Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1838-06-14

| that paid 10 the Librarian OF tho great public
library OF Congress. All this too, cir. under
the auspices oil gentlemen who said that This
! part oil the expense OF that Department WAS
censurable, aud ought to be dispensed win
as all tho ofieers Of the Government could
wen avail themselves of the public library
at tho Capitol. But. Mr.. Speaker The times
changed, aud Mr.. Van Buren, sad Mr.. For.
syth changed with them.--The State De.
Partment IS now laid of into grand divisions.
W men Mr: Clay had charge Of it, the Blue
under the head Of clerks One of these act
ell as translator for the Department, and bis
salary was 81 $50; another paid GU, the
funds, and was charged with The contingent
| expense accounts, aud he received 81. $50 a |
year. How soon Is all this simplicity and q.
economy forgotten! The Blue Book of las,
year divides this Department into a "DipIo.
ma,icBureau, Consular Bureau "a Home
Bureau, a"Franslator. Whose salaryisSl .76O
"DisSursing A gent, WHOSE salary is 5 .s55.
Librarian" whose salary is 81 $40, and
gives one man $780, year for s'packing.
ming arranging, and preserving newspa>
by that boosted democratic party" which
Affects such holy horrer at any appearance
OF what they call "aristocra,ic grandeur"
III the Turk, whose letters are found in SaI
magundi, had seen tLis display ofe Buresus''
IN the State Department, he would have been
better Justified in his admiration al ",he
grand and magnificent scale on which these
Americans transact their business" But
have Yet to add, that those who questioned
The right OF the State Department to purchase
print o: The immortal Washington. have
usea the money Of tho people to buy prints
OF GensraI jackson, and now OF Martin Van
Buren,, for almost every room of each of The
Departments!
Mr. Speaker. during this "searchinr eps.
ration and captious fauIt>finding every petty
expense OF the ralDepartmeats was look.
ca upon with open Censure. l we'll remem-
Der that an item Of some fow dollars, paid
iaborer for destroying the grass which wa,
growing between the bricks of the paved
walk leading to the State Department. wa,
held upto public view as piece of sris,o.
cratic extravagance. Now, sir, suppose
we're TO cite to you many similar, and equal
ly (if not mors) Objectionable charges in the
present accounts oflhose Deparimeats-sucb
as cash paid for clearing the snow off tho
pavements, so that MIR. Forsyth need not
wet his feet; 1890 q quarter for labor. %
1858 for sundres, ""Sl5 for work !" with
oat stating what labor or work. /, might
have been for killing grass. or raising yege>
tables for the Secretary. The term Of "s1n.
dries" may conceal the same things, and the
curIoue might inquire what use was made of
hre proof paint for which S7S were paid BY
tse secretary OF State. But the money is
well laid out. If it will preserve tho edifice
AND 1t IS TO DO regretted that the Secretary
OF the Treasury and the Postmaster Gen.
had not made similar purchases in time 10
save their respective buildings. Penknivea
ana SCISSORS, by the dozen, and half dozen. !
are purchased for the Secretary OF State. who
also pays clerk to GO to Baltimore 10 COL |
iect draft. An item OF 800 paid by the
Secretary Of the Treasury for the transports.
ton of money; but how much money, or
rom whence, or where transported, we
know not. This last charge is a kind OIL
fereiaste of the hard money sub Treasury
system, by which, instead of transmitting
the funds ofihe Government by means Of the
cheap, safe, and rapid system OF exchange,
which prevailed before the banks were "de.
bauched" by Mr.. Kendall, the public mo.
ney Is now 10 be wagoned over the country
OF great expense and hazard, and always with
delay.
The late eminent and virtueus Attorney
General, William Writ, did not escape The
censure OF these indefatigable reiormers. He
had rendered some professions! services in
which the United States were interested. but
which were not such as his official station
charged upon him. For this service an in
considerable sum was paid to him. but it's
rF"priety was questioned. The salary of the
Attorney General was SO 500, and he was
allowed $500 for o clerk. How stands the
case now? The salary of Mr.. BENJAMIN Il.
Butler the present Attorney General, is
$4,000, and in 1924. he was paid Sd, $50 10
fur compensation, besides being allowed 81
SUI for clerk and messenger, andS5OO for
The contingent expenses ut his office The
same additional allowance and charge a.
mounting together to9 300 is made in 1885.
independent OF the increased salary and the
enlarged provision for a messenger, why
SoOO Tor contingent expenses? In the year
1886 we heard Of nothing Of contingent cx-
penses, but provision of 81 ,407, 10 made
LOT ms clerk and messenger, and for Mr.
Dutleis compensation that year he received
va 1882, when his salary was only 81 600.
why was this excess of 1892 paid 10 him !? |
lie appears TO have been used as a sort of |
Caleb Quotem. He has been allowed 10 en- |
icy The salary of his own office, and that OF the
Secretary Of War at one and the same time.
being at the rate of 10 900 per year, pursu.
ing loo his profession, and receiving IFS emoi,
umsnts. No wonder we see in him "tbe
complying law officer of The CROWN When
dld he give an opinion contrary to the wish
OF the President, if he knew VIA, that was!
Lei me give an illustration. AS the story
IS told, when the Baltimore railroad was a.
bout TO be located at its termination in this
CITY, the company consulted Mr.. Butler on
some point as 10 the right OF way under their
Charter. After full deiiberatiun, his profess
sIonsl opinion was obtained in writing. II
happened that General jackson felt some con.
Germ about the location OF this right OF way