Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-04-30
I.ETTER FROM MR.. Chiffon.
WAsHINeron Cry. 22d April. 10:

the ,nSt unappolle0 Oy tie Oattanon OF hgureS
which MIR. Wickliffe has pnraded before me, or the
mcrcenary squadron, who are yelPing at my heels
feel the confidence of having truth on my side, and
we have high authority for saying, til is mighty and
In all that have heretofore said, relative TO the
public expenditures. have relied the official doc
uments, submitted by the Secretary of the Treasury
to Congress; tho appropriation found in the sta
tutc books; aud last though not least. the figures
OF the Chairman ofthe Retrenchment Committee him
self Taking these different lights to guide me,
have Found that the expenditures of the kr year. the
year which above all Others the nation looked TO for
refrenchmcnt and reform, have exceeded by very
large Gums, the expenditures of the preceding year;
taking from each the payments account OF the
public debt and those made by the British for deport
ed slaves under the Client treaty, to present
the naked nett amount usobscured by what does not
belong to 1t. The excess to be sure, much grea
Ter according to the first official report of the Score
ary, than it will now appear to be by his amended Of
fcia or by the FORMER figures of the Chairman of
the Committee of Rerenchmept; but still taken in Ell
f!cr way, Or all ways, in which any fair comparison
can be drawn, there is large, and me, unec-
gscted excess. This now rclternte IF cr a careful
review of all tha has been written; and ready
prove 1t. at all times and on all proper occasions
When this controversy first began, there por
tentous uiterng about the Departments lest the Sc
Crctoy of the Treasury had admitted too much his
official report the state of the finances; and sundry
movements took place, first in House of Congress
aud then the other enable the Secretary to take
hack his estimate for the 9TH quarter of the year. He
has accordingly managed to make the required cor
rection through the Committee Retrcnchment
though uncaled for by the House of Representatives.
and shall in what have say, discard his first
report for the 9TH quarter and rely solely the amen
ded one. have only to request, after shall show,
by this second and amended statement OF the Finan
ces, from the Honorable Secretary, that 1899 is still
ahead Of 1928 i'll expense, that he Will not take this
buck also, to make further amendments before we Uct
through. But I am blamed for hitherto relying on
the dh quarters estimate of the first offcia and Mr..
Wicke very learned and technical about the terms
OBSTINATE" and ,sea,. ,,difure knew we'll cuouo
ne nof MI ~,
with the expenditure. but could not permit myself
TO doubt but that 1t WINS near enough to the truth
for substantial accuracy. and for fair calculation
was sent to Congress the basis of its legislation
and surely, tit for Congress to act upon, was not
to be discarded by me, when it the only official
information submitted. But now it turns cut that
the Department Is willing to swallow the blunder, II
1t one, of more than million u ootkrs if thew
can help the cause of my antagonists, and put me
down.
The Secretary estimated, as he says for that QUAR-
ter, the expenses at S7,245,48l O5, whereas they
turn out after all, TO be only Sc ,23G,9l4 As. Differ
as call lit, official laundering, 81 OO6 $50 62
If Mr.. Rush had made such mistake this, hard
ly think my colleague would have intruded himself
between and my constituents, to defend him. as he
has done on this occasion.
But am reminded that Mr. Rush, in 1923. estima-
ted his 9TH quarter at 81 392 ,6O3 Te. He did So But
there any such difference of million in that quar-
ter as considering? No! The expenses
of that quarter were $7,214,57, as could be
cxpected to the estimate. Do not then quote Mr.
Rush US precedent for this system of bIunderinr by
millions. But let this official slip 60 for what It is
worth. come at once to the actual expenditures of
the two years. US admitted by the Secretary him
scif and endorsed by the Chairman of the Retrench
ing Committee. Here they arc:
Total expenditures for 1923, G2545o a7e So
Deduct public debt, sle,i63 ,43s OF ,ao-,eo- 80
Trcaty of Client 10000 10 ls,95o'5e1 IL
Nett expenses of 1928, Sle,595,972 05
Total expenses for 1929, S25,o7I,eI7 SO
1pdu
Client treaty, $3.50 90 80
Nett expenses of 1929, SI2,676,93G 60
Making excess of the year 1929, over the expen-
ditures of the year 1885, 9st 49, and this too
without taking into consideration the fact that the
year 1928 is charged with six months legislation, and
the gear 1829 with but three. To make the compar-
ison perfectly fair three months legislation should be
deducted from 1873, to make it allow but three
months session to each-Now the pay of both houses
OF Congress for 90 days. without considering the prn
ting Sc other contingencies, would 08O
which if taken out, will leave the real excess of 1929
over 1923, o6e-044 dollars
Such is the result Of comparison between the first
year of the present, and the last of the late admins
tration.
But let US go back to the ti,s, year of AR Adams,
US perhaps still more fair That is let us compare
the first with the first of both administrations each
ofcourse having the benefit of short session. and see
how we shall come out such contrast. In 1925
the first year of Mr. Adams, the whole expenses
were S23,585,8 04 To
Deduct public debt, ls,095,344 &c
Nett expenses of 1925, 1!,49o459 81
It bas been already shewn, that in ls29 according
to Mr.. Wckliffes admissions, and the latest re-
port from the Department of the Treasury, that the
expenditures were S12,676, 1896 60; making an ex-
in the FIRST year Of the present Administration OF
Si,1s6, 456 &c, the first year of the last. will
also state, that in the latter year, the oftwo hun
drea thousand dollars paid TO General Lafayette is
charged, & put down expendedin ICES Should that
be reckoned as not standing the footing ofordina-
~ expenditures, and will pretend that it does
the difference in the two years will be one million
dlree hundred and eighty SIC thousand four hundred
and seventy sir dollars and sixty sir cents 1t is
less to struggle against these figures. You cannot
shlke them off.
ulations; but this does not help the difficulty Hhy
spend more money now than the last administration
did with all the abuses which have been attributed