The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-08-14

article was sold, and thousands of dollars thrown
away in this article of corn alone And TINS SIR,
is only fraction of the quantity sold Ind, furtheri
sir that oats purchased at double the usual cost were
sold at l-2 cents per bnshel. This corn and oats
were damaged for the report states them to have
been sound and the damaged corn sold separately.
could proceed sir to enumerate hundreds OF cases of
the same nature but time will not permit will close
by giving from letter OF the Creek agent
at Fort Gibson addressed to the Commissioners of In
dian Affairs complaining of the action OF the AdnI-
nistraion in forwarding such immense quantities OF
supplies unnecessarily to that post, and which also
had to be sold at an immense sacrifice
81 But whatever be the apology of the measure in
question: whether it be ignorance of the resources OF
the country distrust Of the capabily OF the officers
charged with the subsistence Of the Indians or dread
of failure Of their efforts in that respect thing
demonstrably true that the great loss trhich is nor
ineritabiy consequent upon the might hare
been aroided had timely directions been giren 10 dis
pose Of this extraordinary supply q Pyor'si0" as 500"
as il trds ascertain ed not 10 be needed
He again says:
Instead Of this, cargo after cargo continued to ar
rived as the necessity decreased
Again sir the agent says:
al repeat sir fearless of contradiction, had the
agents here been instructed, in the first instance as
agents of the Government ought to have hcen where
its interest was concerned, the public would not have
sustained the loss Of single dollar the provision
purchased in New Orleans would have been sold, and
not transported here has been the at an enor
rnous expense 1rhere ras needed and at an adj
dtonaI expense of several thousands to erect suitable
buildings to cover it from the weather.
This gentleman, sir for his plain speaking to the
Government officers was treated with Official nso-
lence, and Immediately resigned his station. "A mean
obseauious fawning sycophant would have been che
rished and patronizcd by them. Here, sir is another
instance of hundreds of thousands Of dollars squan
dered Who could have dreamed of such "blunder-
ing policy?" And yet the gentleman from Virginia
saws the Opposition rofed for 'Indian subsistence,
&c; and he is loud in praise Of an Administration
which is thus, by its official documents convicted
of mcompetency, waste, and extravaganza and may
be something worse. | believe, sir, that all these
necessary purchases made to give profitable con-
tracts to favorites
We have been told, sir, that the public buildings
another source of !" extraordinary expense. l
will, for moment refer to this matter, and IN that
moment convince the committee that another high
handed and unjustifable of this Administration
has cost the people unnecessarily, three hundred thou
sand dollars refer to the Post Office building. The
Committee on Public Buildings of the House Of Re
presentatves in order to ascertain the actual cost of
the building proposed to be erected, made demand
for detailed estimate of the cost of split granite
building. 1t furnished, and amounted to two
hundred and eighty thousand dollars, But sir,
sooner had Congress adjourned than the President
ordered the erection of marble buildinga perfect
palace, which is estimated, even by Admlnistra-
ton gentlemen TO cost sir hundred thousand dollars.
This, sir, will explain TO gentlemen why this branch
of expenditure is termed extraordinary" But, sir,
there Is another matter connected with this subject
and which is admitted here by the friends Of the
Administration. After the money appropriated by
Congress had been expended, fearing that at its next
meeting il might arrest the work, or demand
PLANTATION OF this enormously increased expenditure
the Executive actually allowed the work to progress
credit to the amount of S65 900, and the aborers
on the building, instead Of receiving their pay regu
lary, were given checks memoranda of the amount
due them; and now, sir, called upon to vote
money; and our sympates are appealed to pay the
iaborers. They shall be paid, sir but would de
mand to know by what authority of law this work
was persevcred in after the appropriation was ex-
pended How dare the President and his oadjutors
anticipate the action Of Congress How dare they
usurp the power which legitimately belongs to the
Representatives ofthe people, But, sir my questions
are answered by every day experience. They dare
do any thing They dare violate all law scof at all
precedent; commit any and every act, however
justfabe and unlawful and drilled party majority
will support and countenance their iniqutes.
could refer, also, to the Treasury building as an
other instance Of the wasteful expenditure of public
money. ! could give repeated instances in which
money appropriated by Congress for object has
been transferred to another without any authority of
law; and, when these exposures are made the party
acknowledge that investigation ought to be had, but
that 1t IS not convenient to make it at this particular
time.
will mention, Mr.. Chairman, one other item Of
expenditure Congress odered a survey of the mouth
of the Mississippi and made appropriation for i'm
proving the channel at the Balize. And how do you
suppose, sir, the money has been expended One
steamboat one dredgeboat and four schooncrs have
been built purchased, and fitted up in the most
tasteful style find, sir that there is charged for
furniture in one of them, mahogany sideboard two
splendid card tables, merino curtains fine
settees and other furniture to suit eight patent ierer
matches, chr0nometer costing $3.50 silver ware
and numerous other articles of the same description
All this sir is for common mud-bodts. And after ex-
pending two hundred and nnety-onc thousand dol
lars, the work is abandoned and the mouth Of the
river Is now IN worse condition than before the work
was commenced. This, sir, is the expenditure at the
mouth Of the river. know not how many snap boats
and mudboat have been employed on Red river or
other rivers, whether they fitted out in the same
style But do know that when we ask a small an.
preparation on the Cumberland road we arc told hy
the Administration that there is no money in the
Treasury, and that they arc disposed 10 think that
work unconstitutional
There is another title, Mr. Chairman, under which
the money OF the people is squandercd ii not actually
purloned 1t is under the head of contingencies Y
and the bill now before is a small specimen of the
amount thus charged. In il alone there is aplro.
pated, under the title of contingencies one hundred
and tweny-seSen thousand two hundred and thirty
hve dollars besides sixy-sevcn thousand dollars for
nseeuaneous making, together, hundred and
mnely-iour thousand two hundred and thirty-fye
dollars. And when sir we ask how this LARGE snm
hcNpehued we are told that il is quite impossible nor
70 give detailed statement but that no louht il will
ne honestly accounted for And il any of us insist on
receiving the information we are accused of WASTING
'ne ue VI te house and Of being altogether too in
qusltive Next year, sir, We shall have thcsc s,,,s
accounted for in bill for washing towels horse M;
&c. 800 ~
But sir, it strikes that gentlemen IN ,he; 80, ),
defend the Administration in more than ono ;ns,ae
forget that there is but one step from the sublime =
the ridiculous" They talk quite eclincly indan.n,
OF the unairness shown to the Administration in hi,