Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-04-09
A LETTER FROM Mr.. Chiffon.
IHashingfon City, .AprI Z, 1880.

Washington City, .apra Z, 1880.
Messrs. GALES & SEAroN: Those who have read
the official Government journal of Yesterday, will
readily perceive why again trouble You with
publication on the subject Of the expenses of the
present administration. My colleague, Mr.. Uick-
life, has placed his imposing name at the foot of
a half column for the purpose of exposing the
blunders Of the Secretary of the Treasury, and
developing the wonderful sagacity of the chairman
of the Rrtrenchment Committee, in discovering
that erred, in saying the first year of General
Jackson's administration was more expensive
than any year of MIR. Adams administration.
Mr.. lngham, the Secretary of the Treasury,
on the 18th of December last. transmitted to
Congress his annual report on the state of the fl
nances, which was read, referred to the COM
mittee of ways and means, and ten thousand
copies ordered to be printed" Ia this report
thus solemnly made to Congress as the basis of
its legislation, Mr.. lngham gives :. statement
of the expenditures of the United States, from
the lst day of January, to the 50th of December,
1922" in which each item of expense is named,
(see the report from page s. to page IL, amount
ing. ascerained, for three quarters of the year
to The sum of .."........Sl8,9l9.1l4 05
/ Atpage 5. the expenditures for
the fourth quarter, including S.
689.542 93 on account of the
public debt are estimated at '......S7,2454Sl O5
Making the whole expenses .... 500, 1914, sos 10
! For the truth of the foregoing, | refer every
reader to the official report of the Secretary, ten
thousand copies of which, Mr.. Wickife voted
should be printed, and which have been sent out
to the people; copy of which can probably be
| found in every neiShborhood.
! In the face of these statements of the officer
at the head of the Treasury, Mr. Wicklife as
serts ..from public documents in my his pos
session. exhibiting the amount expended in each
year ending on the first day of January" that
the expenditures of the year were but the sum of
SIS, O-O.9l7 50. The : public documents then,
iii Mr.. Wicklfe's pocket, prove that the expens
es have been upwards of million of dollars less,
than the .:public documents" in the archives of
the Secretary of the Treasury.
! So anxious is Mr. Wicklide to make il appear
that the present Administration has not spent
the money which the Secretary says they have
expended, and to convict me Of error, that he fall
sites Mr.. ingham's statement through and
through. He could not make more fatal stab
at the reputation of public officer. What
! Has our new Secretary Of the Treasury, TO whom
is entrusted tie money 9fMe People, blundered
to the amount Of million of hard cash, in ftiS,
his first Report? Has Mr.. Wickliite got some
back door information from one OF the hangcrs-on
of the Treasury, TO shew that the Secretary can
not keephis accounts? Or are we TO believe MIR.
Wicklitfe's pocket statement, rather than the Of
| fetal one of the Head of the Treasury: If he
has obtained his information from the Secretary,
which statement are we to believe of this func-
tionarv-when he speaks officially to Congress,
to aid that BODY in legisation--Or when he fur
nishes secret statement TO the Chairman OF the
! Retrenchment Committee, to make newspaper
article upon it? If the official report was wrong,
how do we know that this back door information
is right? Perhaps it will be said, that the fourth
quarter was estimated, not being ascertaned-
and that the actual expenses OF that quarter are
found not to be so high as was estimated. But
This will not mend the matter. The report was
made. 18th December. but a few days only before
the end of the last quarter. The documents, up
n that time were all in: and all that was neces-
sary for the report was an estimate tor sixteen
DAYS. 10 reach the end of the year. No man mt
TO be at the head of the Treasury could miscalcu-
late million of dollars in estimating tor sixteen
DAYS. | cannot believe it of Mr. lngham, or OF
any other man who ever saw the inside OF De
partment. lfmy colleague believes 1t. L oush'
70 stand justified in his eyes at least, Tor saying
7 had losf confidence in some of those who now
rule this nation.
Even if Mr.. Wickife is right, and MIR. Ing
Iham wrong. do not see that much Is gained III
the way of retreuchment. For, taking the state
ment Of Mr.. Wicklife as our guide. it will, after
all, appear, that deducng from ls2S ana i sn
the payments on account of the Publ,c debt anu
tbose made by the British under the Client treaty,
there will be an excess id the latter year, And
before prove this by figures, hope my colleague
will pardon me for giving him this friendly adj
yiceLthat. hereafter, when he chooses to voiun-
teer the sceigh of name to shew that my car,
cnIa1;on of the expenditures for the years 1923
and 1899 was founded in error, and calculated
to misead the public mind" he will have the
candor to exclude from the estimate all that Is
not properly the expenses of the Government t.
am sure, if he is able to detect the mistakes IL,
Mr. Tnwham's Annual Report, he must have been
when he charged to the year 1928 as part of the
nett EXPENSES of that year, the sum OF S19O'oo9
40, which had been previously deposited in our
Treasury by the British Government TO pay Ame-
o1 eli