Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1828-07-19

->~-@1--'a- 'N~~-.ss
: Congress, was extravaganza, as compared
with itself For example: n-thc year 1898.
under the Presidency Of Washington, the
expenditure was SI,715,I29; in 1874,
$4,000, sand ii 1895, Sl,55O, 596. In179G,
also under his Presidency, it was reduced 10
S2,53i $50. SO, in the Presidency of 6Ir
Jefferson, tie expenditure was, in 1892
( S5,I37,O19: III 1903, $1,000 ,oo4: in 1904,
$4,452,358; III 1905, So .254; IL 1906.
S6,080,209; and in 1907, it was redaced to
S4,984,512; and in 1908, il rose again 20
SG,504,55 In the FIRST year of Mr. Ma;i-
sons Presidency, the expenditure exceeded
tnat OF the preceding year about one million
Oh dollars. Ii must be Obvious, from, 4;s : *
that the mere amount ofeXpenditure. in any
gwen year, can furnish no evidence. that the
4 '1"Fefn'nent was eI,ilcf extravaganza or eco
nonical. Nor can the comparison of the
: averages OF expenditure, for given periods,
lead to any more satisfactory conclusion.
+; or such acomparison would show that the
average expenditure Of - government. du-
ring the Presidency of Mr. jefferson, was
nearly double that during the Presidency Of
/ " as!!ngton, from which il was separated bv
an interval OF only four years; tie former be-
ING 3d. ,593 81, and the latter. $2,794-
III 1t would 'elsc show that, under the
~.
atcly succeeded that Of hIr. Jefferson, there
was an addition to the aycragcannual cxDrn-
dlture OF one million Of dollars, o. one fifth
OF the whole. Bes les, it IS perfectly lami!
lar to every one, that the. expenditure Of 4
gwen year MAJ, and generally does, IN part,
Rr'se from appropriations made, and author
tiles glvcn at antecedent periods
Ii It siio'i.,: i'2 said that, ut IL? time: re
tered to, the expenditures, were for useful
and valuable purposes, the answer would an
doubleday be correct. 1t is the only true an
sWcr IN all such cases; and it brings us at
once to this conclusion. which is believed to
be entirely Just, that il Is the character OF
the expenditure, and not its amount. which
must determine whether it is extrayagarlt or
economical 70 arrive az any certain or sa-
: tiSiactory result it would be nccessarv, to
4 examine each object Of expenditure. to CON
slider II by itself, and IN lis relation TO the
general concerns OF the country; and then
to decide whether ii is worth what i COSTS.
such III inquiry would, = effect be an cxa-
: Iaiaation 81 the whole structure cf the Gov.
eminent, il its general bearing, and in oil It's
} details. Bat this is the very work which
Congress IS constantly engaged in. and has
i boen engaged ILL., from the bcqjnniog to the
b, present time. Livery expenditure has had
!tS origin IN some measure which CONGRESS
have deliberately decided % be proper, and
: directed to DE carried mo effect: and every
such expenditure owes its continuance 70
tie continued conviction of Congress, ihal
Tie measure which occasions II. is suited Ia
] the circumstances and wants OF the cointrv.
; Is nat the system IS, which las thus been
Sdcccssively built up, what are the parts Of
winch II Is composed, and what each cfthcm
costs, may be seen from the statement. of ey-
pcnditurea already presented. Some of The
items "Iii hc referred 10 hereafter In The
e, meantime, II Is only necessary TO remark, as
further exposition ol the views intended to
= be presented, thet if The same amount of
! service should be Iou::d at one period to
cost more than another, this would naturally
lead TO inquiry, though IL might still he err
; satisfactorily explained. Blu; if the amount
; OF service has been increased or the objects
; OF expenditure multiplied, the increase OF ex-
: pcnd!turc IS q matter Of course and can oc-
; caslon neither surprise nor inauirg.-No
i, this Is precisely the fact in regard 80 the go.
vcrnmcnt. IL follows, then, that 70 cs:.,5.
, lisl that q greater arount 6 au9sg ;r2s
r expended in tic years 1922. =, j, lhan n
t the years 1909, 10, II, or that q greater
: amount was expended III 1925, 3, =, thar
IN 1922, 3, i, proves 10 moro than 1t does
, to ahoW (as tic fact vas) that The expcudi
: lure OF 1909, 10, II, exceeded by q mil
) lion year, the average c~rantiitura of in,
G eight preceding years. I; comes exactly to
: ihs-and this is the utmost that can be mad,
t ofit-that Congress, in the juss exercise o
s their constitutional power. for which the.
Y arc accountable to the people, have thought
a It conducive to the public o0od, to enlarge
! or to multiply the objects oi'pubiic cxpendi
: turc, and have found II practicable 10 do So,
Il without InCOnl CHlCncC 20 the D-ii,l;c