Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1840-07-16
NUMBER 81.


Of an Administration which il thus BY its own oa-
cia documents. convicted Of incompstency, wASss,
and extravagsnce. and il msy be sofuething worse.
believe, sir, that oil these unnecessary purchsses
wore made TO give profitable contracts 20 favcrtes.
| We have been told. sir, that the public buildAgs
ara another source Of extraordinary" expense. /
will, sir for moment refer 70 this matter, and 10
tina, moment convince the Committee that another
high-handcd and unjusti6ahls Of this Admins.
tfstion has cost tho People, unnecessarily. tAvss
Anadrea hoEsard dollars. refer to the Posl OF
Ace building. Tbs Committee on Public Buiidings
Of the House Of Representatives, In order to ~
cerssn the actual cost Of the building proposed .
bc erected, made 4 demand for detailed estimate
OF the cost OF spsI graasts building. Il was fur
nishcd. and amounted to two hundred and eighty
thousand dolisrs. But, sir, no soener had Congress
sdjournsd than the Presidsnt ordered the erectioa
| OF marble buding--a perfect palace, which i
now estimated. even by Administrations gentlemen.
TO cost sir Ausds ed tAessasd dollars. THIS. cir.
will explain to gentlemen Why this branch Of an
| pendtures Is termed " extraordinary" Bat, cir.
there another matter connected with this subject
| and which IL admitted even here BY the friends u
the Administrations. After tho money appropriated
BY Congress had been expended, fearing that q IL
next meeting IL migh arrest the work, or demand
an explanation Of this enormously increased expsa-
diure. the Executive actually allowed the work TO
progress on credit 10 the amount Of &65, 900, and
fau0fcto On buitutbSs tHetceu u FcSctytux
their pay regularly. were given checks uaemorsn-
da Of the amount due them; snd now, sir, We are
called upon TO vote money; and our symputAtss
are appealed to 10 pay the iaborsrs Thoy shall 10
paid. sir, but would demand to know BY what
hory oflaw this work peTsevcrcd 10 afsr the
appropriation was expended How dare the Pre-
sident and his coadjuors anticipate the action of
Congressi How dare they usurp the pswer which
legismately belongs to the Representatives Of The
People But, cir, my questions are answered b.
everyday experience. They dare do any thing
They dare violate all law; scot Ct Ill precedent;
commit any and every act, however uajua,i6abls
and unlawful, and dsIIed party majority will sup
port and counsenance thsir inqnitica.
| could refer, also, to the Treasury building -
another instance 81 the wasteful expenditure Of
public money. could give repeated instances In
which money Appropriated by Congress for one OBJ.
ject has Lcrn transferred to another without any
authority Of awi and, when these exposures arc
made, the party acknowledge that investigation
ought 10 20 had, but that Il 10 not convenient -
make II ct this particular time
will mention, MIR. Chairman, one other item Of
expenditure. Congress ordered survey Of tho
mouth Of the Mississippi, and made appropria.
ton for improving the channel at the BalEs. And
how do you suppose, sir, the money has been sx.
pended One steamboat, ono dredgeboat. and four
schooncrs have been built or purchased, and fitted
up IN the most tasteful style. find, sir that theirs
ny sdeboard. two splendid card ssbies, nsrino
Gu, tains. fine caneseated settess. and other frni
ture to snt eight patent iersr watches, ene caro-.
nemetev, costing $3.50, silver ware, and numerous
other articles Of the same description. All this,
sir, ia for common mud boafs. And after sxpcnd-
ing two hundred and ninc,y.ons thoussnd dollars,
lhs work 10 abandoned, and the mouth " the river
10 nov in woass condition than before ths work
WAS commenced. This, sir, IL the expenditure ~
this mouth Of the river. l know not how many
snag boats and mudboats have been empleyed on
Red river OF other rivers or whether they are fitted
gu, in Tho same style. But do know that, when
We ask small appropriation on tho Cumberland
road wc arc told by Tho Administration that there
Is money in the Treasury, and that they sre dis
posed to think that work unconstitutional
There Is enolher title, Mr.. Chairman, under
which lhe money u the People 10 squsndersd, II
not actually purloined. Ii 10 under the hesd Of
coming !" and The bill now before 10
small specimen Of the amount thus charged. Init
alone. there appropriated under ths title Of con-
fingencies, one hundred and fweDty-seven thousand
two hundred and thirty.fve dollars. besides sxty-
seven thousand dollars for miscellaneous, making,
together, one hundred and ninety.four thousand
two hundred and thrty-fvc dollars. And when,
sir, we ask how this large sum ia expended, We are
told that h is quite impossible nor to give adstsl-
ed statement but that. doubt. Il will be honest
" accounted for And II any Of Us insist on
the time of the House, and Of being altogether too
inqisitive. Next year, sir, we shall have these
sums accounted for in n bill for washing towels,
horse hire, &c.
But, cir, il strikes me that gsntlemsn, in THAR
zeal TO defend the Administration, In more than
one instance, forge, that "thsre 10 but one step
from the snbline TO the ridiculous" They talk
quite feeIineIy gnant Of the unisrncss shown to
the Administration IN this matter Of expenditure,
and call It "crying injustice and say that large
item the three pei fund paid the States.
Now, sir, this 10 rather amusing defence. Has
the three per fund been paid 70 the States
under every Administration Il It not paid only
in propori to the amount Of sales OF the public
lands within tho different Statss7 Il II not guam
anifsd TO the States BY tho compact under which
they became members Of the UDioni And havs
they not received il from the first day Of thsr I'D
mission a. Srates7 Really, Mr.. Chairman, these
apologies are rather too shallow 10 deserve serious
notice. But, sir after oil, the friends Of the Adj
minstrntion somewhat excusabls for these at
tempts al subterfugc and evasion. They are serely
pressed BY many searching inquiries. The stsrn
gaze People is last directed 70 thsr action.
and they are compelled to avail themselves Of any
and every excuse, no matter how pitiabls and un-
satisfactory.
Sir. (.aid Mr. P.,) have touched these dhersns
branches Of expenditure but slightly and isave Il
with gentlemen better qualified to particularixe abu-
SEES and unjustihabIe expenditures. will leave the
subject BY saying that, although the expenditures
have increased nearly three fold should notso loud
ly complain had the money besn properly expended.
But, sir, it has been wasted. Our fortihcstions
were never in worse condition. We have scarce
" . ship Of war ft for When the frigats Uni
ted STATES received some damage entering the port
Of New York, spd was condemned a. anseaworthy
after an expenditure of some seventy thousand dol
lars there was not ship ready 20 receive her crsw;
and months passed before could be ftted out to
take the place Of the condemned frigate. We have
not single steamship Of war which deserves the
name ! beg pardon sir, believe there is one--
the Ponsstt" -they call her steam frigase she