Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-04-16
E'wcnty~Gfih Congrcss--.:sd scss.

| f'NTF.NoE Of me fEDE NIL GOt LhN.HE..GT ].
SPEECH OF Mr. MURRAY. OF KEsrucKr,
IN Tic House Of Representatives. Jannury 81, 1889 On
The Army Appropriation bill Che House being in Com.
inIItee of the WhoIe) pending the amrndmen, Of Mr.
MASON OF fIrgInn, To increase The Item for National
A'mores IRON $780, 900 10 S3CO,U00 the amount in
former years.
Mr. MURRAY CONNER need by observing ,ho, he had
intended, tor some days 10 occupy The first suitable
cason with very brief review nd xllination Of the
expenditures generally Of the Government. He had
ie!t the more anxious 10 90 since The very able and
excellent report of the Committee If WAYS aud Means
haH b'eh published; document which appeared 10
MN IN be SD obviously correct in ali its financial sug
grslions. that he sincerely hoped would receive
unqnaisd support OF al lras, every friend Of The Adj
minstra,on. lie was against the amendment pro-
posed tn the bill under cou-drra'inn. Tic Committee
{" Ways and Means, 10y whom the bill! Tepnr:eu to
the House, had charge of he public service and knew
better than the House could know, the amount Of mo
ney necessary Ia br Appropriated i"r It's support. He
warned gentlemen, friendly 10 the AimIS parIi
cUlafly. 10 beware If appIOpIiatng money than
vas recommended by the committee, est they might
rsuIrr themselves obnoxious, greater or less DEGREE
To The reiterated charges OF cXrraYagsnce with which
thar ears had almost without beer salulrd
since the at The present Congress These
charges, 6" lar Us he knew, brevvl. made ard
rep"a!ed without iu.tIibr cause, and lie ii0n ght they
were s" considered by the country; ard it therefore be-
hnIveG those gehemc. with HON lie had :c.c4 !:sfeto
fore, not TO put weapons The hands Of those whose
business and policy 10 them the best adyan
iage lie was willing that opposition membt rs should
wall had two sides to it, tie defence
well one to breast the onset, 1t was The duty of
those defence 10 vgilnniIy guard against tie making
n! any breach sufficiently vulnerable 10 admit enemy.
For one he not afraid of any injury resulting
the oi the Administration from lhs charges which
bad been preferred by The Opposition fine dspropor-
lion great between the chgrges and the alleged
grounds upon which they u:h To be based, that
hrir very violence tsarned them Of the harm intended
by those who Illuminated them They had been too in.
discriminate their character. involving well
as drmer and Innocence alike with guilt. 10 have the
effect intended upon discerning and dsntrresrd pubS
lie. lie thought there danger Of he salc-
~ Of public inquiry from he'ng fed political food,
which Is generally either bitter or dsaIeiu 81 much so,
To threaten G!srclsh in future, such as might he
necessary Ia the healrh or inviting 10 the appetite nl the
body polite. Sir, (sad Mr. VI } do not say merely
10 pay upon words, bat would earnestly ask if The
pursued 10y the party here. who wnge ard keep
up nc!sCIiua,r aTdTe against tie administration,
is not well calculated to destroy the whorsune effect
OF we'll TerIled exposure OF the party power w;eu-
lhe;r official conduct may be such to merit expo.
sure: ST. there urh III the sug stirn Of The gen.
l!pnan from New Hampshire (AIr. AIhrr"u) The "Iner
day, that the terms corruption, c"rGupon Ne had been
long and increasingly repeated here, without mean.
