. They from time TO time
called for, and 20 per cent AIDED to ard paid on
the FIRST purchase The bill here alluded TO amounted
to S542 50.
American letter paper which cost the dealer about
81 80 ream, has been, and is now, charged no one
Office the head of which is uigila at S. 81. and the
paper has been and continues to be charged TO
other officers, gkoSe heads not UigiLant, at s
p per ream--the paper and the dealer being the
same
Sealing has been purchased OF importer
here by statoner s. 25 per pound consisting Of
tCeptg sticks The sationer took sticks from
each pound and sold tie eighteen sticks for pound
for s. Thus every nine pounds which cost him 81
Is sold 70 the Government as pounds so dol
lars
A bill for printing presested by stationer,
and passed at one of the Offices. amounting 10 DIP
wards Of .0tv, on which the stailoner made prott
OF more than S3U0-when the printing might have
been obtained from of the Craft attess than half
the SiuR.
a horse called a messengers horse was kept at the
private stable oil chief clerk, having charge of the
contingent fund. where also, or two were kept
the proyender OF which horse exceeded annually the
cost Of morse mt livery and me greater part OF the
time the only privilege the poor messenger had was 70
feed ham, and RIB ham dG0H morning and night, has
horse being dc tacto a biped
These things took place during the period of the 18th
Congress- and some. cIdctLy similar, going
der the unseeing eyes the 10th Congress
Now ali these things argue defect somewhere. Is
il i'll the lavish appropriations which congress has
annually made, for these contingent expenses
IL will be borne in mind that there species Of
contingent funds created by Congress- one % which Is
intenuGd provide for the incidental wants Of the
Offices the other for similar D. the services. et
is strongly suspected if the expenditures Ct this last
fund be ScruttRi=cd there will be found among them
items 6eto1g ig 20 the first
The following the appropriations o! the last SEES
sion Of Congress- FOX the two contingent funds an ques-
ten, for the year 1919
State Department, including printing
the laws for Congress 24l50
Treasurer do. including all IT, snboldi-
nate offices. $1,000
War DO. including the purchase CT
maps, Iooss, Sc 'Soo