Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1828-07-19
EDe Constitutional aEsbsg.
tEroRT OF THE MINoRITY OF THE COMMIT
TEE on kETRENCNMENT.
GENERAL EXPENDITURE.

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differed from their associates, Miah Il right
to submit their rieacs Of the SET ere! nut
'crs 7ch5ch hare been uader their consi-
tyera'ion, and therefore oge,' tie .folio1ring
Report:
Excluding for the present the Legislative
department and the public debt,
The expenditures OF the Government may
be divided into two general heads.
/. For objects OF public service
=. For the official agency by means Of
which that service is carried on, and the ex-
penses incident TO that agency.
The former of these heads includes all
those items OF expenditure which arc applied
to purposes deemed necessary for thc pub
Tic good; such as the judiciary, the military
and naval establishment. lighthouses: inter
nal improvement, foreign intercourse, and
the like. These constitute the great mass OF
payments from the Treasury
I'he second includes the expenditure for
the Executive Departments tt IS very small
IN comparison with the former Thus, in the
year 1895, when tie whole OF the annual ey-
penditure, public debt included, was So, lo3,-
393 as, the expenses Of the Executive De
partments OF the Government, including the
staff OF the army, were S489,776 OF, or ra-
iher less THAI one-fifteenth part OF The whole.
The expenditures ot the first class, con-
shutting as has been remarked, {f the pub
Tic debt be excluded) the mrcat mass Of pay
lnents from the Treasury. ere entirely de-
pendent upon the wisdom Of Congress mas
snuch as they are regulated by the nature
and extent oftiie establishments which Con-
sress think It proper to maintain. and the
services they direct to- be performed for the
benefit of the nation. Thus for example,
The ARM, the Navy, the lighthouses, works
Of internal Improvements, and the like. arc
treated and continued b. Congress The
quence Of their being establis,ted and the
amount Of that expense is'acco-dinc to the
extension which may be giTen TO tler.-
is il IS III The power OF Congress to in
crease, so it in the power Of Congress- tc
reduce them; and in case OF necessity. such
reduction would undoubtedly, as far as
practicable, be made.
The greater part OF tlc expenditures 5f
the second class Chose ofthc Executive Dc
partmentsl are, also regulated BY Congress-
They consist chiefly Of salaries fixed by
law, payable to officers created by law.
The numbers Of clerks, messengers and c.
Tier persons, employed in each Department,
and IL every subordinate division Of a Dc
partment, and the compensation to he re-
reived by each, arc fixed by acts OF Con
gross, and cannot be altered bUt BY new,
legislation. Tyr those expenses which can
not be precisely asccrtaincd such as fuel.
stationary. otlice furniture, and tIic ike, al
annual sum IS allowed by law, which is rot
10 be exceeded; and the sum is allowed for
each principal and subordinate office, upon
estimates furnished annually TO Congress.
and there subjected 10 a rigid examination.
The proportion it bears to the whole oil
the expenditure is small. Thus, when the
"'!5ic Executive expenses were SI89,7 76 o..
The allowance for contingencies, as part 81
that sum, w0s S8O,905.
The expenditure al iIia sum thus allow
cd, which, as has been stated, can never
cgcocd tic appropriation. and in fact &c
morally falls short of ii, i accounted 70. to
The accounting officer of tIic Government.
W!icrc It undcrgocs thc same SCRUTINY as MI
other accounts, and not q dollar can be
allowed which Is not fully vouchcd.
1T may he further remarked that tic OK
penscs Of tho Executive Department. rs;
we'll those fixed ~ law, as those which
arc contingent, arc il other WAYS dcp~u-
don't upon the will Of The Legislature, One
Of the modes il which thcy nar be increa-
sed Will be best Illustrated b. iii oynnpIc.
BY the acts Of Congress for fixing the 1iili-
fary Pcacc Establishment, tho staff Of the
army was assembled at Washington. and
their expenses, to an amount exceeding tlir-
iy-thousand dollars, arc now charged a. a
part OF tlie Executive expenditure This
arrangement, therefore, made with . ,iow
70 ceouomr, and - TIC grcatcr onicirncr
OF. tho Army. ana rrobuhy Ia both respects
answering rs purpose, las The appearance
Of swelling the expenses cf the Executive
Government, when, in fact, i ouly trarsfar Il
charge from one head of service to another
and, perhaps, with a saving IL the transfer
But there IS another, and Il moro constant
- operating action tho Legislative viii up
on the business, and consequently upon tic
expenses ofthc Executive Departments. as
it is the duty Of those Departments within
their limits, to execute the laws, every enact
ment increasing the branch ofp,,blic service
confided to d'oir care necessarily has the ef-