ing and without Iomndati"n tina, they had ceased To
effect the public ear by which they ltrIe
more regarded than IT uttered by SaTlIuG taught To
repeat Hcm dcy after day without being conscious
al their import Aud ths must necessarily continue
be The long the prnple that the ChiP ubrc
of ce here obtain their rrsrarcles food tor
inycclve rather than truth 10 enghten The public mnd
That their Object IS 10 PROCURE in advance, the condsm
nation OF he Administration rather than give il fair
trial Lenre the county. That their object 5 do
justice 10 those lin power they drnomnalc them,
but erct them !ror, their places, whether just
Just That they seldom spare either the national honor,
the national faith when, by doing those who admi
mister the Government likely To mrrit receive
cnmmcndaon; and that their object in fine is
advance their political prospects, than the good of
the country. political course, VIGOROUSLY unfair,
is much TO be deprecated by every friend "f just
sponshI!iy he part OF those in power Such reSpon
sl5ry the chief security can have against the
conduct Of our public officers and nothing is more like
IL 10 destroy II than continual IndScrlmna!r attack
upon those officers without reference the de-
merit o! their otcia! actions The attack being less
vruls Mt when untundrd than when elected By pae
violations Of public duty. The greatest sensblly be-
CONES planted aud destroyed by ovrrac,"n; aud thus
is with the public wachiuness which, if we may credit
gpulrmrn has already become repehensibIy careless
bctraying unusua emotions symptoms Of alarm,
at any charge however grave though hundred forth
in the usual manner
..Wi,h thousand mouths n Thousand tongues.
And throat OF hrass inspired with Ua.-"
And hence II is that gentlemen who always sound.
ing the tncsin Of alarm and who pousIy pray without
crasing' for their "hIngdom earth, gene
rally rewarded with the greatest Inc part of
the people This may be in the history of the lde
elections given by the gentleman from Ohio, (Alr.
Duncan in the most recent OF his published works
that and other subjects, from which he showed
days since that the previous nn,cipatons OF the OPpo.
ing the warnings, the ragings and wniIng of the two
last sessions OF this Congress, which not for
moment permitted 10 cool on the public This is ab.
souipy lnsuiitrabe. II is past all endurance, that so
much labor aud ZEAL and should vanish into Thin
air
81. it r,r this you snin os ncagrc looks,
AID sacrifice your dinner tor your bG,k -
WHAT'S the OF such indifference: It is that the
cry Of corrup'iou exlravagaucs &c, in Tins Il"us"
not supposed to furnish much evidence of lis existence.
1t that panics crang TO have their woncd effect,
and because the people have heretofore often been
startled BY the cry Of wolf! when Of
alarm was be or felt.
One Of the standing charges against the Admnisra-
ton is that Of extravaganza in the expenditures Of The
public money and Of all the charges made is perhaps
The most plausible wh"n addressed 10 those who IT,
norant Of the many items Of which the aggregate OF
the annual expenditure is composed. The charge
to BE- founded mainly the difference between The
amount OF annual expenditure under MIR. Adams's
administration and The expenditures OF The last few years
under Gen. Jackson and Mr. Van buren, From the
table of annual expenditures. which shall hereinafter
submit (said Mr. NJ the difference would seem TO be
considerable. and when the amour; alone Of
the money expended, whou reference TO the Objects
tn which has been applied or with all entire ignorance
Of those ob.cls impression is lett on our minds
which vanIshes on eS panatlnn.
Before proceeding TO examine the manner in which
large amounts of money have been expended within the
few last years. may not be amss (saId Mr. NJ TO pre-
misc that the circumstance OF the expenditure OF
n ,rrp amount Of money. not itself evidence ni e4
travaGancr or wnsteiuness. ExiTavarance does not
consist in the amount expended, but DEPENDS on The
Means the manner the objects Of expenditure -
One of the sayings Of Dr.. FrankIns Pour Richard IS
that "Ee that buys article which he does not need,
because it is cheap pays very dear for it,. And thus
i, is we often large mounts Of money invested or
paid on, which be said to be well or even econom:-
caIIy expended. a who gives dollar Tor cane
he does not need has been eIravagant To III" amount oi
dollar willis, he that gives five, ten or twenty thou.
sand dollars for valuable farm, worth as much or more
than the amount gwen cannot he said to be extrava-
CANT The same rule is good hen applied To the Go
rernment. There may be much economy and good po.
Iicy too in the application of hundred thousand or
million of dollars; and there may be great e1avagance
in The expenditure of one hundred. should also pre-
mise that within the last ten years there has been V's
increase in the territory, the Improvements, the pnSi
ness, the wealth, and The population OF The One'
States and consequently corresponding increase III f
amount Of expenditure has become necessary. w