Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-12-23

Assistant Surgeons and Mdshiprncn a,tend,n,
ammunition are allowed ~ 50 per day, and tr .vc,n
cxpenses returning 6
Captains acting on Courts of Enquiry and Con,,s
MARTIAL, arc allowed 2 per day. Master Comma,
dun's and Midehipmen 81 so, with their traveiln,
expenses. s
Officers attending as witnesses, are allowed Al so
travelling expenses ~ '
Officers employed in surveying b,rbou,s b.,.b,o,
allowed from 81 so to 90 per dav
Oucers ordered home from foreign stations, or r..
turning on aslck ticket, allowed ther na,,ay,
money SeameN discharged in foreirn com,,r;cs a7c
sent home at the expense of government,
Othc'rs necessarily travelling TO this CITY for IT.,
ee'tc''ht OF thrir accounts, are allowed tray,ilnp
tancd WINE W.
Officers taking the place of their superiors in N,
temporary command Of hips or stations, have been
allowed tho pay and Condiments of those sunc,;o,'
The expenses OF officers when sick have been n,;J
/ recently. one half. "S
N addition to al these allowances by executive ou.
'horny' we have variety of Offices and Agencies
y engnatlnE from the same source.
, onHer The law authorizing the Establishment of
y DocTs' me secretary of the Nav has created the
once OF engineer with ealary of 1000 dollars no,
annuni, 30 dollars per month board whom 49,,
IRON" nome 10 cents per mile for his TRAVELLING cy
pe}scs' aud all his incidental expenses paid no.
There is an Ass.stan, Engineer. ,rpo;n,oa h.. o.,
pi1hclpnl' at dollars per day, with travelling and
We have had Superintendent of Livc O,l ~,
la'l"ns IN FLORIDA with salary of 100 dollars or,
dollars "iy oI QUO
We have had Agents for surveying I;yo .l,,
IN FLORIDA at to dollars per day. in sddton -
their expenses. uu'1oh 10
custody fec of Is cents per day has been ,uo,,..,
70 the sheriff OF Florida for Keeping Africans andei
tr"m slave ships. 'andcd
We have Agent Mt Liberiu for rcco;,;,.
ems at salary OF 1000 dollars and an outfit Of sno
we nae Aren't eets of Navy Hospitals, who -
'eiye salaries OF 1000 dollars per wear N"o It.
Un'il rcc"ntly, the Navy Department emrlo.,
special agent, who was clerk in this Office al
2"Gi nun one per cent on heavy disbursements y,bor
'nc Jaw expressly provides, that all disbursp1 ots
TO The Senate Nominated
Many other special agents have been omnlovo,
particular services, and many thousand a. Ii1oe "'
them by way of compensation. PHiu'o
Ihe origna! authority for most of tbaso ,,
e,s 'ASs only IN letters from The Secretary oF a.
NoVy 10 The Fourth Auditor. For some of them NV,
even that authority or any other exce,t oa, no'
can BE- found. An account has bccn III - Iouent'
secretary; another like It is allowed ON ,hoy UT
principles; the precedent becomes a Iow anS
rs o'sh ,s forgotten This kind of Legislation bos
oceh as iiuctuat!ng as 1t has been loose Somc,;@ ms
more Is Allowed, ana sometimes less; the Navy - g -
% complaints OF partGlity; and almost every man ,Ii
ina ne has right to some allowance because ;rn.
he
IS "qrasscd with arguments drawn from expedicncy.
'h' h,fdship OF the case ITS similarity To some nlIo.
ahce heretofore made; and because Some have No.
Su'gu improper allowances, he is censured because
NJ does not put all upon equality by maxine i'm
proper allowances to others. Every thing il dbl,
and uncertain and, instead of being able e, once IN
turn 70 some law or lawful regulation; by which To
test every claim which is presented H.. is ,onne.d,
sp nd hours and days in hunting for old lefer, cd
looking into procedents. wv
Some boldly claim allow ances without lnw mr. M
fhf,rt hoe fhr,-
were embraced in the estimates on which tho 49,,
priations were founded. In their view an os,;mato
authorizes an expenditure. So far has this inpres
son gone that men, employed by contract at prices
less than the estimates, placed upon similar service
have advanced serious claims to The whole amnun,
estimated. IL is IN vain tn urge that the estimates
ar ought be, based on some existing law: tLst
they form part of the appropriation law: that Co.,
gr rs almost uniformly appropraies less than ir es.
timated, without leaving any record explaining what
part they dsapprove. No arguments nvan with
those who consider custom us laws or find their own
convenience or their interest IN setting their own
1 rules above those of tie legislative power Comp
have confidence that the executive officers will
be governed by law IN their estimates: they never
scrutinize them with impression that they are 10
be taken as law after their adou nment. and insian
ces arc not wanting, where they have been deceived
INTO appropriations for objects other than those which
IN" estimates seemed to present. Next to allowing
! the Executive to make appropriations by his own
authority, Is the danger OF considering an appropri-
alton based on an estimate without shadow OF law TO
authorize The estimate or make the appropriation
ncccSSaIy, sufficient auLCi.ty for expendinq the
money. Yet, such has been The practice of the gov
ornm"nt' aud from this practice have sprung many
abuses
! 1t may be well supposed, that almost an entire
want of egul and fixed system in the allowances
made (for the department has not obeycd it's own
estImates) must materially affect the accounts Of
tins Office, and the appropriations made by Conp-
ress' By some new rule, or upon some unknown
reason many thousand dollars have been suddenly
ana Unexpectedly allowed by a repetition Of thesc
allowances, means to pay which have always been
'ouhu, thr state OF the appropriations, and conse-
Puently, the accounts of the Department have been
niseraby derapgcd
] This leads INC to speak of the manner IN which
tho accounts kept. - N
by acts OF Congress 1t IS declared, that all moneys
appropriated shall be upplled to the pnInosos T.,
winch they arc appropriated, and no other .xccnt
that transfers III riain cases nay be made by ITO
PresIdenl from appropIIalIon 10 another In IL