Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1828-06-28

toreigti languages, required much additional
copying, or otherwise added to the lahors
OF the Department. The committee will
readily comprehend that The new ,iutlcs A.
rising from the above causes, have rendered
Indispensable additional assistants TO perform
them; but the number Of persons eInploycd
III the Department has not been increased
III any thing like an equal proportion with
the increase OF its business. So far from IT.;
beng cXpcdicnt to discharge any of those
persons, the public service would be promo
ted by some addition to the number of clerks
III the Patent Office; and an increase in the
salary Of ITS Supcrinte ndent, which has here
toiore been repeatedly proposed, is again
respectfully recommended. The receipts in
that Office arc quite adequate to cover every
expenditure already authorized, and any that
Its additional wants may require In res
i poet to those wants, ! beg leave to refer To
Il letter which the Superintendent, though
confined by long and dangerous illness,
has recently felt it his duty to address to me.
and which, under the designation of the let
, tcr A, accompanies this communication.
/ Before | proceed TO answer the third and
( ia5i inquiry 81. the Committee, whether any
lot the expenses incident to this Department
! can De reduced without iDpairnC tho eff
cacy ot It's operations, | ask permission to
f, present some general ard explanatory obscr-
irat!ons In respect TO the disbursements ofthe
public money, which are made through the
Department Of State. The disbursements
are made out Of appropriations Of two kinds:
first, those in which both the amount Of ,ha
appropriation and lis particular object are
specified; and, secondly, those in which, a..
though the amount OF the appropriation is IL
mtod, and the general purpose of il is men
toned, its particular object is not definitivcly
stated. The salaries Of our diplomatic a.
gents torn an example of the first description
81 appropriation, as the contingent expenses
OF foreign intercourse do ofthc latter The
rt depends exclusively, upon the pleasure
}ot congress: and IT is only over the last that
!; y discretionary power is, or can be, excrtcd
10y the Executive, through the Department OF
State, IT a course decentralization. Durinr
my service i'll the Department, have cndea-
vofcd 10 enforce the most rigid economy,
WHICH appeared to me compatible with the
pubic interest. Particular items of cyDen
dituIe viii vary from year to year according
10 exIGcncIes, and the amount OF disburse-
nlent VIII, consequently, be greater or less.
here has been Tor example, Il vast deal Of
extra copying IN the Department, during The
TWO or three last years. The papers relating
to our northeastern boundary, consisting Of
upwards OF twenty manuscript volumes, and
numerous maps, and other detached papers,
have been twice transcribed in that time
But the amount of appropriations for the
service Of this Department, has been pro-
gFessiTc!y diminishing during the three last
Years. On that subject, IS wen as the cynen
aItQTcs ofjhe Department, bee. leave TO ore
sont to the Committee, from the document
marked .. accompanying this letter, the
three following views.
3he first IS comparison ortllc amount of
appropriations made during each Of the
three last years OF the preceding Admins
tration, with tlat made during each Of the
three t;Tsi years O! the present, applicable to
the the pubic service, through the agency Of
this Department!
Last Administration, Present Adn,inistratio
l"1"' Sl5i,8oo 1926, S3ho,932
1914 3o9,33O 1927, 29O,55OI
1872, 556,05O 1898, $3.50